Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yekaterinburg and Saint Petersburg

For one person, living costs are similar in Yekaterinburg and in Saint Petersburg: $1,369 and $1,326 a month, rent and utilities included.

66

Cost of Living Index in Yekaterinburg
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Yekaterinburg Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Saint Petersburg
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Saint Petersburg Living Index

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Yekaterinburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,369

/mo nomad

Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,326

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Yekaterinburg and in Saint Petersburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,369 in Yekaterinburg versus $1,326 in Saint Petersburg.

Yekaterinburg $1,369
Saint Petersburg $1,326

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,228 in Yekaterinburg versus $2,102 in Saint Petersburg.

Yekaterinburg $2,228
Saint Petersburg $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,088 in Yekaterinburg versus $2,878 in Saint Petersburg.

Yekaterinburg $3,088
Saint Petersburg $2,878

Living in Yekaterinburg is roughly 3% more expensive than in Saint Petersburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Yekaterinburg is 1% above, Saint Petersburg is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.53 ₽1,046

$11.75 ₽981

6.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.9 ₽4,498

$41.76 ₽3,485

29.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.82 ₽486

$6.59 ₽550

-11.68%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ₽195

$3.11 ₽260

-25.08%

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

$1.24 ₽104

$1.55 ₽129

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ₽31.27

$0.72 ₽60.0

-48.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 ₽191

$2.89 ₽241

-20.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ₽256

$3.68 ₽307

-16.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 ₽94.9

$1.09 ₽91.4

4.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 ₽59.3

$0.92 ₽76.6

-22.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 ₽99.0

$1.69 ₽141

-29.59%

Eggs

$1.69 ₽141

$1.68 ₽140

0.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.11 ₽928

$12.48 ₽1,042

-10.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 ₽432

$6.41 ₽535

-19.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.43 ₽1,121

$12.22 ₽1,020

9.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 ₽171

$1.69 ₽141

21.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ₽145

$1.66 ₽138

4.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 ₽122

$1.73 ₽145

-15.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 ₽222

$3.06 ₽255

-13.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₽55.8

$0.85 ₽70.7

-21.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₽48.80

$0.60 ₽50.0

-3.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 ₽124

$1.28 ₽107

16.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ₽76.1

$0.78 ₽65.3

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 ₽285

$2.92 ₽244

17.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.29 ₽609

$8.40 ₽701

-13.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 ₽119

$1.15 ₽95.6

24.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 ₽209

$1.98 ₽165

26.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 ₽43.02

$1.02 ₽85.1

-49.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.69 ₽1,477

$53.9 ₽4,502

-67.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.15 ₽346

$2.92 ₽243

42.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 ₽15.64

$0.62 ₽51.9

-69.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.21 ₽351

$8.61 ₽719

-51.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 ₽71.9

$0.92 ₽77.0

-6.52%

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

$36.1K ₽3.0M

$35.2K ₽2.9M

2.45%

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

$28.5K ₽2.4M

$32.9K ₽2.7M

-13.36%

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

$120 ₽10.0K

$152 ₽12.7K

-20.94%

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

$5.81 ₽485

$7.33 ₽612

-20.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.93 ₽996

$8.55 ₽713

39.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.24 ₽3,609

$39.05 ₽3,260

10.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.43 ₽3,040

$42.28 ₽3,529

-13.84%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 ₽603

$7.20 ₽601

0.28%

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

$350 ₽29.2K

$625 ₽52.2K

-44.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,645 ₽304.2K

$17.1K ₽1.4M

-78.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$133 ₽11.1K

$97.2 ₽8,110

36.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$105 ₽8,738

$51.8 ₽4,325

102.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$237 ₽19.8K

$134 ₽11.2K

77.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 ₽14.2K

$122 ₽10.1K

39.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$767 ₽64.0K

$742 ₽62.0K

3.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 ₽39.4K

$452 ₽37.7K

4.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 ₽105.4K

$1,599 ₽133.5K

-21.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$976 ₽81.5K

$919 ₽76.7K

6.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,455 ₽204.9K

$4,496 ₽375.3K

-45.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,672 ₽139.6K

$2,811 ₽234.6K

-40.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$980 ₽81.8K

$1,150 ₽96.0K

-14.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.22

19.81

12.17%

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

Last update for Yekaterinburg: October 12, 2026

Last update for Saint Petersburg: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yekaterinburg

$472 34.5%

Saint Petersburg

$452 34.1% 4.4% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Yekaterinburg

$290 21.2%

Saint Petersburg

$182 13.7% 37.3% $108

Groceries & Markets

Yekaterinburg

$216 15.8%

Saint Petersburg

$225 17% 4.2% $9.1

Eating Out

Yekaterinburg

$170 12.4%

Saint Petersburg

$182 13.7% 7.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yekaterinburg

$138 10.1%

Saint Petersburg

$168 12.7% 21.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Yekaterinburg

$58 4.2%

Saint Petersburg

$53 4% 7.3% $4.2

Getting Around

Yekaterinburg

$25 1.8%

Saint Petersburg

$64 4.8% 158% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $767 in Yekaterinburg and $742 in Saint Petersburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Petersburg pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $54.0 in Yekaterinburg vs $42.00 in Saint Petersburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $216 vs $225, with Yekaterinburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Yekaterinburg

🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

2 h behind Yekaterinburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,495,066

5,597,763

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Yekaterinburg Saint Petersburg 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Yekaterinburg
Saint Petersburg

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

Yekaterinburg vs Saint Petersburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint Petersburg wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Yekaterinburg. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Saint Petersburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Saint Petersburg. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $767 in Yekaterinburg versus $742 in Saint Petersburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,369 per month in Yekaterinburg versus $1,326 in Saint Petersburg – a 3% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Saint Petersburg runs roughly 205% less than in Yekaterinburg. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,326 in Saint Petersburg versus $1,369 in Yekaterinburg, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Saint Petersburg but tight or insufficient in Yekaterinburg. The gap between the two cities makes Saint Petersburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Saint Petersburg delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,326 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Saint Petersburg hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Saint Petersburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Yekaterinburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.