Cost of living comparison

China

compared to

Russia

Saint Petersburg vs. Changchun Cost of Living Summary

Saint Petersburg is 48.4% more expensive than Changchun.

Restaurants: pay 2.4 times more in Saint Petersburg
Groceries: pay 14.6% less in Saint Petersburg
Transportation: pay 17.1% more in Saint Petersburg
Housing: pay 2.2 times more in Saint Petersburg
Childcare: pay 10.5% less in Saint Petersburg
Entertainment and Sports: pay 22.3% more in Saint Petersburg
Clothing: pay 53.2% more in Saint Petersburg

The cost of restaurants, housing, clothing, entertainment and sports, and transportation in Saint Petersburg are more expensive than in Changchun. Expenses including groceries and childcare are lower in Saint Petersburg. Notably, restaurants and housing are significantly more expensive in Saint Petersburg.

Planning a move to Russia? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes →

Saint Petersburg vs. Changchun Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Saint Petersburg instead of Changchun, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 2.4 times more for restaurants

	Changchun	Saint Petersburg
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$2.98 CN¥19.96	$11.46 RUB947.27	+284.3%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.22 CN¥34.93	$6.43 RUB531.63	+23.2%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.48 CN¥3.24	$1.49 RUB123.24	+207.7%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.30 CN¥2.00	$0.69 RUB56.64	+129.8%
Average			+139.8%

Changchun vs. Saint Petersburg - Cost of restaurants

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 14.6% less for groceries

	Changchun	Saint Petersburg
Bread 1 loaf	$1.19 CN¥7.98	$0.93 RUB76.85	-22.1%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$17.15 CN¥114.76	$6.02 RUB497.41	-64.9%
Milk (1 gallon)	$7.34 CN¥49.11	$4.17 RUB344.70	-43.2%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.79 CN¥11.98	$1.64 RUB135.56	-8.3%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.64 CN¥17.65	$2.85 RUB235.33	+7.9%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.79 CN¥5.28	$0.77 RUB63.36	-2.9%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.68 CN¥4.53	$0.73 RUB60.03	+7.4%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.81 CN¥5.43	$0.75 RUB62.16	-7.3%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.88 CN¥5.88	$1.38 RUB114.37	+57.4%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.41 CN¥2.72	$0.36 RUB29.64	-11.6%
Onions (1 lb)	??	$0.28 RUB23.17
Average			-14.6%

Changchun vs. Saint Petersburg - Cost of groceries

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 17.1% more for transportation

	Changchun	Saint Petersburg
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.79 CN¥32.02	$3.25 RUB268.89	-32.0%
Monthly public transit pass	??	$52.51 RUB4,339.09
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$19,374.76 CN¥130K	$35,093.40 RUB3M	+81.1%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$3.58 CN¥23.95	$7.60 RUB628.29	+112.4%
Average			+17.1%

Changchun vs. Saint Petersburg - Cost of transportation

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 2.2 times more for housing

	Changchun	Saint Petersburg
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$14.92 CN¥99.79	$8.55 RUB706.83	-42.6%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$216.27 CN¥1,447.02	$730.46 RUB60,359.10	+237.8%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$248.59 CN¥1,663.24	$437.21 RUB36,126.86	+75.9%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$57.56 CN¥385.14	$112.08 RUB9,261.39	+94.7%
Average			+119.2%

Changchun vs. Saint Petersburg - Cost of housing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 10.5% less for childcare

	Changchun	Saint Petersburg
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$546.89 CN¥3,659.12	$549.43 RUB45,400.15	+0.5%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$21,626.94 CN¥145K	$17,234.08 RUB1M	-20.3%
Average			-10.5%

Changchun vs. Saint Petersburg - Cost of childcare

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 22.3% more for entertainment and sports

	Changchun	Saint Petersburg
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.19 CN¥7.98	$2.63 RUB217.49	+120.6%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.44 CN¥16.30	$3.03 RUB250.18	+24.3%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$3.73 CN¥24.95	$2.92 RUB241.65	-21.6%
Monthly membership at local gym	$37.70 CN¥252.26	$39.61 RUB3,273.15	+5.1%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$6.71 CN¥44.91	$7.02 RUB579.96	+4.6%
Average			+22.3%

Changchun vs. Saint Petersburg - Cost of entertainment and sports

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 53.2% more for clothing

	Changchun	Saint Petersburg
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$74.58 CN¥498.97	$92.36 RUB7,631.78	+23.8%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$44.75 CN¥299.38	$50.79 RUB4,197.10	+13.5%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$59.66 CN¥399.18	$134.52 RUB11,115.96	+125.5%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$69.60 CN¥465.71	$121.11 RUB10,007.20	+74.0%
Average			+53.2%

Changchun vs. Saint Petersburg - Cost of clothing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

Compare further: Changchun vs. Saint Petersburg

Salary Calculator · Free tool

What salary would you need in Saint Petersburg?

More cost comparisons

Changchun vs.

Quito

Changchun vs.

London

Changchun vs.

Lima

Changchun vs.

Beijing

Changchun vs.

Rome

Changchun vs.

Cairo

Changchun vs.

Paris

Changchun vs.

Washington

Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in China vs. Russia. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within China and Russia.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

Add prices for Changchun

Add prices for Saint Petersburg

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Saint Petersburg or Changchun. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.