Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yoshkar-Ola and Moscow

For one person, living is cheaper in Yoshkar-Ola: $989 a month against $1,922 in Moscow, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Yoshkar-Ola
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Yoshkar-Ola Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Moscow
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Moscow Living Index

Jump to prices

Yoshkar-Ola

🇷🇺 Russia

$989

/mo nomad

Moscow

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Yoshkar-Ola and in Moscow

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

A single person spends $989 per month in Yoshkar-Ola vs $1,922 in Moscow, rent included.

Yoshkar-Ola $989
Moscow $1,922

A couple spends around $1,609 per month in Yoshkar-Ola vs $2,941 in Moscow, rent included.

Yoshkar-Ola $1,609
Moscow $2,941

A family of three spends $2,229 per month in Yoshkar-Ola vs $3,960 in Moscow, rent included.

Yoshkar-Ola $2,229
Moscow $3,960

Yoshkar-Ola is about 49% cheaper than Moscow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Yoshkar-Ola sits 27% below the global median, while Moscow is 41% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.07 ₽491

$12.50 ₽1,011

-51.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₽4,457

$61.2 ₽4,952

-9.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ₽390

$7.65 ₽619

-36.86%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ₽139

$3.84 ₽310

-55.21%

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

$0.79 ₽63.7

$1.74 ₽141

-54.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₽21.78

$0.85 ₽69.0

-68.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ₽70.8

$4.83 ₽391

-81.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ₽135

$5.17 ₽418

-67.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 ₽60.8

$1.32 ₽107

-43.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 ₽60.6

$1.04 ₽84.2

-27.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 ₽114

$1.77 ₽143

-20.34%

Eggs

$1.60 ₽129

$2.02 ₽163

-20.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.01 ₽971

$15.08 ₽1,219

-20.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.98 ₽402

$6.86 ₽555

-27.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.58 ₽1,098

$15.29 ₽1,236

-11.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 ₽143

$2.14 ₽173

-17.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ₽137

$1.83 ₽148

-7.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 ₽143

$2.03 ₽164

-12.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 ₽292

$4.14 ₽335

-12.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ₽59.3

$0.94 ₽76.2

-22.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₽48.00

$0.77 ₽62.1

-23.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 ₽109

$1.69 ₽137

-20.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₽60.2

$1.01 ₽81.5

-26.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.28 ₽265

$3.71 ₽300

-11.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.40 ₽679

$12.23 ₽989

-31.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₽91.2

$1.26 ₽102

-10.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 ₽203

$2.73 ₽221

-8.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 ₽38.65

$0.96 ₽77.6

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.74 ₽2,324

$43.33 ₽3,503

-33.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ₽115

$3.68 ₽297

-61.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ₽33.25

$0.84 ₽67.8

-51.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.29 ₽589

$12.33 ₽997

-40.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 ₽70.0

$0.96 ₽77.6

-9.37%

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

$54.7K ₽4.4M

$45.4K ₽3.7M

20.47%

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

$39.8K ₽3.2M

$41.2K ₽3.3M

-3.43%

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

$97.1 ₽7,851

$199 ₽16.1K

-51.17%

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

$7.00 ₽566

$9.04 ₽731

-22.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.77 ₽709

$10.05 ₽812

-12.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.19 ₽2,684

$44.51 ₽3,599

-25.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.24 ₽1,880

$47.40 ₽3,833

-50.97%

Cinema Ticket

$7.34 ₽593

$9.63 ₽779

-23.78%

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

$316 ₽25.5K

$898 ₽72.6K

-64.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,210 ₽583.0K

$29.3K ₽2.4M

-75.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.7 ₽6,284

$117 ₽9,435

-33.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 ₽4,567

$69.4 ₽5,610

-18.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 ₽11.0K

$153 ₽12.4K

-11.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₽6,812

$188 ₽15.2K

-55.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ₽39.0K

$1,533 ₽124.0K

-68.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 ₽26.0K

$860 ₽69.6K

-62.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$921 ₽74.4K

$3,127 ₽252.8K

-70.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$592 ₽47.8K

$1,552 ₽125.5K

-61.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,472 ₽199.9K

$10.5K ₽847.7K

-76.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,396 ₽112.8K

$4,981 ₽402.8K

-71.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,798 ₽145.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.29

19.58

3.63%

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

Last update for Yoshkar-Ola: October 25, 2026

Last update for Moscow: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yoshkar-Ola

$321 32.5%

Moscow

$860 44.7% 168% $539

Groceries & Markets

Yoshkar-Ola

$218 22%

Moscow

$274 14.3% 25.8% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Yoshkar-Ola

$159 16.1%

Moscow

$237 12.3% 48.8% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yoshkar-Ola

$113 11.4%

Moscow

$218 11.3% 93.1% $105

Eating Out

Yoshkar-Ola

$96 9.7%

Moscow

$214 11.1% 124% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Yoshkar-Ola

$48 4.8%

Moscow

$64 3.3% 33.2% $16

Getting Around

Yoshkar-Ola

$34 3.5%

Moscow

$55 2.9% 61.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Yoshkar-Ola versus $1,533 in Moscow. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Yoshkar-Ola versus $61 in Moscow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $274 – making Yoshkar-Ola the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Yoshkar-Ola

🇷🇺 Moscow

🕒 Local time

21:53 9:53 PM

Same time as Yoshkar-Ola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

276,155

12,700,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Yoshkar-Ola Moscow 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Yoshkar-Ola
Moscow

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

Yoshkar-Ola vs Moscow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Moscow costs about 94% more than Yoshkar-Ola, 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 $1,484 per month in Yoshkar-Ola and $2,883 in Moscow. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yoshkar-Ola, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,533 in Moscow.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Yoshkar-Ola. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $316 per month in Yoshkar-Ola and $898 in Moscow. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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

For expats, Yoshkar-Ola is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 49% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.