Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thames and Vladivostok

For one person, living is cheaper in Vladivostok: $1,268 a month against $1,966 in Thames, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Thames
🇳🇿 New Zealand
$1,966
/mo nomad
Vladivostok
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,268
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thames and in Vladivostok

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

A single person spends $1,966 per month in Thames vs $1,268 in Vladivostok, rent included.

  • Thames $1,966
  • Vladivostok $1,268

A couple spends around $2,999 per month in Thames vs $1,904 in Vladivostok, rent included.

  • Thames $2,999
  • Vladivostok $1,904

A family of three spends $4,032 per month in Thames vs $2,539 in Vladivostok, rent included.

  • Thames $4,032
  • Vladivostok $2,539

Thames costs about 55% more than Vladivostok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Thames sits 46% above the global median, while Vladivostok is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Thames
Vladivostok
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.93 NZ$24.63
$11.71 ₽977
18.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.4 NZ$121
$36.44 ₽3,042
87.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.89 NZ$15.72
$6.58 ₽549
35.11%
Cappuccino
$3.42 NZ$6.06
$3.18 ₽265
7.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 NZ$3.57
$1.04 ₽86.7
94.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 NZ$3.08
$0.68 ₽57.1
155.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.88 NZ$12.16
$1.45 ₽121
374.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.73 NZ$11.90
$2.27 ₽190
196.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Thames
Vladivostok
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.87 NZ$3.31
$1.75 ₽146
6.86%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 NZ$3.93
$0.71 ₽59.0
212.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.79 NZ$3.16
$1.63 ₽136
9.82%
Eggs
$6.20 NZ$10.97
$2.34 ₽195
164.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.79 NZ$15.55
$13.39 ₽1,117
-34.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.68 NZ$17.11
$6.11 ₽510
58.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.82 NZ$29.74
$11.24 ₽938
49.64%
Apples (1kg)
$2.80 NZ$4.95
$2.86 ₽239
-2.10%
Banana (1kg)
$2.16 NZ$3.82
$2.09 ₽174
3.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.91 NZ$5.14
$2.70 ₽225
7.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.75 NZ$10.17
$4.38 ₽365
31.28%
Potato (1kg)
$2.13 NZ$3.77
$1.03 ₽86.0
106.80%
Onion (1kg)
$1.52 NZ$2.69
$1.05 ₽87.3
44.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.98 NZ$3.50
$1.33 ₽111
48.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.04 NZ$1.84
$1.08 ₽89.9
-3.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$26.57 NZ$46.99
$2.95 ₽246
800.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.25 NZ$18.12
$7.91 ₽660
29.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.84 NZ$5.02
$1.17 ₽97.9
142.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.38 NZ$5.98
$2.24 ₽187
50.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Thames
Vladivostok
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 NZ$2.56
$0.59 ₽49.22
145.76%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$75.4 NZ$133
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.30 NZ$4.06
$2.42 ₽202
-4.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.92 NZ$3.40
$0.57 ₽47.66
236.84%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.20 NZ$56.9
$12.14 ₽1,013
165.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 NZ$3.31
$0.87 ₽72.3
114.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.1K NZ$44.5K
$46.1K ₽3.8M
-45.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.7K NZ$38.4K
$35.7K ₽3.0M
-39.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thames
Vladivostok
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 NZ$324
$158 ₽13.2K
15.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.20 NZ$46.33
$8.44 ₽705
210.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.7 NZ$89.6
$9.21 ₽769
450.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Thames
Vladivostok
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.84 NZ$74.0
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.10 NZ$23.17
$5.22 ₽435
150.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Thames
Vladivostok
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,135 NZ$2,007
$814 ₽67.9K
39.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.2K NZ$34.0K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Thames
Vladivostok
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$79.2 NZ$140
$117 ₽9,779
-32.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.93 NZ$70.6
$60.5 ₽5,048
-33.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.3 NZ$163
$97.2 ₽8,115
-5.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$111 NZ$197
$124 ₽10.4K
-10.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Thames
Vladivostok
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$930 NZ$1,645
$559 ₽46.7K
66.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$821 NZ$1,451
$470 ₽39.2K
74.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,484 NZ$2,624
$1,301 ₽108.6K
14.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,486 NZ$2,629
$792 ₽66.1K
87.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,552 NZ$8,050
$3,078 ₽256.9K
47.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,773 NZ$6,673
$2,306 ₽192.5K
63.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Thames
Vladivostok
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,016 ₽84.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.37
23.6
-77.25%

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

Last update for Thames: October 11, 2026

Last update for Vladivostok: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Thames
$821
Vladivostok
$470 42.7% $350
Groceries & Markets
Thames
$337
Vladivostok
$254 24.6% $83
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thames
$260
Vladivostok
$176 32.4% $84
Eating Out
Thames
$242
Vladivostok
$170 29.7% $72
Clothing & Footwear
Thames
$145
Vladivostok
$180 23.6% $34
Getting Around
Thames
$93
Vladivostok
$7.6 * 91.8% $85
Sport & Entertainment
Thames
$68
Vladivostok
$10 * 84.7% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $930 in Thames versus $559 in Vladivostok. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Thames versus $36.00 in Vladivostok. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $337 vs $254 – making Vladivostok the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇳🇿 Thames
🇷🇺 Vladivostok
🕒 Local time
10:56 10:56 AM
07:56 7:56 AM
3 h behind Thames
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
7,500
600,871
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Thames Vladivostok 9,950 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Thames
  • Vladivostok

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
Thames vs Vladivostok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Vladivostok cheaper than Thames?
Yes – Thames is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,949 per month in Thames and $1,902 in Vladivostok. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Vladivostok, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Thames or in Vladivostok?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Thames and $36.00 in Vladivostok. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Thames and in Vladivostok?
Groceries cost about 33% more in Thames, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Thames or in Vladivostok?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Vladivostok, where all-in costs run around $1,268, than in Thames at $1,966. In Vladivostok it covers expenses comfortably, while in Thames it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Thames or Vladivostok more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Vladivostok – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Thames or Vladivostok?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Vladivostok. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Thames makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Thames vs other spots: cost of living compared

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