Irkutsk at a glance
- Irkutsk ranks 8th of 10 priced cities in Russia on cost: $1,166 a month in essentials, 44% above Kazan, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $1,373 covers that 1.2×.
- 97.3 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at federal subject level.
- PM2.5 averages 7.3 µg/m³ a year, 1× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 10 Russia cities we track, so every row says whether Irkutsk is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $1,166 | $1,017 | $149 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $593 | $460 | 1.29× as much |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,113 | $732 | 1.52× as much |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $102 | $102 | same |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $248 | $246 | $2 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $182 | $149 | $33 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $41 | $41 | same |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $1,373 | $921 | 1.49× as much |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $1,107 | $890 | $217 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $2,269 | $1,320 | 1.72× as much |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Irkutsk, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $11.04 | $11.04 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $55.19 | $47.35 | $7.84 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $6.63 | $6.43 | $0.20 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $3.23 | $3.13 | $0.10 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $4.30 | $2.07 | 2.08× as much |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $4.42 | $3.14 | 1.41× as much |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $1.43 | $1.42 | $0.01 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.72 | $0.69 | $0.03 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.13 | $1.16 | $0.03 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $0.90 | $0.86 | $0.04 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $1.50 | $1.50 | same |
| Eggs, 12 | $1.68 | $1.73 | $0.05 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $11.81 | $12.45 | $0.64 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $5.56 | $5.56 | same |
| Apples, 1 kg | $1.88 | $1.92 | $0.04 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $1.60 | $1.75 | $0.15 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $3.49 | $3.23 | $0.26 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $0.77 | $0.81 | $0.04 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $0.59 | $0.65 | $0.06 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.76 | $0.78 | $0.02 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.94 | $0.66 | 1.42× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $40.80 | $40.80 | same |
| Taxi start | $3.53 | $2.88 | $0.65 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $0.59 | $0.59 | same |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $0.84 | $0.85 | $0.01 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $173.20 | $138.90 | $34.30 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $9.20 | $9.07 | $0.13 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $8.35 | $7.33 | $1.02 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $35.90 | $40.78 | $4.88 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $7.73 | $7.53 | $0.20 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Irkutsk has 97.3 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (federal subject level). That is the 6th-highest of 10 Russia cities we track. Russia's national figure is 101.9, so Irkutsk runs 5 below the country as a whole.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Irkutsk ranks against every city we track
Irkutsk sits ahead of 82% of the 1016 cities we track on clean air. On women aged 20–39 it is ahead of 68% of 1001. Its weakest measure is city-centre rent, ahead of only 18% of 1010.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Irkutsk sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
Put Irkutsk on the board
Ratio, cost and visa for Irkutsk beside every other city we measure. Free, no sign-in.
Open Irkutsk in the research deskOr unlock the Russia deep-dive: visa, tax, scams, and the sub-national map.
Photo: Marcin Konsek, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Data updated