Cost of Living in Russia for Indian MBBS Students: Monthly Budget by City
Tuition is only part of the cost of MBBS in Russia. A student also pays for the hostel, food, travel, a phone, medical insurance and two flights a year. This guide builds a monthly budget for a regional city and for Moscow or St Petersburg from the hostel prices universities publish, the official transport fares of 2026 and university student guides, and marks every estimate as an estimate.
In short: outside Moscow and St Petersburg a student's living cost is about 12,200 to 21,000 roubles a month (₹14,000 to ₹24,000 at 1.132 rupees per rouble), counting a hostel bed, food, transport, phone and small expenses. In Moscow or St Petersburg it is about 18,500 to 34,000 roubles (₹21,000 to ₹38,500), if you live in a university hostel. Add medical insurance (2,800 to 15,000 roubles a year in the university pages we found) and two return flights (about ₹90,000 to ₹1.4 lakh). These are planning estimates built from published pieces, not a fixed quotation.
What a student pays for, besides tuition
A parent in Kerala usually asks one question: how much money must I send every month? The answer depends on the city and on whether the student has a hostel bed. Tuition goes to the university and is shown on the fees page; the rest is paid in Russia in roubles, mostly by card or cash, as the student's own spending. The main lines are:
- hostel or rent, monthly or yearly;
- food, which is the biggest item after housing;
- local transport, a pass or single fares;
- mobile phone and internet;
- medical insurance, once a year and required by law;
- clothes, mainly a winter set in the first year;
- flights between Kerala and Russia, once or twice a year.
The rate we use is the Central Bank of Russia rate of 15 October 2026: 1 rouble = ₹1.132. The rouble moves, so the rupee figures move with it. Keep a reserve of 10–20%.
Hostel prices: the part you can read in official documents
State medical universities rent hostel beds to foreign students at a small fraction of tuition. These are the figures from the universities' own pages and price documents that we have collected; the table shows the unit each university uses, not a common one.
| University (city) | Hostel rate in the university's document | Per month, approx. |
|---|---|---|
| Petrozavodsk State University (Petrozavodsk) | 600 roubles a month | ₹680 |
| Krasnoyarsk State Medical University (Krasnoyarsk) | 900–1,000 roubles a month (preparatory department page) | ₹1,000–1,130 |
| Kazan State Medical University (Kazan) | 13,920 roubles a year | ₹1,310 |
| Ivanovo State Medical University (Ivanovo) | 2,000–2,500 roubles a month | ₹2,260–2,830 |
| Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University (Moscow) | 2,468 roubles a month (university page; not re-checked in October 2026) | ₹2,790 |
| Dagestan State Medical University (Makhachkala) | 2,500 roubles a month, hostels No. 4 and 5 for foreigners | ₹2,830 |
| North-Western State Medical University named after I. I. Mechnikov (Saint Petersburg) | 34,800 roubles a year, 2,900 a month | ₹3,280 |
| Ural State Medical University (Yekaterinburg) | 6,900–12,900 roubles a month including utilities (lowest shown) | ₹7,810–14,600 |
| Sechenov University (Moscow) | 7,500–8,500 roubles a month for one hostel, with a deposit of five months | ₹8,490–9,620 |
Two cautions. First, a hostel bed is not always given to foreign students: Sechenov's hostel page says that in 2021 only quota-funded foreigners were housed in university hostels and others got a place if one was free. Ask the university in writing whether a bed is given for all six years. Second, a bed is a shared room of two to four students, with a shared kitchen. A rented flat is a different budget: Sechenov's welcome guide quotes rents of 30,000 to 70,000 roubles a month in Moscow, depending on the area, and this is far outside the numbers below.
Food, transport, phone and insurance
Food
Most students cook in the hostel kitchen. The Higher School of Economics in Moscow gives about 2,000 roubles a week for buying and cooking at home, and 3,000–4,000 a week for a more varied diet; the Kazan Innovative University puts the average basic expenses of a student at 15,000–20,000 roubles a month, with a university canteen meal at 150–200 roubles. A hot meal in a Moscow cafe is 250–350 roubles in a Sechenov mobility document. Our food range of 8,000–12,000 roubles a month in a regional city and 10,000–16,000 in Moscow is an estimate based on those pages. What costs more is anything specific to Indian cooking: rice, lentils and spices are available in large cities and from Indian shops, but cost more in small cities. See Indian food in Russia.
Transport
Fares are official and fixed for 2026. A single ride on the Moscow metro paid with the Troika wallet is 75 roubles (₹85) since 2 January 2026, and in Kazan the single fare rose to 46 roubles (₹52) on 1 January 2026. Twenty rides a month in Kazan is about 920 roubles. Sechenov's guide gives a monthly pass for metro and ground transport at 2,500 roubles. Kazan students report that no state student fare exists in Tatarstan, so do not count on a discount. Most students live close to the clinical base and walk.
Phone and internet
HSE's student guide says 500–1,000 roubles a month, depending on the tariff. A Russian SIM requires your passport and your migration registration, so buy it after you register.
Medical insurance
The voluntary medical insurance policy (DMS) is required for foreign students. Almazov Centre's page says that without it a student cannot extend migration registration, get a hostel bed or extend the student visa. University pages we found give 2,800 roubles a year (Tyumen State University), 4,000 (Amur State University), from 4,500 (SPbGASU), 8,500 (NUST MISIS) and from 15,000 (Sechenov). That is ₹3,200 to ₹17,000 a year at today's rate. Many universities arrange the policy for first-year students and add it to the first invoice; ask which company and what it covers. NUST MISIS also notes that a student needs a policy from home for the first 14 working days until the Russian policy starts.
