Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Petersburg and Shchelkovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Shchelkovo: $1,054 a month against $1,370 in Saint Petersburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Saint Petersburg
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Saint Petersburg Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Shchelkovo
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Shchelkovo Living Index

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Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,370

/mo nomad

Shchelkovo

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,054

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saint Petersburg and in Shchelkovo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Saint Petersburg and in Shchelkovo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,370 in Saint Petersburg versus $1,054 in Shchelkovo.

Saint Petersburg $1,370
Shchelkovo $1,054

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,191 in Saint Petersburg versus $1,657 in Shchelkovo.

Saint Petersburg $2,191
Shchelkovo $1,657

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,011 in Saint Petersburg versus $2,260 in Shchelkovo.

Saint Petersburg $3,011
Shchelkovo $2,260

Living in Saint Petersburg is roughly 30% more expensive than in Shchelkovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.09 ₽991

$6.07 ₽497

99.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.87 ₽3,596

$37.25 ₽3,053

17.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.67 ₽546

$7.55 ₽619

-11.66%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ₽269

$3.12 ₽255

5.13%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₽138

$1.05 ₽86.2

60.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₽64.8

$0.65 ₽53.1

21.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 ₽204

$0.88 ₽72.4

182.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 ₽295

$1.87 ₽153

92.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 ₽96.7

$1.14 ₽93.2

3.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ₽79.6

$1.04 ₽84.9

-6.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 ₽135

$2.31 ₽189

-29.00%

Eggs

$1.74 ₽143

$1.67 ₽137

4.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 ₽1,046

$9.65 ₽791

32.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.68 ₽548

$6.73 ₽552

-0.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.89 ₽1,056

$11.69 ₽958

10.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 ₽143

$1.32 ₽108

31.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₽132

$1.30 ₽107

23.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 ₽147

$1.28 ₽105

39.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 ₽268

$2.52 ₽206

29.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 ₽69.4

$1.01 ₽82.9

-15.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 ₽55.9

$0.38 ₽30.91

78.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₽116

$0.64 ₽52.6

121.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ₽67.1

$0.58 ₽47.21

41.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.15 ₽259

$2.73 ₽224

15.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.25 ₽758

$6.33 ₽519

46.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₽104

$0.93 ₽76.4

36.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ₽169

$1.89 ₽155

8.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₽90.0

$0.57 ₽46.52

92.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.3 ₽4,535

$26.43 ₽2,166

109.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 ₽258

$4.32 ₽354

-27.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 ₽53.3

$0.30 ₽24.19

116.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.87 ₽727

$4.83 ₽396

83.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 ₽71.5

$0.88 ₽72.1

-1.14%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$42.8K ₽3.5M

$54.3K ₽4.5M

-21.28%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$37.0K ₽3.0M

$42.7K ₽3.5M

-13.34%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$158 ₽12.9K

$109 ₽8,930

44.81%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$7.61 ₽624

$4.84 ₽397

57.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.07 ₽744

$5.69 ₽466

59.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.45 ₽3,479

$33.46 ₽2,743

26.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.42 ₽3,477

$23.59 ₽1,933

79.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.19 ₽589

$6.81 ₽558

5.58%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$682 ₽55.9K

$215 ₽17.6K

217.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K ₽1.9M

$3,621 ₽296.8K

553.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.7 ₽7,922

$52.6 ₽4,313

83.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 ₽4,410

$30.62 ₽2,510

75.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 ₽11.4K

$141 ₽11.6K

-1.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 ₽10.3K

$152 ₽12.4K

-17.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$766 ₽62.8K

$460 ₽37.7K

66.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$465 ₽38.1K

$359 ₽29.4K

29.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 ₽132.4K

$1,023 ₽83.8K

57.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$981 ₽80.4K

$670 ₽54.9K

46.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,508 ₽369.5K

$2,527 ₽207.1K

78.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,876 ₽235.7K

$1,354 ₽111.0K

112.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 ₽102.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.69

3.63%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Saint Petersburg: November 1, 2026

Last update for Shchelkovo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Saint Petersburg

$465 33.9%

Shchelkovo

$359 34.1% 22.8% $106

Groceries & Markets

Saint Petersburg

$236 17.2%

Shchelkovo

$202 19.1% 14.4% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Petersburg

$187 13.7%

Shchelkovo

$169 16.1% 9.6% $18

Eating Out

Saint Petersburg

$186 13.5%

Shchelkovo

$124 11.7% 33.4% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Petersburg

$174 12.7%

Shchelkovo

$119 11.3% 31.5% $55

Getting Around

Saint Petersburg

$66 4.8%

Shchelkovo

$35 3.3% 47.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Petersburg

$57 4.2%

Shchelkovo

$47 4.5% 17.1% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $766 in Saint Petersburg and $460 in Shchelkovo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Saint Petersburg vs $37 in Shchelkovo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $202 per month, with Shchelkovo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Shchelkovo

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

Same time as Saint Petersburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,597,763

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.08 EUR

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Saint Petersburg Shchelkovo 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint Petersburg
Shchelkovo

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Saint Petersburg vs Shchelkovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shchelkovo wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Saint Petersburg. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Shchelkovo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,056 in Saint Petersburg and $1,582 in Shchelkovo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $766 in Saint Petersburg versus $460 in Shchelkovo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,370 per month in Saint Petersburg versus $1,054 in Shchelkovo – Shchelkovo is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Shchelkovo runs roughly 52% less than in Saint Petersburg. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Shchelkovo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Saint Petersburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.