Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ventspils and Riga

For one person, living is cheaper in Ventspils: $937 a month against $1,591 in Riga, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Ventspils
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Ventspils Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Riga
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Riga Living Index

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Ventspils

🇱🇻 Latvia

$937

/mo nomad

Riga

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,591

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ventspils and in Riga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $937 in Ventspils versus $1,591 in Riga.

Ventspils $937
Riga $1,591

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,459 in Ventspils versus $2,428 in Riga.

Ventspils $1,459
Riga $2,428

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,981 in Ventspils versus $3,264 in Riga.

Ventspils $1,981
Riga $3,264

Living in Ventspils costs roughly 41% less than in Riga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ventspils is 31% below, Riga is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.21 €11.75

$17.05 €15.17

-22.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 €48.82

$65.9 €58.6

-16.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 €7.54

$8.94 €7.96

-5.26%

Cappuccino

$2.50 €2.23

$3.63 €3.23

-31.13%

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

$1.66 €1.47

$1.62 €1.44

2.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.20 €1.07

-0.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.45 €3.07

$5.43 €4.83

-36.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.13

$4.96 €4.41

-51.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.19 €1.06

-3.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.49 €1.33

-26.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$2.50 €2.22

-4.40%

Eggs

$3.10 €2.76

$3.61 €3.21

-14.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 €9.35

$10.61 €9.44

-0.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 €7.58

$8.86 €7.88

-3.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 €12.31

$13.85 €12.32

-0.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.15 €1.91

0.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.82 €1.62

-1.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$2.45 €2.18

-0.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 €2.85

$3.09 €2.75

3.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 €0.78

$0.83 €0.74

4.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 €0.78

$0.95 €0.84

-8.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.70 €1.51

1.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.86

$0.98 €0.87

-2.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.61 €5.88

$6.75 €6.01

-2.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.71 €6.86

$7.66 €6.81

0.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.96 €1.75

3.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.07 €1.84

-3.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.69 €1.51

-34.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.76 €14.90

$33.13 €29.47

-49.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 €3.00

$3.40 €3.02

-0.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.70 €15.74

$17.89 €15.91

-1.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.61

$2.01 €1.79

-9.45%

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

$27.3K €24.3K

$27.0K €24.0K

1.02%

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

$31.2K €27.7K

$31.4K €28.0K

-0.73%

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

$268 €239

$369 €328

-27.32%

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

$16.50 €14.68

$19.45 €17.30

-15.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.52 €14.69

$19.83 €17.64

-16.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 €45.28

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.88 €31.91

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.78

$11.05 €9.83

-0.54%

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

$673 €598

$690 €614

-2.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K €16.3K

$17.7K €15.7K

3.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.2 €61.6

$69.3 €61.6

-0.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 €45.10

$50.5 €44.88

0.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.8 €60.3

$85.7 €76.3

-20.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 €89.1

$140 €124

-28.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$560 €498

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 €341

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 €657

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,993 €2,662

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,050 €1,824

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,478 €1,315

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.2

4.77

-11.95%

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

Last update for Ventspils: October 12, 2026

Last update for Riga: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ventspils

$301 32.2%

Riga

$408 25.7% 35.5% $107

Groceries & Markets

Ventspils

$260 27.8%

Riga

$268 16.8% 3.1% $8.2

Eating Out

Ventspils

$195 20.8%

Riga

$255 16% 31.2% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Ventspils

$130 13.8%

Riga

$155 9.8% 19.9% $26

Getting Around

Ventspils

$29 3.2%

Riga

$48 3% 63.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Ventspils

$22 * 2.4%

Riga

$73 4.6% 232% $51

Accommodation & Living

Ventspils

- * 0%

Riga

$383 24.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $55.0 in Ventspils vs $66.0 in Riga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $268 per month, with Ventspils cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇻 Ventspils

🇱🇻 Riga

🕒 Local time

05:39 5:39 AM

Same time as Ventspils

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,998

660,187 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Ventspils Riga 160 km

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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

Ventspils vs Riga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ventspils and Riga differ by about 70% in total monthly costs ($937 vs $1,591 including rent). Ventspils is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,405 in Ventspils and $2,387 in Riga 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.

Childcare runs $673 in Ventspils versus $690 in Riga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Riga. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $937 in Ventspils versus $1,591 in Riga, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ventspils but tight or insufficient in Riga. The gap between the two cities makes Ventspils the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Ventspils and Riga are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ventspils gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Riga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.