Saint Petersburg at a glance
- Saint Petersburg ranks 5th of 8 priced cities in Russia on cost: $1,002 a month in essentials, 24% above Kazan, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $1,162 covers that 1.2×.
- 95.9 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at federal subject level.
- PM2.5 averages 11.7 µg/m³ a year, 2× 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 8 Russia cities we track, so every row says whether Saint Petersburg 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 | $1,002 | $938 | $64 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $476 | $410 | $66 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $798 | $654 | $144 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $109 | $104 | $6 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $210 | $228 | $18 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $151 | $142 | $9 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $56 | $36 | 1.58× as much |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $1,162 | $888 | 1.31× as much |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $965 | $789 | $176 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,678 | $1,196 | 1.40× as much |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Saint Petersburg, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $10.03 | $11.29 | $1.26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $39.39 | $41.96 | $2.57 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $6.27 | $6.27 | same |
| Cappuccino, regular | $3.11 | $3.08 | $0.03 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $2.51 | $1.88 | 1.34× as much |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $2.57 | $2.98 | $0.41 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $1.42 | $1.36 | $0.05 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.62 | $0.65 | $0.03 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.16 | $1.21 | $0.05 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $0.97 | $0.80 | $0.17 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $1.79 | $1.55 | $0.24 |
| Eggs, 12 | $1.71 | $1.79 | $0.08 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $12.85 | $12.68 | $0.17 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $6.51 | $5.67 | $0.83 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $1.89 | $1.98 | $0.09 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $1.73 | $1.79 | $0.06 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $3.29 | $3.12 | $0.17 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $0.79 | $0.83 | $0.04 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $0.65 | $0.66 | $0.01 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.80 | $0.83 | $0.03 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $1.08 | $0.60 | 1.79× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $56.31 | $35.82 | 1.57× as much |
| Taxi start | $3.14 | $2.57 | $0.57 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $0.75 | $0.56 | 1.33× as much |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $0.89 | $0.85 | $0.04 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $143.12 | $132.30 | $10.82 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $8.15 | $8.79 | $0.63 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $7.33 | $7.25 | $0.08 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $45.75 | $42.35 | $3.40 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $6.27 | $6.90 | $0.63 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Saint Petersburg has 95.9 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (federal subject level). That is the 9th-highest of 10 Russia cities we track. Russia's national figure is 101.9, so Saint Petersburg runs 6 below the country as a whole.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Saint Petersburg ranks against every city we track
Saint Petersburg sits ahead of 75% of the 892 cities we track on women aged 20–39. On cost of living it is ahead of 54% of 542.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Saint Petersburg sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: Ninara from Helsinki, Finland, CC BY 2.0.
