Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saransk and Kazan

For one person, living is cheaper in Saransk: $1,154 a month against $1,335 in Kazan, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Saransk
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Saransk Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Kazan
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Kazan Living Index

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Saransk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,154

/mo nomad

Kazan

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,335

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saransk and in Kazan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,154 in Saransk versus $1,335 in Kazan.

Saransk $1,154
Kazan $1,335

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,839 in Saransk versus $2,021 in Kazan.

Saransk $1,839
Kazan $2,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,523 in Saransk versus $2,707 in Kazan.

Saransk $2,523
Kazan $2,707

Living in Saransk costs roughly 14% less than in Kazan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.63 ₽1,200

$18.69 ₽1,532

-21.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 ₽4,530

$36.60 ₽3,000

50.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.28 ₽596

$5.60 ₽459

30.00%

Cappuccino

$3.36 ₽276

$3.26 ₽267

3.07%

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

$1.80 ₽148

$1.47 ₽120

22.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₽60.6

$0.56 ₽46.08

32.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.99 ₽163

$1.82 ₽149

9.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 ₽320

$2.40 ₽197

62.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₽98.6

$1.12 ₽91.5

7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.78 ₽63.9

$0.75 ₽61.3

4.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 ₽117

$1.64 ₽134

-12.80%

Eggs

$1.56 ₽128

$1.65 ₽135

-5.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.98 ₽982

$11.62 ₽952

3.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 ₽419

$4.80 ₽393

6.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.68 ₽1,121

$10.79 ₽884

26.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 ₽140

$1.84 ₽150

-7.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ₽143

$1.86 ₽153

-6.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 ₽138

$1.74 ₽142

-3.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 ₽296

$3.36 ₽275

7.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ₽59.7

$0.90 ₽74.1

-18.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 ₽49.85

$0.41 ₽33.91

48.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ₽107

$1.45 ₽119

-10.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₽59.3

$0.75 ₽61.4

-4.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.36 ₽275

$3.00 ₽246

12.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.50 ₽697

$9.64 ₽790

-11.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 ₽96.1

$1.25 ₽102

-6.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 ₽213

$1.93 ₽158

34.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ₽46.82

$0.59 ₽48.01

-3.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.40 ₽2,082

$30.30 ₽2,484

-16.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.20 ₽181

$1.45 ₽119

51.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 ₽34.28

$0.52 ₽42.96

-19.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.44 ₽610

$7.48 ₽613

-0.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 ₽69.6

$0.88 ₽72.0

-3.41%

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

$53.2K ₽4.4M

$53.6K ₽4.4M

-0.81%

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

$39.5K ₽3.2M

$41.9K ₽3.4M

-5.82%

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

$141 ₽11.5K

$131 ₽10.7K

7.34%

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

$6.75 ₽553

$6.12 ₽502

10.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.51 ₽697

$6.89 ₽565

23.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.56 ₽3,161

$37.72 ₽3,092

2.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.06 ₽2,218

$31.35 ₽2,570

-13.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 ₽611

$6.01 ₽492

23.96%

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

$314 ₽25.7K

$292 ₽23.9K

7.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,219 ₽591.7K

$6,702 ₽549.4K

7.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.0 ₽6,315

$94.8 ₽7,772

-18.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₽4,583

$93.9 ₽7,692

-40.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 ₽11.4K

$109 ₽8,958

27.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.4 ₽6,833

$81.5 ₽6,678

2.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 ₽40.3K

$685 ₽56.2K

-28.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 ₽26.3K

$492 ₽40.3K

-34.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$928 ₽76.1K

$1,138 ₽93.3K

-18.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 ₽47.9K

$818 ₽67.1K

-28.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,273 ₽186.3K

$4,576 ₽375.0K

-50.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,563 ₽128.1K

$2,425 ₽198.8K

-35.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$681 ₽55.8K

$997 ₽81.7K

-31.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.88

20.8

0.38%

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

Last update for Saransk: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kazan: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saransk

$321 27.9%

Kazan

$492 36.8% 53% $170

Groceries & Markets

Saransk

$223 19.4%

Kazan

$215 16.1% 3.9% $8.7

Eating Out

Saransk

$207 18%

Kazan

$227 17% 9.7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Saransk

$160 13.9%

Kazan

$171 12.8% 6.6% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saransk

$156 13.5%

Kazan

$144 10.8% 7.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Saransk

$53 4.6%

Kazan

$50 3.7% 7% $3.7

Getting Around

Saransk

$32 2.8%

Kazan

$37 2.8% 14.8% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $492 in Saransk and $685 in Kazan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kazan pays 46% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Saransk vs $37 in Kazan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $215 per month, with Kazan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Saransk

🇷🇺 Kazan

🕒 Local time

22:06 10:06 PM

Same time as Saransk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

320,612

1,257,341

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Saransk Kazan 310 km

From you

Saransk
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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

Saransk vs Kazan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,154 in Saransk and $1,335 in Kazan, so Saransk is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Saransk. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $492 in Saransk versus $685 in Kazan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kazan – a meal for two runs $37 versus $55 in Saransk. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,154 per month in Saransk versus $1,335 in Kazan – Saransk is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Saransk gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Saransk wins on affordability, Kazan on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.