Get a full-cost sheet for your shortlist
Tell us the universities; we add tuition, hostel, insurance and flights into one yearly figure.
Monthly budget by city type
The two columns below add the lines above. They exclude tuition, flights, insurance and one-off purchases. Every figure is a planning range, and the source of each line is shown.
| Line (roubles per month) | Regional city (Kazan, Orenburg, Kursk and similar) | Moscow or Saint Petersburg | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hostel bed | 1,000–3,000 | 2,500–8,500 | University documents in the table above |
| Food | 8,000–12,000 | 10,000–16,000 | Estimate from HSE and Kazan Innovative University pages |
| Transport | 700–1,000 | 2,500 | Kazan fare 46 roubles; Sechenov pass 2,500 |
| Phone and internet | 500–1,000 | 500–1,000 | HSE student guide |
| Clothes, laundry, household, small outings | 2,000–4,000 | 3,000–6,000 | Our estimate |
| Total, roubles | 12,200–21,000 | 18,500–34,000 | |
| Total, rupees | about ₹14,000–24,000 | about ₹21,000–38,500 | At the Central Bank of Russia rate of 15 October 2026 |
As a cross-check, the Russian government's subsistence minimum for 2026, a statistical figure and not a student budget, is 18,939 roubles a month per person nationally (Federal Law No. 426-FZ of 28 November 2025) and 20,644 roubles in Saint Petersburg (St Petersburg government resolution No. 858 of 11 November 2025). A student in a hostel who cooks lives near or below those levels, which is consistent with our regional range.
From monthly to yearly: a worked example
A student spends about ten months a year in Russia and the summer in Kerala. For one year in a regional city, with the hostel and cooking:
| Item | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Living, 10 months at ₹14,000–24,000 | ₹1.4 lakh | ₹2.4 lakh |
| Medical insurance | ₹0.03 lakh | ₹0.17 lakh |
| Return flights Kerala–Russia (one-way ₹45,000–70,000, estimate) | ₹0.9 lakh | ₹1.4 lakh |
| Total outside tuition | ₹2.3 lakh | ₹4.0 lakh |
So a regional city with a first-year tuition of ₹4–5 lakh comes to around ₹6.3–9 lakh in the first year, before winter clothing. Moscow universities add to both lines. For the full six-year picture see the tuition tables in Kerala vs Russia and the lowest fees in the lowest-fee comparison. If you plan a loan, add these living costs to the amount, as many banks in India fund hostel, living expenses and travel in part; see education loans.
One-off costs in the first year
- Winter clothing: a proper coat, boots, gloves and hat are needed from October in most cities. We found no official price; budget separately and see the winter packing list.
- Visa and registration: the fees change, and the university normally registers you. Ask for the current visa-centre fee and the registration charge.
- Documents: apostille and attestation in Kerala, with NORKA charges, and translations.
- Preparation: a few Russian language classes before you leave help in the first months.
How to keep the cost down
- Choose a university with a hostel for foreign students and confirm in writing that the bed is for the whole course.
- Cook in a group of roommates; shared groceries cost less than eating out.
- Buy flights early for the September trip and travel home in the winter break or summer, not both.
- Do not choose a city only because it is cheap. A city that is cheap for the hostel may have a weak FMGE record or a safety advisory; see the ranking by FMGE results and each city page, for example Kazan and Moscow.
Want the cost for your city?
Send the city and university; we reply with tuition, hostel, insurance and flights on one sheet.
Cost of Living in Russia for Indian Students: Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a student need per month in Russia?
About 12,200 to 21,000 roubles (₹14,000 to ₹24,000) in a regional city and 18,500 to 34,000 roubles (₹21,000 to ₹38,500) in Moscow or Saint Petersburg, with a hostel bed. These are our planning ranges built from university pages, not a quotation.
How much is the hostel fee in Russia for foreign students?
It varies by university: 600 roubles a month in Petrozavodsk, 13,920 roubles a year in Kazan, 2,900 roubles a month at the North-Western State Medical University in Saint Petersburg and 7,500 to 8,500 roubles a month at one Sechenov hostel. Ask whether a bed is given for all six years.
How much does public transport cost in Russia?
A single Moscow metro ride on the Troika wallet costs 75 roubles since 2 January 2026, and a single ride in Kazan costs 46 roubles since 1 January 2026. Sechenov University's guide gives a monthly pass for metro and ground transport at 2,500 roubles.
Is medical insurance compulsory for foreign students in Russia?
Yes. A DMS policy is needed to extend registration and the student visa and often to get a hostel bed. University pages quote 2,800 to 15,000 roubles a year, depending on the university and the cover. Ask your university which insurer it uses.
Is Russia cheaper than Georgia or Uzbekistan for living costs?
We have not compared living costs country by country with sourced figures, so we do not claim it. Compare the full cost, including tuition, flights and the FMGE record, on our comparison pages for each country.
Sources: hostel rates from the official pages and price documents of the universities named (archived pages checked to October 2026); Sechenov University welcome guide (insurance, monthly pass, rents) and Sechenov international mobility document; Higher School of Economics student cost guides; Kazan Innovative University student pages; Almazov Centre, Tyumen State University, Amur State University, SPbGASU, NUST MISIS and Sechenov pages on medical insurance; Moscow transport fares from 2 January 2026 and Kazan fare of 1 January 2026 as published by the city authorities and reported by the press; Federal Law No. 426-FZ of 28 November 2025 and St Petersburg government resolution No. 858 of 11 November 2025 (subsistence minimum); airline and booking-site fares of September 2026; Central Bank of Russia rate of 15 October 2026. Several pages are undated, so figures are labelled as estimates. Checked on 15 October 2026.