Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vilnius and Kaunas

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaunas: $1,456 a month against $1,653 in Vilnius, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Vilnius outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

81

Cost of Living Index in Vilnius
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Vilnius Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Kaunas
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Kaunas Living Index

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Vilnius

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,653

/mo nomad

Kaunas

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,456

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vilnius and in Kaunas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,653 in Vilnius versus $1,456 in Kaunas.

Vilnius $1,653
Kaunas $1,456

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,497 in Vilnius versus $2,201 in Kaunas.

Vilnius $2,497
Kaunas $2,201

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,340 in Vilnius versus $2,946 in Kaunas.

Vilnius $3,340
Kaunas $2,946

Living in Vilnius is roughly 14% more expensive than in Kaunas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Vilnius 22% above, Kaunas 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.40 €11.92

$12.02 €10.70

11.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.7 €67.3

$66.7 €59.3

13.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 €7.87

$10.15 €9.03

-12.91%

Cappuccino

$3.58 €3.18

$3.44 €3.06

4.07%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$3.43 €3.05

-34.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.02

$3.15 €2.80

-27.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.42 €4.82

$5.01 €4.46

8.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 €4.41

$4.56 €4.06

8.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.54 €1.37

-4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.71 €1.52

-6.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.20 €1.96

8.18%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.95

$3.36 €2.99

-1.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.31 €9.17

$14.90 €13.26

-30.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.39 €7.46

$8.29 €7.37

1.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 €10.68

$13.42 €11.94

-10.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.57 €1.40

21.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.50 €1.34

-4.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$2.13 €1.89

-19.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.50 €3.11

$3.23 €2.87

8.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 €0.85

$0.94 €0.84

2.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.94 €0.83

-12.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.78 €1.58

-8.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.72

$0.94 €0.83

-13.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.20 €5.52

$6.13 €5.45

1.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.19 €8.17

$9.88 €8.79

-6.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.65 €1.47

6.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.71

$2.17 €1.93

-11.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.11 €0.99

-0.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.91 €37.28

$30.71 €27.31

36.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 €2.68

$1.13 €1.01

167.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 €1.12

$0.87 €0.77

44.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.33 €12.75

$15.95 €14.19

-10.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.91 €1.70

-0.52%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$27.1K €24.1K

0.42%

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

$31.6K €28.1K

$28.5K €25.4K

10.76%

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

$231 €205

$201 €179

14.90%

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

$13.86 €12.33

$15.71 €13.98

-11.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.48 €18.21

$15.33 €13.64

33.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.87 €36.36

$32.37 €28.80

26.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.04 €32.06

$28.60 €25.44

26.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.92 €8.82

$12.07 €10.73

-17.81%

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

$654 €582

$655 €583

-0.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €9,993

$8,756 €7,788

28.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.8 €85.2

$85.2 €75.8

12.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.28 €36.72

$40.85 €36.34

1.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 €82.5

$121 €107

-23.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €115

$162 €144

-19.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$809 €720

$635 €565

27.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 €553

$437 €388

42.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 €1,252

$905 €805

55.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$999 €889

$642 €571

55.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,028 €5,362

$3,730 €3,317

61.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,375 €3,002

$2,371 €2,109

42.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,903 €1,693

$1,676 €1,490

13.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.99

4.05

-1.48%

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

Last update for Vilnius: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kaunas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vilnius

$622 37.6%

Kaunas

$437 30% 29.8% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vilnius

$265 16%

Kaunas

$232 15.9% 12.5% $33

Groceries & Markets

Vilnius

$257 15.5%

Kaunas

$278 19.1% 8.4% $22

Eating Out

Vilnius

$232 14%

Kaunas

$228 15.7% 1.5% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Vilnius

$162 9.8%

Kaunas

$184 12.6% 13.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Vilnius

$61 3.7%

Kaunas

$57 3.9% 6.9% $4.2

Getting Around

Vilnius

$56 3.4%

Kaunas

$41 2.8% 27% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $809 in Vilnius and $635 in Kaunas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vilnius pays 14% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $76.0 in Vilnius vs $67.0 in Kaunas. Groceries flip the comparison at $257 vs $278, with Vilnius cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇹 Vilnius

🇱🇹 Kaunas

🕒 Local time

00:21 12:21 AM

Same time as Vilnius

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

581,475 Capital

315,993

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Vilnius vs Kaunas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaunas wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Vilnius. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kaunas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 14% higher in Vilnius, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $809 in Vilnius versus $635 in Kaunas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kaunas – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $76.0 in Vilnius. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,653 per month in Vilnius versus $1,456 in Kaunas – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,456 in Kaunas versus $1,653 in Vilnius, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kaunas but tight or insufficient in Vilnius. The gap between the two cities makes Kaunas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kaunas delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,456 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kaunas hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Vilnius and Kaunas 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 Kaunas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Vilnius. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.