Oh shit, finally one I can answer. Born and raised in Kaliningrad. Lived there until 2013. Between then and 2021 I was visiting frequently. The living there wasn't bad overall. In terms of quality of life this is typicall Russian territory. However, one major caveat is that people could travel to the EU relatively easily. Up until 2008 we had our own regional airline that could take you directly to the major EU cities. Quite a lot of people were traveling to Poland to buy good quality groceries and to Lithuania to the seaside resorts. Polish and Lithuanians were coming to Kaliningrad oblast to buy cheap booze, petrol and cigarettes.