Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulan Ude and Kostanay

For one person, living is cheaper in Kostanay: $958 a month against $1,094 in Ulan Ude, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Ulan Ude
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Ulan Ude Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Kostanay
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Kostanay Living Index

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Ulan Ude

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,094

/mo nomad

Kostanay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ulan Ude and in Kostanay

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

A single person spends $1,094 per month in Ulan Ude vs $958 in Kostanay, rent included.

Ulan Ude $1,094
Kostanay $958

A couple spends around $1,704 per month in Ulan Ude vs $1,445 in Kostanay, rent included.

Ulan Ude $1,704
Kostanay $1,445

A family of three spends $2,314 per month in Ulan Ude vs $1,932 in Kostanay, rent included.

Ulan Ude $2,314
Kostanay $1,932

Ulan Ude costs about 14% more than Kostanay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ulan Ude and Kostanay are more affordable than the global median – Ulan Ude 19% lower, Kostanay 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.05 ₽589

$5.42 ₸2,452

30.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.40 ₽3,956

$29.19 ₸13.2K

62.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.98 ₽583

$7.13 ₸3,223

-2.10%

Cappuccino

$3.59 ₽300

$2.20 ₸992

63.18%

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

$1.77 ₽148

$1.13 ₸509

56.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ₽146

$0.91 ₸413

92.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 ₽299

$1.42 ₸644

152.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.82 ₽486

$2.68 ₸1,212

117.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ₽120

$1.26 ₸570

14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.78 ₽64.9

$0.53 ₸240

47.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 ₽112

$1.07 ₸483

25.23%

Eggs

$2.11 ₽176

$2.18 ₸988

-3.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.17 ₽1,015

$10.47 ₸4,732

16.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.39 ₽533

$5.93 ₸2,682

7.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.98 ₽1,083

$8.35 ₸3,774

55.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 ₽177

$1.58 ₸713

34.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 ₽156

$2.29 ₸1,033

-18.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 ₽146

$1.85 ₸835

-5.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 ₽230

$2.30 ₸1,040

19.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 ₽56.4

$0.58 ₸264

17.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 ₽66.1

$0.65 ₸294

21.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 ₽175

$1.20 ₸544

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₽56.0

$0.89 ₸404

-24.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ₽245

$2.50 ₸1,131

17.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 ₽532

$8.16 ₸3,689

-21.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 ₽125

$1.10 ₸496

36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₽100

$2.27 ₸1,025

-47.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₽38.55

$0.34 ₸155

35.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.23 ₽2,022

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₽107

$0.89 ₸403

43.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ₽14.16

$1.09 ₸492

-84.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.36 ₽614

$5.84 ₸2,641

26.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 ₽70.4

$0.64 ₸288

31.25%

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

$47.2K ₽3.9M

$30.8K ₸13.9M

53.38%

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

$35.0K ₽2.9M

$30.7K ₸13.9M

14.01%

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

$90.6 ₽7,558

$78.5 ₸35.5K

15.32%

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

$4.84 ₽404

$11.07 ₸5,005

-56.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.58 ₽633

$16.05 ₸7,253

-52.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.71 ₽1,979

$47.87 ₸21.6K

-50.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.45 ₽3,960

$20.28 ₸9,167

133.97%

Cinema Ticket

$7.09 ₽592

$4.20 ₸1,900

68.81%

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

$213 ₸96.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,512 ₸2.9M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 ₽6,067

$94.6 ₸42.7K

-23.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.73 ₽2,481

$54.4 ₸24.6K

-45.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₽9,870

$111 ₸50.1K

6.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₽10.1K

$91.7 ₸41.5K

32.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 ₽42.9K

$394 ₸177.9K

30.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 ₽31.5K

$316 ₸142.9K

19.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$779 ₽65.0K

$600 ₸271.0K

30.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$591 ₽49.3K

$481 ₸217.2K

22.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,092 ₽174.6K

$1,183 ₸534.7K

76.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,557 ₽129.9K

$929 ₸420.0K

67.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$899 ₽75.0K

$658 ₸297.3K

36.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.67

18.5

17.14%

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

Last update for Ulan Ude: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kostanay: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulan Ude

$378 34.5%

Kostanay

$316 33% 16.3% $62

Groceries & Markets

Ulan Ude

$229 20.9%

Kostanay

$202 21.1% 11.5% $26

Eating Out

Ulan Ude

$164 15%

Kostanay

$112 11.7% 31.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Ulan Ude

$154 14.1%

Kostanay

$158 16.5% 2.7% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulan Ude

$103 9.4%

Kostanay

$106 11% 2.6% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Ulan Ude

$38 3.5%

Kostanay

$56 5.9% 48.5% $18

Getting Around

Ulan Ude

$28 2.6%

Kostanay

$7.7 * 0.8% 72.7% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $514 in Ulan Ude versus $394 in Kostanay. 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 37% higher in Ulan Ude, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Ulan Ude versus $29.00 in Kostanay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $229 vs $202 – making Kostanay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Ulan Ude

🇰🇿 Kostanay

🕒 Local time

22:24 10:24 PM

20:24 8:24 PM

2 h behind Ulan Ude

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

436,138

264,446

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ulan Ude Kostanay 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ulan Ude
Kostanay

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

Ulan Ude vs Kostanay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulan Ude costs about 14% more than Kostanay, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,640 per month in Ulan Ude and $1,437 in Kostanay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kostanay, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,094 in Ulan Ude and $958 in Kostanay. That's a gap of about 14%.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Ulan Ude, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kostanay, where all-in costs run around $958, than in Ulan Ude at $1,094. In Kostanay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ulan Ude it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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.

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