Riga cost of living

IrishGuy12 Member

Member since 01 January 2014

IrishGuy12Member10 July 2017 10:34:12

Hi all,

I realise this is not the most active forum but hopefully I can get a few replies. Recently I have been offered an opportunity of a job in Riga. I am currently living in Eastern Europe, so I am aware of the language problems and of how difficult these places can be to integrate.

My main question is on cost of living; it's so hard to find any reliable information. The job location would be close to Jurmala beach, which I guess would be quite expensive, although I wouldn't have any problem to live somewhere else and commute, within a reasonable distance. Can anyone tell me what a decent apartment would cost, or even a house, to rent?

My other question was on salary. If this move were to happen, I would be taking my partner and 2 kids, aged 5 and 1. What would be the minimum a young family of 4 would need to survive? A figure of 2,000 to 2,200 has been mentioned, would this be sufficient or is that wishful thinking?

Would appreciate any replies

Thanks

See also

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uk_pole Member

Member since 11 July 2017

uk_poleMember11 July 2017 15:00:16

Hi there,

I'm new to the forum but looking into exactly same thing so can share few observations.

Jurmala is more expensive that probably any other area in Latvia. But you can get there from Riga in around 20 minutes train ride at cost of approx 2 euro each way. I'm sure there are monthly tickets too which would guarantee bigger savings.

I'm looking into 5 rooms (3 bedrooms) houses for rent and prices vary from around 800 to 2000 euro. My target is around 1300 euro and there seems to be a lot of options in Babite region which is half way between Riga and Jurmala.

Weekly food cost can also vary depending on how active lifestyle you lead but I would say that 100-150 per week should be enough to cover most standard needs.

Take a look at city24.lv and ss.lv/en - both have English interface making it quite easy to use and understand.

Regards

IrishGuy12 Member

Member since 01 January 2014

IrishGuy12Member11 July 2017 16:40:08

Thank you for your reply.

Wow it seems like house prices are really quite high compared to what I was expecting. Sounds like the above mentioned wage might end up being not enough to survive. Do you know anything about arriving to the country with children, and what the situation is with local schools? Do most expats tend to live in Riga itself or in the suburbs?

uk_pole Member

Member since 11 July 2017

uk_poleMember11 July 2017 20:53:14

Prices I quoted might be a bit extreme due to the area I was concentrating on. There are cheaper accommodations available so don't be put off by that. I'm sure you can rent an apartment for half that cost on outskirts of Riga - take a look at the sites I mentioned. This will allow you to get an idea on rental pricing as it will vary massively depending on location and needs.

I didn't make a move yet so can't really comment on your other question. My child is UK citizen but as mother is Latvian so we managed to get his Personal Code and few other admin bits sorted. There are some international schools in Riga area available but fees are quite high so brace yourself.

People live here on much less than 2000 so I'm quite confident it will a long way.