2.48/5
425 reviews
Photo by Darya Tryfanava via Unsplash

Cost of Living in Riga

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town

bit

terms

center

nice

good

prices

beautiful

tourists

Riga makes an interesting destination with its standout Art Nouveau architecture and charming old town, though the latter can feel overcrowded with tourists in peak summer. Outside the historic center, tourist numbers thin out and more authentic experiences can be found, especially for those who enjoy local cuisine—affordable and generally well-reviewed by visitors.

Public transportation is both cheap and reliable, making it easy to navigate the sprawling layout of the city, which feels large in area even if not densely populated. Prices overall are moderate, though recent inflation has pushed some costs to levels similar to those in Western Europe. Winters, however, can be harsh, with prolonged cold and grey skies.

Some visitors have noted a lack of vibrancy outside the tourist zones, with areas feeling quiet or empty, and reports of residents seeming reserved or unfriendly. There are also mentions of visible intoxication in parts of the city. While Riga may appeal to certain travelers, especially architecture and food enthusiasts, it may not suit those looking for a warm atmosphere or consistent liveliness.

AI-generated summary of reviews
3 months ago

The old town is quite pretty, but apart from that it is quite empty.
Lots of people are wasted amd it's a bit sad to see.
People are quite cold
Good point is that it is quite cheap
Will probably not come back

3 months ago

Lived here for 6 months and it's a very big city. Not in terms of people, but in terms of size. Public transport is cheap and reliable. The old center is nice with mostly tourist from Europe but the really good places you will find just outside it. Wintertime can be very cold and with months of cloudy days. Prices are similar to western european cities especially lately with increased high inflation in the Baltic States. Overall a good place to stay with lots of beautiful women.

4 months ago

I stayed in spring, and outside old town I didn't encounter many tourists at all. The city was beautiful. I would recommend it for foodies, most things were very tasty and the prices weren't crazy high. Overall, a nice place to visit.

3 years ago

Visited the small, cute part of RIGA's old town and the ART NOUVEAU architecture that is located a bit outside the center.
Seemed quite juvenile + full of tourists during the summer of JULY 2019. Has a bit of that ex-comunist era inside the city.

5 years ago

✅ Good public transport

✅ Tasty and affordable food

✅ Beautiful architecture

✅ Pretty safe

✅ Fast internet

✅ Good air quality today

✅ Many Nomads.com members have been

✅ Spacious and not crowded

✅ Very easy to do business

✅ High quality of education

✅ Great hospitals

✅ Roads are very safe

✅ Great freedom of speech

✅ Democratic

✅ Safe for women

✅ Family friendly

✅ LGBTQ+ friendly

✅ Not many people smoke tobacco

❌ Cold winters

❌ Touristy and crowded old town

❌ Locals can feel cold or unfriendly

❌ Parts of the city feel empty or rundown

❌ Expensive

❌ Not much to do

❌ Cold now

❌ Gets very cold in the winter

❌ Very damp now

❌ Not many Nomads.com members right now

❌ People don't speak English well

❌ High alcohol consumption

❌ Marijuana is illegal

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels (median)

-4°C / 25°F freezing

-6°C / 21°F freezing

1°C / 34°F cold

4°C / 39°F cold

12°C / 54°F cool

21°C / 70°F mild

27°C / 81°F warm

19°C / 66°F mild

12°C / 54°F cool

11°C / 52°F cool

3°C / 37°F cold

-4°C / 25°F freezing

Real (median)

-1°C / 30°F
freezing

-3°C / 27°F
freezing

4°C / 39°F
very cold

6°C / 43°F
very cold

13°C / 55°F
cool

21°C / 70°F
mild

26°C / 78°F
warm

19°C / 66°F
mild

12°C / 54°F
cool

12°C / 53°F
cool

6°C / 42°F
very cold

-1°C / 31°F
freezing

Humidity

damp
80%

damp
77%

nice
68%

damp
75%

nice
71%

nice
81%

damp
74%

damp
73%

damp
82%

damp
78%

Most common

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

Rain

rainy
62mm

dry
16mm

dry
49mm

dry
43mm

rainy
58mm

dry
40mm

dry
39mm

rainy
82mm

rainy
68mm

rainy
65mm

rainy
69mm

rainy
60mm

Cloud

cloudy
57%

pockets
45%

pockets
46%

pockets
48%

pockets
31%

pockets
35%

cloudy
52%

pockets
49%

pockets
46%

cloudy
54%

cloudy
50%

Remote workers

564 people

545 people

600 people

511 people

846 people

988 people

1,271 people

1,044 people

853 people

438 people

414 people

633 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members.

