What is the cost of the priciest apartment in St. Petersburg?
Russia's Real Estate Market: A City-by-City Breakdown
Russia's real estate market varies significantly across its cities, with Moscow leading the way in the most expensive apartments on the primary market.
Most Expensive Cities and Districts
Moscow dominates the expensive segment, with districts like Ostozhenka, the Center of Moscow, and Arbat topping the list. The average price in Ostozhenka was around 542,744 Russian rubles per square meter in August 2024, making it the priciest district. Rental luxury apartments in areas like Khamovniki and Arbat-Kropotkinskaya command very high prices, with rents starting at about 2.5 million rubles (27,500 EUR) per month for top-end apartments.
Other Russian cities with notably high average housing prices, though less than Moscow, include Krasnaya Polyana in Krasnodar Krai, but the data is less current (2022) and averages are not quantified clearly for direct comparison in primary market terms.
Cheapest Cities and Apartments
Among more affordable cities on the primary market, cities like Kazan and Vladivostok offer significantly lower costs. Kazan has monthly rents for a one-bedroom apartment ranging from $250–$400 USD, and Vladivostok from $250–$450 USD — much cheaper than Moscow’s range of $600–$1,200 USD for similar apartments.
Within Moscow itself, there are "cheap" flats available for sale starting roughly from 5,824,000 rubles (around $80,000 USD), indicating some budget options even within the capital's market.
Summary Table of Price Indicators
|City / District |Price Indicator |Price (approximate) | |- |- |- | |Moscow (Ostozhenka) |Average apartment price (per sq.m) |542,744 rubles (~7,000+ USD per sq.m) [3] | |Moscow (Luxury Rent) |Monthly rent of top luxury apartments |2.5 million rubles (~27,500 EUR) [1] | |Moscow (Cheap Flats) |Starting price for apartments for sale |5,824,000 rubles (~80,000 USD) [4] | |St. Petersburg |1-bedroom rent (monthly) |$400–$800 USD [2] | |Kazan |1-bedroom rent (monthly) |$250–$400 USD [2] | |Vladivostok |1-bedroom rent (monthly) |$250–$450 USD [2] |
Notes:
- The rental prices are provided since primary market sales prices detail is more limited outside Moscow.
- The currency conversions reflect approximate rates and can fluctuate.
- Available data is mostly up to mid-2025 for Moscow and rent comparisons, while some city pricing data lags (2022 for other cities).
- Moscow remains the most expensive market by both sale and rent metrics, dominated by central districts.
In St. Petersburg, the most expensive listed apartment on the primary market is a four-bedroom apartment priced at 2.8 billion rubles. However, St. Petersburg was not able to outpace Moscow in the number of sold apartments in new builds. The Kurortny district of St. Petersburg has the cheapest new apartment available on the market, with the price not specified in the article.
Other notable listings include a three-bedroom apartment in Kazan with an area of 262.2 square meters listed at 263 million rubles, and studio apartments in Novosibirsk and Ufa priced at 2.5 million rubles and 2.2 million rubles respectively. Moscow has a more expensive listing on the primary market, an elite-class new build in the Central Administrative District, priced at 8.9 billion rubles. The minimum price for studios in Moscow new builds starts at 4.6 million rubles for a 12.3 square meter apartment.
The rental market in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region was discussed but the details were not provided in the article. Kazan does not appear to be the city with the most apartments sold in new builds, as previously revealed.
Investing in luxury real estate in Moscow, specifically districts like Ostozhenka, Khamovniki, and Arbat-Kropotkinskaya, can be quite costly with high prices reaching up to 542,744 Russian rubles per square meter for apartments. On the other hand, cities like Kazan and Vladivostok offer more affordable housing options for those looking to invest in the primary market, with monthly rents for a one-bedroom apartment ranging from $250–$400 USD in Kazan and $250–$450 USD in Vladivostok.
