Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surgut and Saint Petersburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Surgut: $1,150 a month against $1,375 in Saint Petersburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Surgut, Russia
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Surgut
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,150
/mo nomad
Saint Petersburg
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,375
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,150 in Surgut versus $1,375 in Saint Petersburg.

  • Surgut $1,150
  • Saint Petersburg $1,375

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,725 in Surgut versus $2,195 in Saint Petersburg.

  • Surgut $1,725
  • Saint Petersburg $2,195

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,300 in Surgut versus $3,014 in Saint Petersburg.

  • Surgut $2,300
  • Saint Petersburg $3,014

Living in Surgut costs roughly 16% less than in Saint Petersburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Surgut
Saint Petersburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.27 ₽1,070
$12.42 ₽1,001
6.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.95 ₽2,899
$44.05 ₽3,553
-18.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.02 ₽566
$6.95 ₽561
1.01%
Cappuccino
$2.88 ₽232
$3.26 ₽263
-11.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.29 ₽104
$1.61 ₽130
-19.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₽44.81
$0.78 ₽62.7
-28.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.88 ₽151
$2.81 ₽227
-33.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 ₽238
$3.63 ₽293
-18.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Surgut
Saint Petersburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 ₽86.0
$1.19 ₽96.0
-10.08%
White Bread (500g)
$0.70 ₽56.6
$0.95 ₽76.9
-26.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.64 ₽132
$1.70 ₽137
-3.53%
Eggs
$1.82 ₽147
$1.67 ₽135
8.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.90 ₽960
$12.39 ₽999
-3.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.68 ₽377
$6.64 ₽536
-29.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.65 ₽939
$12.85 ₽1,037
-9.34%
Apples (1kg)
$1.87 ₽151
$1.75 ₽142
6.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.66 ₽134
$1.64 ₽132
1.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.86 ₽150
$1.79 ₽145
3.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.90 ₽234
$3.36 ₽271
-13.69%
Potato (1kg)
$0.81 ₽65.6
$0.83 ₽66.9
-2.41%
Onion (1kg)
$0.63 ₽50.5
$0.63 ₽50.6
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.16 ₽93.8
$1.33 ₽107
-12.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 ₽55.1
$0.78 ₽62.8
-12.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.00 ₽242
$3.16 ₽255
-5.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.99 ₽644
$9.41 ₽759
-15.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.06 ₽85.4
$1.19 ₽95.7
-10.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 ₽163
$1.97 ₽159
2.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Surgut
Saint Petersburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.61 ₽49.40
$1.10 ₽88.9
-44.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$31.55 ₽2,545
$56.1 ₽4,524
-43.75%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.57 ₽208
$2.80 ₽226
-8.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.32 ₽25.60
$0.60 ₽48.62
-46.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.62 ₽534
$9.01 ₽727
-26.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.89 ₽71.6
$0.88 ₽71.3
1.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$58.9K ₽4.8M
$43.0K ₽3.5M
36.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.2K ₽3.6M
$37.4K ₽3.0M
18.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Surgut
Saint Petersburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$128 ₽10.3K
$156 ₽12.6K
-17.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.99 ₽483
$7.85 ₽633
-23.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.34 ₽754
$8.71 ₽702
7.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Surgut
Saint Petersburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.90 ₽2,573
$41.31 ₽3,331
-22.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.41 ₽2,291
$43.82 ₽3,534
-35.17%
Cinema Ticket
$7.09 ₽572
$7.57 ₽610
-6.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Surgut
Saint Petersburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$376 ₽30.3K
$663 ₽53.5K
-43.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,161 ₽577.6K
$17.9K ₽1.4M
-59.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Surgut
Saint Petersburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$85.1 ₽6,859
$98.5 ₽7,946
-13.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.7 ₽4,333
$54.2 ₽4,370
-0.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$123 ₽9,926
$140 ₽11.3K
-12.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 ₽8,557
$128 ₽10.3K
-17.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Surgut
Saint Petersburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$461 ₽37.2K
$772 ₽62.2K
-40.22%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$364 ₽29.3K
$466 ₽37.6K
-22.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$985 ₽79.5K
$1,619 ₽130.6K
-39.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$540 ₽43.5K
$974 ₽78.5K
-44.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,257 ₽182.1K
$4,632 ₽373.5K
-51.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,713 ₽138.2K
$2,886 ₽232.8K
-40.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Surgut
Saint Petersburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,230 ₽99.2K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
21.45
19.69
8.94%

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

Last update for Surgut: October 25, 2026

Last update for Saint Petersburg: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Surgut
$364
Saint Petersburg
$466 28.2% $103
Groceries & Markets
Surgut
$209
Saint Petersburg
$234 11.9% $25
Eating Out
Surgut
$184
Saint Petersburg
$190 3.1% $5.7
Clothing & Footwear
Surgut
$166
Saint Petersburg
$189 14.4% $24
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Surgut
$144
Saint Petersburg
$173 20.3% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Surgut
$46
Saint Petersburg
$56 22.5% $10
Getting Around
Surgut
$38
Saint Petersburg
$66 73.8% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $461 in Surgut and $772 in Saint Petersburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $36 in Surgut vs $44 in Saint Petersburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $209 vs $234 per month, with Surgut cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇷🇺 Surgut
🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg
🕒 Local time
04:09 4:09 AM
02:09 2:09 AM
2 h behind Surgut
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
406,938
5,597,763
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 80.65 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.78 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Surgut Saint Petersburg 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Surgut
  • Saint Petersburg

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
Surgut vs Saint Petersburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Surgut or Saint Petersburg?
Surgut wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Saint Petersburg. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Surgut the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Surgut and in Saint Petersburg?
You’d need roughly $1,725 in Surgut and $2,063 in Saint Petersburg 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Surgut compared to Saint Petersburg?
Rent for a central apartment: $461 in Surgut versus $772 in Saint Petersburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Surgut compared to Saint Petersburg?
All in, you’ll spend $1,150 per month in Surgut versus $1,375 in Saint Petersburg – Surgut is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How expensive is transport in Surgut compared to Saint Petersburg?
A monthly transit pass in Surgut runs roughly 44% less than in Saint Petersburg. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Surgut or in Saint Petersburg?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Surgut is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Surgut or Saint Petersburg?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Surgut gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Saint Petersburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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