If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomads.com's Climate Finder

Based on Riga's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:

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83pts

39pts

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73pts

24pts

17pts

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9pts

8pts

7pts

5pts

4pts

Tartu

Estonia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety good

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🌤 Feels -4° 25° -1° 31° AQI 19

✈️18min

$3,265 / mo

33 Mbps

Kaunas

Lithuania

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🙂 Okay

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

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✈️18min

$2,791 / mo

33 Mbps

Klaipeda

Lithuania

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🙂 Okay

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

✈️19min

$2,661 / mo

27 Mbps

Vilnius

Lithuania

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

✈️21min

$3,097 / mo

48 Mbps

Tallinn

Estonia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🙂 Okay

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

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🌥 Feels -1° 30° 2° 35° AQI 37

✈️22min

$2,896 / mo

33 Mbps

Kaliningrad

Russia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 2° 36° 4° 40° AQI 25

✈️27min

$2,172 / mo

16 Mbps

Helsinki

Finland

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels -4° 25° -1° 30° AQI 18

✈️29min

$3,625 / mo

25 Mbps

Espoo

Finland

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety good

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🌥 Feels -4° 25° -1° 30° AQI 18

✈️29min

$4,082 / mo

23 Mbps

Turku

Finland

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels -6° 21° -4° 26° AQI 4

✈️32min

$3,553 / mo

25 Mbps

Minsk

Belarus

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels -1° 30° 1° 34°

✈️32min

$1,623 / mo

16 Mbps

Stockholm

Sweden

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels -3° 27° -1° 30° AQI 20

✈️35min

$3,855 / mo

35 Mbps

Gdansk

Poland

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 1° 34° 4° 40° AQI 50

✈️36min

$3,033 / mo

21 Mbps

Moscow

Russia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 3° 37° 5° 42° AQI 46

✈️1h

$2,382 / mo

16 Mbps

Bangkok

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 36° 97° 29° 84° 🥵 AQI 63 😷

✈️11h

$1,574 / mo

24 Mbps

London

United Kingdom

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 6° 43° 7° 44° AQI 55 😷

✈️2h

$5,707 / mo

25 Mbps

Tallinn

Estonia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🙂 Okay

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels -1° 30° 2° 35° AQI 37

✈️22min

$2,896 / mo

33 Mbps

Berlin

Germany

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 2° 36° 4° 40° AQI 34

✈️1h

$4,076 / mo

33 Mbps

Lisbon

Portugal

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 18° 64° 17° 62° AQI 21

✈️4h

$3,828 / mo

60 Mbps

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 33° 91° 27° 81° 🥵

✈️12h

$1,553 / mo

17 Mbps

Paris

France

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 5° 41° 7° 45° AQI 55 😷

✈️2h

$5,504 / mo

32 Mbps

Barcelona

Spain

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 13° 55° 13° 56° AQI 42

✈️3h

$4,459 / mo

38 Mbps

Kraków

Poland

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🙂 Okay

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

✈️1h

$2,917 / mo

36 Mbps

Istanbul

Turkey

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 19° 66° 19° 66° AQI 80 😷

✈️2h

$1,727 / mo

10 Mbps

Vilnius

Lithuania

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

✈️21min

$3,097 / mo

48 Mbps

Vilnius

Lithuania

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

✈️21min

$3,097 / mo

🌇 Also went here211 people

Tallinn

Estonia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🙂 Okay

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels -1° 30° 2° 35° AQI 37

✈️22min

$2,896 / mo

🌇 Also went here268 people

Helsinki

Finland

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels -4° 25° -1° 30° AQI 18

✈️29min

$3,625 / mo

🌇 Also went here204 people

Warsaw

Poland

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

✈️45min

$3,211 / mo

🌇 Also went here174 people

Berlin

Germany

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 2° 36° 4° 40° AQI 34

✈️1h

$4,076 / mo

🌇 Also went here225 people

Prague

Czechia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels -1° 30° 2° 36° AQI 42

