Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Petersburg and Ulyanovsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulyanovsk: $898 a month against $1,334 in Saint Petersburg, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Ulyanovsk
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Ulyanovsk Living Index

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Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,334

/mo nomad

Ulyanovsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$898

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,334 in Saint Petersburg versus $898 in Ulyanovsk.

Saint Petersburg $1,334
Ulyanovsk $898

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,131 in Saint Petersburg versus $1,386 in Ulyanovsk.

Saint Petersburg $2,131
Ulyanovsk $1,386

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,927 in Saint Petersburg versus $1,874 in Ulyanovsk.

Saint Petersburg $2,927
Ulyanovsk $1,874

Living in Saint Petersburg is roughly 49% more expensive than in Ulyanovsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Saint Petersburg 2% lower, Ulyanovsk 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.86 ₽990

$8.40 ₽701

41.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.90 ₽3,497

$30.41 ₽2,538

37.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.51 ₽544

$6.44 ₽538

1.09%

Cappuccino

$3.21 ₽268

$2.29 ₽191

40.17%

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

$1.63 ₽136

$0.93 ₽77.8

75.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₽64.8

$0.36 ₽29.97

116.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 ₽254

$1.76 ₽147

72.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ₽310

$1.96 ₽164

89.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 ₽97.9

$1.04 ₽86.9

12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₽83.4

$0.62 ₽51.3

61.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 ₽141

$1.04 ₽87.2

62.50%

Eggs

$1.64 ₽137

$1.49 ₽124

10.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.32 ₽1,028

$14.58 ₽1,217

-15.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 ₽553

$7.43 ₽620

-10.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.56 ₽1,048

$7.35 ₽613

70.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 ₽147

$1.59 ₽133

11.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₽135

$1.55 ₽129

4.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 ₽146

$4.05 ₽338

-56.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 ₽273

$4.90 ₽409

-33.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 ₽70.3

$1.49 ₽124

-43.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.66 ₽54.7

$0.84 ₽70.0

-21.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ₽108

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₽63.6

$0.53 ₽44.15

43.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ₽256

$3.09 ₽258

-0.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.59 ₽717

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₽101

$1.07 ₽89.2

12.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₽168

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 ₽87.2

$0.44 ₽36.70

138.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ₽4,440

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 ₽229

$3.52 ₽294

-22.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₽51.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ₽730

$3.61 ₽301

142.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 ₽77.4

$0.87 ₽72.5

6.90%

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

$40.9K ₽3.4M

$53.4K ₽4.5M

-23.31%

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

$36.2K ₽3.0M

$41.0K ₽3.4M

-11.50%

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

$151 ₽12.6K

$141 ₽11.8K

6.92%

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

$7.75 ₽647

$4.81 ₽401

61.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.66 ₽723

$13.69 ₽1,143

-36.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.26 ₽3,444

$36.46 ₽3,043

13.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.73 ₽3,567

$24.86 ₽2,075

71.88%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 ₽622

$8.51 ₽711

-12.34%

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

$633 ₽52.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₽1.5M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.5 ₽8,224

$30.17 ₽2,518

226.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.9 ₽4,412

$35.74 ₽2,983

47.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 ₽11.5K

$95.2 ₽7,942

45.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 ₽10.1K

$59.7 ₽4,979

103.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 ₽61.8K

$362 ₽30.2K

104.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 ₽37.3K

$243 ₽20.3K

84.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 ₽135.2K

$493 ₽41.1K

228.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$939 ₽78.4K

$431 ₽36.0K

117.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,469 ₽373.0K

$2,620 ₽218.7K

70.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,803 ₽233.9K

$1,519 ₽126.7K

84.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,187 ₽99.1K

$509 ₽42.5K

133.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.81

-13.87%

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

Last update for Saint Petersburg: October 17, 2026

Last update for Ulyanovsk: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Petersburg

$447 33.5%

Ulyanovsk

$243 27.1% 45.7% $204

Groceries & Markets

Saint Petersburg

$230 17.2%

Ulyanovsk

$205 * 22.9% 10.7% $25

Eating Out

Saint Petersburg

$185 13.9%

Ulyanovsk

$132 14.7% 28.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Petersburg

$185 13.9%

Ulyanovsk

$99 11.1% 46.2% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Petersburg

$167 12.6%

Ulyanovsk

$160 17.8% 4.6% $7.7

Getting Around

Saint Petersburg

$63 4.7%

Ulyanovsk

$5.3 * 0.6% 91.6% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Petersburg

$56 4.2%

Ulyanovsk

$53 6% 4.8% $2.7

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 $362 in Ulyanovsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Petersburg pays 133% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $42.00 in Saint Petersburg vs $30.00 in Ulyanovsk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $205 per month, with Ulyanovsk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Ulyanovsk

🕒 Local time

15:37 3:37 PM

16:37 4:37 PM

1 h ahead of Saint Petersburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,597,763

627,705

💱 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

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Saint Petersburg Ulyanovsk 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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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 Ulyanovsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulyanovsk wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Saint Petersburg. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ulyanovsk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 133% higher in Saint Petersburg, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Saint Petersburg versus $362 in Ulyanovsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,334 per month in Saint Petersburg versus $898 in Ulyanovsk – a 49% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Saint Petersburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $898 in Ulyanovsk versus $1,334 in Saint Petersburg, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ulyanovsk but tight or insufficient in Saint Petersburg. The gap between the two cities makes Ulyanovsk the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ulyanovsk delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $898 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ulyanovsk hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Ulyanovsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Saint Petersburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.