Living costs in Riga, Latvia

Riga, Latvia’s capital, is set on the Baltic Sea at the mouth of the River Daugava. It’s considered a cultural centre and is home to many museums and concert halls. The city is also known for its wooden buildings, art nouveau architecture and medieval Old Town. The pedestrian-only Old Town has many shops and restaurants and is home to busy Livu Square, with bars and nightclubs.

But what are the costs of living in this beautiful city? What is the living standard? In this article, we will give you the download of what you need in order to plan a year or two living in Riga. Riga is known as a safe city to be in, both night and day. Water is drinkable from the tap, and the air pollution is low 🙂

Price list of items from the supermarket:

• ? A bread (250 g) = 0.42€
• ?12 eggs= 1.65€
• 1 Kg Chicken wings= 5.22€
• ?1 Kg Apples= 1.06€
• 1 litre of fresh milk= 0.9€
• ?1 Kg local cheese= 6.1€
• ?1 Kg salad= 1.14€
• 1 Kg Onion= 0.44€
• ?1 Kg Potatoes= 0.46€
• ?1 kg tomatoes= 1.68€
• ?1 kg Oranges= 1.47€
• ?1 kg Bananas= 1.32€

Salary expectations in Riga.

• Accountant in Riga= 823.25€
• Architect in Riga= 980.78€
• Babysitter Riga= 320.40€
• Waiter/Waitress in Riga= 477.93€
• Carpenter in Riga= 550.91€
• Dentist in Riga= 2,396.77€

Salaries are lower than in most other places in Europe, but the living cost are following and for a small amount of money living standards are high. Compared with the Scandinavian Capitals, Riga is 50-60% cheaper to live in.

Leasure and getting around

For a night out in Riga, you can go to the local pub and buy a drink for 2€. If you want to see a new Movie in the Cinema, one ticket will cost you 8€ including a small popcorn. Riga is known for its rich history and access to any museum in the city will cost you everything from 2-7€.

Getting around in Riga is easy, with 8 tram routes, 17 trolleybus routes and 55 bus routes, as well as that of minibuses, express buses and night transport. Enough to pick from and it will ensure to get you where you need to go in time, a monthly pass costs 45€ and a one-way ticket costs: 1€ Besides the public transports Riga is known to be a very walkable city and many also enjoy getting around by bicycle.

For the nature fans Riga and it’s surroundings also have a lot to offer, from Kayaking to hiking routes, nature offers a swell of cheap thrills.

Housing

• ?Average monthly rent of a room in City Centre= 350€
• ?Average monthly rent of room just outside the city centre= 250€
• ?Average monthly rent of 3 bedrooms flat in city centre= 670€
• ?Average monthly rent of 3 bedrooms flat just outside the city centre= 450€

When moving to a new country we will always suggest finding a flatmate or two, not only will it lower the living costs for you, but you will also have a close person to help and support you at the beginning of your stay, this is valuable since your family and normal friends a not there. Also, it is a great way to get to know more people than just the ones you work with. – Facebook can be of great help to look for apartments and flatmates.

Still not convinced that Riga is a place to live read here: Best reasons to visit Riga

We have jobs in Riga for Scandinavians see HERE

As a customer service agent, you will be working from the office downtown Riga, you will be the voice of the company and trained to be top of the line Customer representative handling international clients for a large corporation. You will get the flight to Riga paid, and 1 month in Hotel upon arrival, as well as a free gym pass and lots of other benefits. 

Apply for a job today and start within the next month.