Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saratov and Novosibirsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Novosibirsk: $1,153 a month against $1,207 in Saratov, rent and utilities included – about $650 less a year. The total is higher in Saratov despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Saratov
Learn more

Saratov Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Novosibirsk
Learn more

Novosibirsk Living Index

Jump to prices

Saratov

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,207

/mo nomad

Novosibirsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,153

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Saratov and in Novosibirsk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Saratov versus $1,153 in Novosibirsk.

Saratov $1,207
Novosibirsk $1,153

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,852 in Saratov versus $1,833 in Novosibirsk.

Saratov $1,852
Novosibirsk $1,833

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,497 in Saratov versus $2,512 in Novosibirsk.

Saratov $2,497
Novosibirsk $2,512

Living in Saratov is roughly 5% more expensive than in Novosibirsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Saratov 11% lower, Novosibirsk 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.84 ₽1,277

$11.60 ₽935

36.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 ₽3,926

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 ₽813

$6.27 ₽505

60.77%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₽341

$2.81 ₽227

50.53%

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

$0.96 ₽77.4

$1.18 ₽95.2

-18.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₽41.09

$0.58 ₽46.91

-12.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.96 ₽77.4

$1.23 ₽99.1

-21.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ₽291

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 ₽92.7

$1.23 ₽99.3

-6.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 ₽58.3

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 ₽127

$1.48 ₽120

6.76%

Eggs

$1.78 ₽144

$1.73 ₽140

2.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.28 ₽1,071

$11.99 ₽967

10.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.18 ₽499

$5.00 ₽404

23.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.62 ₽1,098

$12.33 ₽994

10.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 ₽400

$1.91 ₽154

159.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 ₽195

$1.79 ₽144

34.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.76 ₽61.4

$2.06 ₽166

-63.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.68 ₽458

$3.36 ₽271

69.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ₽97.6

$0.82 ₽66.5

47.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.53 ₽42.92

$0.61 ₽49.37

-13.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ₽78.7

$1.55 ₽125

-36.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₽56.4

$0.83 ₽67.2

-15.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.15 ₽254

$3.17 ₽256

-0.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.86 ₽796

$10.66 ₽860

-7.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 ₽90.4

$1.00 ₽80.5

12.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 ₽181

$1.70 ₽137

32.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ₽47.23

$0.55 ₽44.18

7.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.03 ₽1,293

$32.41 ₽2,614

-50.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 ₽112

$2.54 ₽205

-45.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ₽28.25

$0.52 ₽42.00

-32.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 ₽768

$6.21 ₽501

53.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 ₽64.6

$0.82 ₽66.5

-2.44%

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

$53.0K ₽4.3M

$43.9K ₽3.5M

20.70%

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

$42.0K ₽3.4M

$39.4K ₽3.2M

6.58%

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

$121 ₽9,729

$111 ₽8,977

8.38%

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

$10.18 ₽821

$7.18 ₽579

41.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.04 ₽891

$8.33 ₽671

32.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.18 ₽3,966

$38.16 ₽3,078

28.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.42 ₽2,211

$30.42 ₽2,454

-9.86%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 ₽664

$7.41 ₽597

11.07%

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

$326 ₽26.3K

$312 ₽25.1K

4.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,192 ₽176.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 ₽7,276

$71.9 ₽5,801

25.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 ₽4,572

$47.55 ₽3,835

19.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 ₽8,837

$144 ₽11.7K

-24.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₽9,827

$100 ₽8,102

21.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$525 ₽42.3K

$570 ₽46.0K

-8.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 ₽27.1K

$379 ₽30.6K

-11.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 ₽82.5K

$1,022 ₽82.4K

0.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 ₽57.6K

$692 ₽55.8K

3.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,813 ₽146.2K

$2,446 ₽197.3K

-25.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,306 ₽105.3K

$1,869 ₽150.7K

-30.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 ₽63.3K

$922 ₽74.4K

-14.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

25.33

22.83

10.95%

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

Last update for Saratov: October 26, 2026

Last update for Novosibirsk: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saratov

$336 27.8%

Novosibirsk

$379 32.8% 12.8% $43

Groceries & Markets

Saratov

$254 * 21%

Novosibirsk

$225 19.5% 11.3% $29

Eating Out

Saratov

$218 * 18.1%

Novosibirsk

$166 14.4% 24.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Saratov

$170 14.1%

Novosibirsk

$164 14.2% 3.7% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saratov

$142 11.8%

Novosibirsk

$127 11% 10.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Saratov

$66 5.4%

Novosibirsk

$53 4.6% 19.3% $13

Getting Around

Saratov

$22 1.8%

Novosibirsk

$40 3.5% 84.8% $18

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 $525 in Saratov and $570 in Novosibirsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Novosibirsk pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Saratov

🇷🇺 Novosibirsk

🕒 Local time

03:09 3:09 AM

06:09 6:09 AM

3 h ahead of Saratov

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

818,383

1,620,162

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saratov Novosibirsk 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Saratov
Novosibirsk

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

Saratov vs Novosibirsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Novosibirsk is about 4% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Saratov. 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: $525 in Saratov versus $570 in Novosibirsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Saratov. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,207 per month in Saratov versus $1,153 in Novosibirsk – Novosibirsk is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Novosibirsk gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.