Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tallinn and Kuressaare

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuressaare: $1,492 a month against $1,885 in Tallinn, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Tallinn
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Tallinn Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Kuressaare
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Kuressaare Living Index

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Tallinn

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,885

/mo nomad

Kuressaare

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,492

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tallinn and in Kuressaare

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

A single person spends $1,885 per month in Tallinn vs $1,492 in Kuressaare, rent included.

Tallinn $1,885
Kuressaare $1,492

A couple spends around $2,884 per month in Tallinn vs $2,208 in Kuressaare, rent included.

Tallinn $2,884
Kuressaare $2,208

A family of three spends $3,884 per month in Tallinn vs $2,925 in Kuressaare, rent included.

Tallinn $3,884
Kuressaare $2,925

Tallinn costs about 26% more than Kuressaare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tallinn and Kuressaare sit above the global median – Tallinn by 39%, Kuressaare by 10%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.54 €14.79

$13.51 €12.08

22.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.8 €81.2

$66.4 €59.4

36.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 €10.59

$8.72 €7.80

35.89%

Cappuccino

$4.36 €3.90

$4.00 €3.58

9.00%

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

$2.24 €2.01

$3.46 €3.09

-35.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 €2.00

$2.80 €2.51

-20.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.78 €6.06

$6.40 €5.73

5.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 €6.17

$5.61 €5.02

22.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.24 €1.11

-9.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.90 €1.70

-28.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.96 €2.65

$2.30 €2.06

28.70%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.06

$2.98 €2.66

14.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 €9.38

$12.49 €11.17

-16.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 €8.12

$8.59 €7.68

5.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.26 €25.27

$15.04 €13.45

87.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.76 €1.57

29.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 €1.25

$1.44 €1.29

-3.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$2.52 €2.26

7.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 €2.60

$2.97 €2.65

-2.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 €0.73

$1.04 €0.93

-22.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 €0.73

$0.89 €0.80

-8.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 €1.79

$1.87 €1.67

6.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.83

$1.20 €1.07

-23.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.24 €6.48

$6.62 €5.92

9.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.06 €8.99

$10.14 €9.07

-0.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.87 €1.67

-0.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.16 €1.93

-2.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.28 €2.04

-3.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.96 €29.47

$28.06 €25.09

17.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 €5.35

$3.66 €3.27

63.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.99 €0.89

21.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.92 €24.07

$27.01 €24.16

-0.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.84

$2.00 €1.79

3.00%

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

$28.5K €25.5K

$27.5K €24.5K

3.90%

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

$31.4K €28.1K

$29.3K €26.2K

7.32%

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

$337 €302

$310 €277

8.85%

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

$17.77 €15.89

$11.33 €10.13

56.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.21 €27.91

$36.43 €32.58

-14.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 €46.12

$33.12 €29.62

55.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.72 €40.88

Cinema Ticket

$12.14 €10.86

$11.54 €10.32

5.20%

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

$706 €631

$475 €425

48.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K €12.5K

$11.9K €10.7K

16.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.9

$109 €97.2

-4.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 €46.47

$48.38 €43.26

7.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €105

$104 €93.3

12.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €119

$120 €107

11.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 €706

$511 €457

54.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$586 €524

$329 €294

78.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 €1,389

$657 €588

136.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 €896

$495 €442

102.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,694 €4,197

$4,044 €3,616

16.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,255 €2,910

$2,476 €2,214

31.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,223 €1,988

$1,280 €1,144

73.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

3.93

-13.49%

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

Last update for Tallinn: October 31, 2026

Last update for Kuressaare: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tallinn

$586 31.1%

Kuressaare

$329 22.1% 43.9% $257

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tallinn

$386 20.5%

Kuressaare

$358 24% 7.4% $29

Groceries & Markets

Tallinn

$314 16.7%

Kuressaare

$281 18.8% 10.4% $33

Eating Out

Tallinn

$286 15.2%

Kuressaare

$251 16.8% 12.3% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Tallinn

$183 9.7%

Kuressaare

$171 11.5% 6.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Tallinn

$76 4%

Kuressaare

$56 3.8% 25.9% $20

Getting Around

Tallinn

$54 2.9%

Kuressaare

$46 3.1% 14.8% $8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $789 in Tallinn versus $511 in Kuressaare. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 74% higher in Tallinn. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Tallinn versus $66 in Kuressaare. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $314 vs $281 – making Kuressaare the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇪 Tallinn

🇪🇪 Kuressaare

🕒 Local time

06:03 6:03 AM

Same time as Tallinn

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

443,623 Capital

15,170

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Tallinn Kuressaare 190 km

From you

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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

Tallinn vs Kuressaare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tallinn is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,827 per month in Tallinn and $2,238 in Kuressaare. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kuressaare, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $511 there versus $789 in Tallinn.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,885 in Tallinn and $1,492 in Kuressaare. That makes Kuressaare about 21% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Kuressaare. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Kuressaare – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Kuressaare. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tallinn makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.