Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Petersburg and Ukhta

For one person, living is cheaper in Ukhta: $1,114 a month against $1,334 in Saint Petersburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Saint Petersburg
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Saint Petersburg Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Ukhta
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Ukhta Living Index

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Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,334

/mo nomad

Ukhta

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Ukhta actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,334 in Saint Petersburg versus $1,114 in Ukhta.

Saint Petersburg $1,334
Ukhta $1,114

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,131 in Saint Petersburg versus $1,675 in Ukhta.

Saint Petersburg $2,131
Ukhta $1,675

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,927 in Saint Petersburg versus $2,236 in Ukhta.

Saint Petersburg $2,927
Ukhta $2,236

Living in Saint Petersburg is roughly 20% more expensive than in Ukhta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Saint Petersburg 2% lower, Ukhta 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.86 ₽990

$12.41 ₽1,036

-4.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.90 ₽3,497

$36.18 ₽3,019

15.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.51 ₽544

$5.77 ₽482

12.82%

Cappuccino

$3.21 ₽268

$2.63 ₽219

22.05%

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

$1.63 ₽136

$1.22 ₽102

33.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₽64.8

$0.63 ₽52.5

23.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 ₽254

$1.91 ₽160

59.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ₽310

$3.03 ₽253

22.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 ₽97.9

$1.31 ₽109

-10.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₽83.4

$0.71 ₽59.6

40.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 ₽141

$1.20 ₽100

40.83%

Eggs

$1.64 ₽137

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.32 ₽1,028

$10.36 ₽864

18.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₽553

$5.63 ₽470

17.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.56 ₽1,048

$13.02 ₽1,086

-3.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 ₽147

$1.93 ₽161

-8.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₽135

$1.94 ₽162

-16.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 ₽146

$1.69 ₽141

3.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 ₽273

$2.70 ₽226

21.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 ₽70.3

$0.80 ₽66.9

5.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.66 ₽54.7

$0.56 ₽46.71

17.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ₽108

$1.45 ₽121

-11.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₽63.6

$0.63 ₽52.5

20.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ₽256

$2.99 ₽250

2.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.59 ₽717

$8.14 ₽680

5.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₽101

$0.98 ₽81.4

22.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₽168

$1.93 ₽161

4.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 ₽87.2

$0.59 ₽49.43

77.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ₽4,440

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 ₽229

$2.33 ₽194

17.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₽51.6

$0.41 ₽34.04

51.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ₽730

$5.13 ₽428

70.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 ₽77.4

$0.77 ₽64.1

20.78%

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

$40.9K ₽3.4M

$56.8K ₽4.7M

-27.93%

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

$36.2K ₽3.0M

$39.6K ₽3.3M

-8.42%

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

$151 ₽12.6K

$126 ₽10.5K

20.09%

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

$7.75 ₽647

$6.03 ₽503

28.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.66 ₽723

$8.53 ₽712

1.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.26 ₽3,444

$36.26 ₽3,026

13.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.73 ₽3,567

$24.65 ₽2,057

73.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 ₽622

$6.59 ₽550

13.20%

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

$633 ₽52.9K

$367 ₽30.6K

72.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₽1.5M

$6,377 ₽532.2K

172.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.5 ₽8,224

$82.8 ₽6,909

19.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.9 ₽4,412

$56.3 ₽4,700

-6.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 ₽11.5K

$131 ₽10.9K

5.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 ₽10.1K

$117 ₽9,731

3.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 ₽61.8K

$503 ₽42.0K

47.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 ₽37.3K

$359 ₽30.0K

24.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 ₽135.2K

$796 ₽66.4K

103.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$939 ₽78.4K

$532 ₽44.4K

76.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,469 ₽373.0K

$2,256 ₽188.3K

98.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,803 ₽233.9K

$1,394 ₽116.3K

101.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,187 ₽99.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.81

21.45

-7.65%

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

Last update for Saint Petersburg: October 17, 2026

Last update for Ukhta: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Petersburg

$447 33.5%

Ukhta

$359 32.3% 19.6% $88

Groceries & Markets

Saint Petersburg

$230 17.2%

Ukhta

$213 19.1% 7.3% $17

Eating Out

Saint Petersburg

$185 13.9%

Ukhta

$171 15.4% 7.6% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Petersburg

$185 13.9%

Ukhta

$174 15.6% 5.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Petersburg

$167 12.6%

Ukhta

$140 12.6% 16.2% $27

Getting Around

Saint Petersburg

$63 4.7%

Ukhta

$6.7 * 0.6% 89.3% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Petersburg

$56 4.2%

Ukhta

$49 4.4% 12% $6.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Saint Petersburg and $503 in Ukhta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42.00 in Saint Petersburg vs $36.00 in Ukhta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $213 per month, with Ukhta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Ukhta

🕒 Local time

00:35 12:35 AM

Same time as Saint Petersburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,597,763

98,293

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Saint Petersburg Ukhta 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint Petersburg
Ukhta

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 Ukhta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ukhta wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Saint Petersburg. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ukhta the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,001 in Saint Petersburg and $1,672 in Ukhta 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: $741 in Saint Petersburg versus $503 in Ukhta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $633 in Saint Petersburg versus $367 in Ukhta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ukhta – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $42.00 in Saint Petersburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,114 in Ukhta versus $1,334 in Saint Petersburg, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ukhta but tight or insufficient in Saint Petersburg. The gap between the two cities makes Ukhta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ukhta delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,114 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ukhta hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Ukhta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Saint Petersburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.