Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saldus and Riga

For one person, living is cheaper in Saldus: $1,112 a month against $1,614 in Riga, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Saldus
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Saldus Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Riga
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Riga Living Index

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Saldus

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,112

/mo nomad

Riga

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saldus and in Riga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,112 in Saldus versus $1,614 in Riga.

Saldus $1,112
Riga $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,704 in Saldus versus $2,455 in Riga.

Saldus $1,704
Riga $2,455

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,295 in Saldus versus $3,295 in Riga.

Saldus $2,295
Riga $3,295

Living in Saldus costs roughly 31% less than in Riga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Saldus is 18% below, Riga is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.92 €15.20

$17.02 €15.29

-0.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.5

$67.0 €60.2

-1.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.19 €8.25

$9.10 €8.17

0.99%

Cappuccino

$3.62 €3.25

$3.66 €3.28

-1.09%

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

$1.64 €1.47

$1.57 €1.41

4.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.20 €1.07

-4.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 €4.99

$5.55 €4.98

0.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 €4.61

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.04

$1.22 €1.10

-5.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.51 €1.36

-0.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$2.53 €2.27

0.40%

Eggs

$3.69 €3.32

$3.72 €3.34

-0.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.35 €9.30

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.66 €7.78

$8.57 €7.70

1.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.54 €12.17

$13.55 €12.17

-0.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.10 €1.88

-0.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.81 €1.63

-4.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$2.55 €2.29

-3.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 €2.90

$3.17 €2.84

1.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.83 €0.74

1.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.94 €0.85

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.55

$1.68 €1.51

2.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.89

$0.98 €0.88

1.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.63 €5.96

$6.64 €5.96

-0.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 €7.05

$7.94 €7.13

-1.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.75

$2.04 €1.84

-4.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.81

$2.08 €1.87

-3.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.54

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.18 €29.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 €2.93

$3.39 €3.04

-3.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.89

$1.04 €0.93

-4.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.00 €16.17

$17.59 €15.80

2.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.81

$2.00 €1.80

0.50%

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

$27.6K €24.8K

-0.09%

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

$30.1K €27.0K

$29.5K €26.5K

2.03%

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

$368 €330

$366 €329

0.34%

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

$19.77 €17.75

$19.33 €17.37

2.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.52 €17.54

$20.06 €18.02

-2.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 €44.49

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.17 €32.49

Cinema Ticket

$10.53 €9.46

$10.88 €9.78

-3.22%

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

$721 €648

$721 €647

0.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K €16.4K

$18.1K €16.3K

0.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 €61.4

$70.1 €63.0

-2.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.3 €45.20

$49.52 €44.49

1.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 €77.9

$87.1 €78.2

-0.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 €124

0.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$621 €558

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$409 €368

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 €1,088

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 €692

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,048 €2,738

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,996 €1,793

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,452 €1,305

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

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

Last update for Saldus: October 24, 2026

Last update for Riga: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saldus

$407 36.6%

Riga

$406 25.1% 0.3% $1.1

Groceries & Markets

Saldus

$266 23.9%

Riga

$267 16.6% 0.6% $1.6

Eating Out

Saldus

$256 23%

Riga

$256 15.9% 0.3% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Saldus

$155 13.9%

Riga

$155 9.6% 0.3% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Saldus

$21 * 1.9%

Riga

$71 4.4% 238% $50

Getting Around

Saldus

$8.2 * 0.7%

Riga

$49 3% 492% $40

Accommodation & Living

Saldus

- * 0%

Riga

$409 25.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $66 in Saldus vs $67 in Riga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $267 per month, with Saldus cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇻 Saldus

🇱🇻 Riga

🕒 Local time

16:01 4:01 PM

Same time as Saldus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,085

660,187 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Saldus Riga 100 km

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Saldus vs Riga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saldus and Riga differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($1,112 vs $1,614 including rent). Saldus is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,668 in Saldus and $2,420 in Riga 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.

Childcare runs $721 in Saldus versus $721 in Riga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,112 per month in Saldus versus $1,614 in Riga – a 45% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Saldus is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Saldus and Riga are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.