✈️1h

$4,397 / mo

🌇 Also went here244 people

Vienna

Austria

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

✈️1h

$4,118 / mo

🌇 Also went here193 people

Budapest

Hungary

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🙂 Okay

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 3° 37° 5° 40° AQI 53 😷

✈️1h

$2,708 / mo

🌇 Also went here237 people

Amsterdam

Netherlands

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 3° 37° 5° 42° AQI 24

✈️2h

$5,683 / mo

🌇 Also went here214 people

London

United Kingdom

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 6° 43° 7° 44° AQI 55 😷

✈️2h

$5,707 / mo

🌇 Also went here230 people

Paris

France

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 5° 41° 7° 45° AQI 55 😷

✈️2h

$5,504 / mo

🌇 Also went here229 people

Istanbul

Turkey

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 19° 66° 19° 66° AQI 80 😷

✈️2h

$1,727 / mo

🌇 Also went here210 people

Barcelona

Spain

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 13° 55° 13° 56° AQI 42

✈️3h

$4,459 / mo

🌇 Also went here225 people

Lisbon

Portugal

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 18° 64° 17° 62° AQI 21

✈️4h

$3,828 / mo

🌇 Also went here236 people

Bangkok

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 36° 97° 29° 84° 🥵 AQI 63 😷

✈️11h

$1,574 / mo

🌇 Also went here199 people

Members here right now

No members are here right now. If you are, add it as a trip and you'll show up here!

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Visits are also normalized by overall trips added per month on the site, so if site usage goes up or down it does not affect trends. Not all digital nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

⭐️ Total score	2.48/5 (Rank #431) 425 reviews
❤️ Liked by members	👍9 liked it 👎1 disliked it
👍 Quality of life score	Good
👶 Family score	Okay
🎒 Community score	Okay
💵 Cost	🙂 Okay: $2,851 / mo
📡 Internet	😡 Slow: 18 Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Okay
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🥶 Too cold: 1°C34°F (feels -1°C30°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	💦 Damp: 74%
❄️ % of buildings with AC	🥵 Very low: 4%
💨 Air quality (annual)	😐 Moderate: 97 US AQI
👌 Safety	Good
👩 Safe for women	Okay
🌈 Safe for LGBTQ+	Okay
🤮 Food safety*	Good
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Good
🎓 Education level*	High
⚡️ Power grid	Great
🌊 Vulnerability to climate change	Bad
💰 Income level*	Low: $1,166 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Bad
🚶 Walkability	Great
🚦 Traffic safety*	Okay
✈️ Airline scores*	Great
🧳 Lost luggage*	Great
🏥 Hospitals	Good
😄 Happiness*	Okay
🍸 Nightlife	Bad
📶 Free WiFi in city	Okay
🖥 Places to work from	Great
❄️ A/C or heating	Bad
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Okay
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Great
🎅 Startup Score	Bad

🌍 Continent	Europe
🚩 Country	Latvia
🗓️ Average trip length	4 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	18 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	🌧 1°C 34°F + 💦 Damp (74%) = feels -1°C 30°F
💨 Air quality (annual avg)	👎😷 97 US AQI = 🚬 / day
🔌 Power	230V 50Hz
🚕 Best taxi app*	Taxify
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
🏧 Suggested ATM take out:	EUR 100 = USD 115
💳 Cashless	💳 Yes, cards OK almost everywhere
💻 Best coworking space	StartupLatvia
🚰 Tap water	🚫 No, not drinkable
♻️ Return rate	👍11% of visitors return
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	640,000 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$13,993 / year
👫 Gender ratio (population)	👨 39% 👱‍♀️ 61%
👫 Gender ratio (young adults)	👨 53% 👱‍♀️ 47%
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 85% 👱‍♀️ 15%
🏞 Foreign land ownership allowed	Yes
⛪️ Religious government	Non-religious
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier	Air Baltic
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	Air Baltic

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$2,851 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$1,612 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$2,799 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$800 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$1,746 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$2,077 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$489 / month
🏠 Median home price	$185,292
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$82 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$68 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$181 / month
🍛 Dinner	$14
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$0.58
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$5
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$2
👩‍🏫 International school	$14,487 / year
📱 Mobile data (~10GB)	$15 / month
🚕 Taxi price (avg trip ~3km/2mi)	$3 / trip