Cost of living in Riga: a student budget guide

A rough monthly budget

Everyone spends differently, but as a rough guide for a student in Riga:

• Rent: a furnished room with us starts at around €300 a month, all-inclusive, so bills, fast Wi-Fi and cleaning are already covered and there is no separate utility bill. A private studio costs more.
• Groceries: cooking at home, roughly €150 to €250 a month. The Central Market and the discount supermarkets (Rimi, Maxima, Lidl) keep it low.
• Eating out: a weekday set lunch (the "biznesa pusdienas") is only a few euros; a casual dinner out is roughly €10 to €20.
• Transport: cheap. A single ride on the e-talons card is around a euro, and there are monthly passes for regular travel.
• Coffee and going out: specialty coffee around €3, a beer in a bar €3 to €5.

Many students live comfortably on roughly €600 to €900 a month including an all-inclusive room, and less if you cook and use the set lunches.

Where the savings are

A few habits make Riga genuinely cheap:

• The weekday set lunch (biznesa pusdienas) is the best value meal in the city.
• The Central Market and discount supermarkets beat cafés and convenience stores.
• The rechargeable e-talons card is cheaper than paying the driver, and monthly passes cheaper still.
• All-inclusive rent removes the biggest surprise costs, no utility contracts, no deposits for furniture.
• Student discounts (an ISIC card, reduced museum and transport fares) add up over a semester.

Rent without surprises

Housing is where budgets usually go wrong, so it is worth getting right. With us the rent is one fixed, all-inclusive price: gas, water, electricity, heating, high-speed internet, a washing machine and dryer and weekly cleaning of the shared areas are all included, in a fully furnished room. No deposit for furniture, no utility contracts, no hidden costs, which makes budgeting for a semester simple.

See what a room costs, and for the practical side of arriving, our moving to Riga guide walks you through the first week.