Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Windhoek and Irkutsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Irkutsk: $1,128 a month against $1,188 in Windhoek, rent and utilities included – about $720 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Windhoek
🇳🇦 Namibia
$1,188
/mo nomad
Irkutsk
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,128
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Windhoek and in Irkutsk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,188 in Windhoek versus $1,128 in Irkutsk.

  • Windhoek $1,188
  • Irkutsk $1,128

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,981 in Windhoek versus $1,660 in Irkutsk.

  • Windhoek $1,981
  • Irkutsk $1,660

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,775 in Windhoek versus $2,191 in Irkutsk.

  • Windhoek $2,775
  • Irkutsk $2,191

Living in Windhoek is roughly 5% more expensive than in Irkutsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Windhoek 12% lower, Irkutsk 16% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Windhoek
Irkutsk
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.42 NAD 188
$9.18 ₽766
24.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.4 NAD 1,045
$36.26 ₽3,026
74.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.94 NAD 97.9
$6.07 ₽506
-2.14%
Cappuccino
$2.38 NAD 39.25
$3.10 ₽259
-23.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 NAD 13.78
$1.50 ₽125
-44.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 NAD 15.00
$0.59 ₽49.01
54.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.95 NAD 32.05
$2.34 ₽196
-16.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 NAD 33.86
$3.63 ₽303
-43.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Windhoek
Irkutsk
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 NAD 25.23
$1.27 ₽106
20.47%
White Bread (500g)
$0.95 NAD 15.64
$0.60 ₽50.1
58.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.99 NAD 32.85
$1.47 ₽123
35.37%
Eggs
$3.06 NAD 50.4
$1.62 ₽135
88.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.40 NAD 155
$11.62 ₽970
-19.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.98 NAD 115
$7.04 ₽588
-0.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.71 NAD 127
$12.41 ₽1,036
-37.87%
Apples (1kg)
$2.15 NAD 35.50
$2.11 ₽176
1.90%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 NAD 32.65
$1.97 ₽164
0.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.81 NAD 29.78
$1.64 ₽136
10.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.05 NAD 33.75
$3.43 ₽287
-40.23%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 NAD 33.54
$0.73 ₽60.8
179.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.83 NAD 30.18
$0.66 ₽54.9
177.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.97 NAD 32.48
$1.47 ₽122
34.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 NAD 17.78
$0.69 ₽57.8
56.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.28 NAD 54.0
$3.13 ₽261
4.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.52 NAD 107
$7.71 ₽643
-15.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 NAD 23.19
$1.01 ₽84.1
39.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.43 NAD 23.53
$2.01 ₽168
-28.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Windhoek
Irkutsk
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.82 NAD 13.51
$0.62 ₽51.6
32.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$47.82 NAD 788
$15.88 ₽1,326
201.13%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.81 NAD 13.32
$1.17 ₽97.7
-30.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.92 NAD 15.19
$0.17 ₽14.34
441.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.81 NAD 260
$8.61 ₽718
83.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 NAD 22.20
$0.84 ₽69.8
60.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.8K NAD 391.7K
$28.8K ₽2.4M
-17.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K NAD 440.5K
$36.0K ₽3.0M
-25.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Windhoek
Irkutsk
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$144 NAD 2,378
$120 ₽10.1K
19.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.72 NAD 440
$5.61 ₽468
376.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.2 NAD 843
$11.44 ₽954
347.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Windhoek
Irkutsk
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.32 NAD 615
$67.3 ₽5,620
-44.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.77 NAD 177
$21.52 ₽1,796
-49.95%
Cinema Ticket
$5.29 NAD 87.2
$6.65 ₽555
-20.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Windhoek
Irkutsk
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 NAD 3,411
$389 ₽32.5K
-46.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,433 NAD 89.5K
$3,279 ₽273.6K
65.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Windhoek
Irkutsk
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.1 NAD 924
$74.8 ₽6,241
-25.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.37 NAD 583
$23.65 ₽1,974
49.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.1 NAD 1,468
$99.3 ₽8,289
-10.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94.1 NAD 1,551
$116 ₽9,675
-18.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Windhoek
Irkutsk
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$504 NAD 8,302
$516 ₽43.0K
-2.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$354 NAD 5,831
$366 ₽30.6K
-3.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,147 NAD 18.9K
$789 ₽65.8K
45.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$864 NAD 14.2K
$484 ₽40.4K
78.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,625 NAD 26.8K
$2,674 ₽223.2K
-39.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$602 NAD 9,920
$1,815 ₽151.5K
-66.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Windhoek
Irkutsk
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,005 NAD 16.6K
$655 ₽54.7K
53.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
24.57
-53.52%

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

Last update for Windhoek: October 10, 2026

Last update for Irkutsk: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Windhoek
$354
Irkutsk
$366 3.4% $12
Groceries & Markets
Windhoek
$225
Irkutsk
$227 0.7% $1.7
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Windhoek
$222
Irkutsk
$138 38.1% $85
Eating Out
Windhoek
$159
Irkutsk
$156 1.5% $2.4
Clothing & Footwear
Windhoek
$124
Irkutsk
$141 14.2% $18
Getting Around
Windhoek
$57
Irkutsk
$20 63.9% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Windhoek
$48
Irkutsk
$81 68.4% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $504 in Windhoek and $516 in Irkutsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Windhoek pays 53% 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: $63.0 in Windhoek vs $36.00 in Irkutsk. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $227, with Windhoek cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇳🇦 Windhoek
🇷🇺 Irkutsk
🕒 Local time
14:52 2:52 PM
20:52 8:52 PM
6 h ahead of Windhoek
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
322,500 Capital
617,515
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to NAD – Namibian Dollar Converter

Namibian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 NAD (100 NAD = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.53 NAD (100 NAD = 5.4 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.84 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Windhoek Irkutsk 11,790 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Windhoek
  • Irkutsk

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
Windhoek vs Irkutsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Windhoek or Irkutsk?
Irkutsk wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Windhoek. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Irkutsk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Windhoek or in Irkutsk?
Average pay runs 53% higher in Windhoek, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Windhoek compared to Irkutsk?
Rent for a central apartment: $504 in Windhoek versus $516 in Irkutsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Windhoek and in Irkutsk?
Childcare runs $207 in Windhoek versus $389 in Irkutsk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Windhoek or in Irkutsk?
Shoppers in Windhoek pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Windhoek or in Irkutsk?
At $1,128 in Irkutsk versus $1,188 in Windhoek, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Irkutsk but tight or insufficient in Windhoek. The gap between the two cities makes Irkutsk the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Windhoek or Irkutsk?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Irkutsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Windhoek. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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