Thread: How bad off are Russians in reality?

I hear that the streets of Moscow are filled with beggars and that nobody can afford food, etc etc....
But I want to hear from true Russians...how bad of a situation is Russia in? How much does the averege Russian earn (And adjust for the prices in Russia.)?
How knowedgable are Russians of the world? Here in America it is very bad...people don't even want to know. I think it's a mistake.

Thanks.

It depends on which Russians you are asking. A while ago, even the Russians themselves could not agree upon whether it was better now or in Soviet times. As for Moscow, they have said it is like a different country inside Russia Everything is more expensive there and the standard of living is generally higher. Incomes there are higher of course.

Russians(and most people of other countries) are pretty knowledgeable about the world around them. I suppose every country has its uneducated people, but the US is fairly bad for its educated people not knowing much about the world.

But, let's let the Russians themselves tell us about it.

[But, let's let the Russians themselves tell us about it.[/quote]

Well, I'll try to answer as right as I can.
My famoly, for example. I live in Moscow. My father's the salary for month is about 600 dollars, my mother's - about 500.
Thet are hi-engeners, and it is not bed mony in Moscow, but, of course, not very good. Middle class.
I have a student's scholarship about 30 dollars for month and I earn about 150 dollars for month beside it.
And here is Moscow prices - (30 rebels = 1 dollar )

charge per home = 1000 rebels
the long loaf of bread = 10 rebels
1kg. of meal = 100 rebels
1liter of benzine = 10 rebels
a bus tiket = 10 rebels
a month tiket to the undeground = 70-300 rebels
a tiket to the theatre= 70-1000 rebels
a caffe diner = 80-300 rebels
a simple restauran dinner - 1000 - ... rebels
a jeans = 500-2000 rebels
a shoe = 300-2000 rebels
a new computer = 30 000 rebels
a old car = 30 000 - 60 000 rebels

Of course, this is middel price, and there are many more expensive things.
You see, it is not difficoult to live in Moscow, but not very fine...
But old people have more difficould life. They can't work, so, theys pension about 200 dollars, so, if they are solitary and nobody helps them, they cant bye dress, only food.
Our "beggers", as usually, from other past-Soviet republics (A middle salary for month in Turkmenistan is about 40 dollars, so people from theyr comes to Moscow and work for food or becomes "beggers").

In a small Russians situation is as fine as in Moscow. It is not easy to find good work, and a lot of people take about 200 dollars in a month.
But prises for food are not so hi their. You see, In Soviet times everyone were alikes, and now some people live better, some - worse, and a little part - thery fine (oligarhy and bandits).
Putin stopped larceny of the country (which was under Elcin), but I distress that economic situation does not improve.

So, is our life more worse than in US and UK?

From what time we have such currency as «rebels»?

I don't live in Moscow but the prices written above are similar.

Prices:

A liter of milk — 10 roubles (30 roubles for a long-life pack);
a bus ticket — 5 roubles (7 and 10 roubles for taxi-bus);
one hour dial-up internet — 14 roubles;
a book — 70-200 roubles;
a simple cell-phone — 3000-5000 roubles ( 5 roubles per minute, send SMS — 1.5 roubles (depends on tariff, of course));
railway ticket to Moscow (950 km) — 800-1000 roubles for a comfortable place and 300-400 for a non-comfortable;
one kg of sausage — 60-120 roubles (and more);
a pair of socks — 15 roubles;
a tie — about 120 roubles;
a pirate CD — 70-80 roubles;
a legal DVD — don't remember exactly but about 500 roubles;
Nvidia GeForce4 FX5200 128Mb DDR AGP8x, TV-out, DVI — 2500 roubles.

Salaries:

A teacher — 3000-5000 roubles;
a metalworker — 10000 roubles;
a director of an enterprise — depends but not less than 15000 roubles;
a consultant in a shop — up to 8000 roubles;
an accountant — 15000-30000 roubles and more.

There are almost no beggars in my town (though I didn't see them much in Moscow too). Usually it is kind of swindlers, old or disabled men, and refugees from south regions.

Russians are quite knowledgeable about the world, I think. News show us very many various things. Though I suspect that many essential details (especially in politics) can be hidden. Main news on TV were (and are) Iraq, European Union, China's astronaut, ISS, Schwarzenegger as a deputy (or such). But when CNN and BBC were talking about Liberia our media have shown us nothing about this. Only after month or so they made some small reports. I was speaking about TV programs but, of course, in newspapers and especially in internet you can find anything you want.

I think western goods are about as expensive as in the western world, but what really matters is the daily groceries and clothes. They're far cheaper.
@Tu-160: Are those salaries per week (my book says Russians often get payed per week), per month or per year?
I read somewhere that everyone in Russia pays bribes (80th most corrupt country). As much as the total revenue is bribed per year. How much do they cost, normally?

1liter of benzine = 10 rebels

Errr, what the hell are you using benzine for?

Anyway, australian crap:-

average wage (all in AU$) 40000

average new car $28000
half OK old car $8000
Litre of fuel $0.96
average house $200000
litre of UHT (long life) milk $1.15
Bread $1.85
1 KG sausages $4
Jeans $30 - 40
Shoes $40
New computer $2000
1kg of meat $10 - 14
1kg of ammonium nitrate $20
half a litre of diesel $0.50

Originally Posted by z80

1liter of benzine = 10 rebels

Errr, what the hell are you using benzine for?

Their cars have to run on something, don't they?

бензин = petrol.

As for me I prefer to just say "Gas", but I was translating specifically for you...

In Holland prices are very similar to the ones z80 listed.

Originally Posted by A while ago Jasper May

Are those salaries per week (my book says Russians often get payed per week), per month or per year?
I read somewhere that everyone in Russia pays bribes (80th most corrupt country). As much as the total revenue is bribed per year. How much do they cost, normally?

Usually Russians speak about roubles per month if they don't make special definition. Not sure about Muscovites.

I don't know how researchers counted a number of bribes (by asking people? or by spying?). Anyway, I think bribes are more actual for «high circles» (rich people who have to make even more money). Ordinary Russians can meet with bribes in rare cases. Some people, who don't want to lose their time, just pay. Some go to police. But it depends on who asks for bribing, you or an official. There are only three things which are famous of their attitude to bribes—educational organisations (when you are too stupid to pass normal exams. It can cost as a cheap car), local recruting centres (when you don't want to serve in army), and road police (when you don't want to pay fine). It doesn't mean that you can make bribes in every such place (you may «earn» some years in prison), but people who don't suffer from luck of money and shame try to use such possibilities.

1. O, Это - моя ошибка! Рубли, не мятежники!!!
3. За month.
3. взятки действительно очень популярные (для qwick регистрации автомобиля - У меня не было ожидания времени месяц, так что Я должен платить 50$)
4. AU$ = ? Roubles

Why doesn't Russia simply attempt to lower prices? I mean, middle class jeans costing 500 rubles...an entire months salery!!!

"1kg. of meal = 100 rebels"
I like it!

Actually I bought "a simple cell-phone" for 1200 roubles in the computer market, but it is second-hand, of course. And I never bought a computer for $1000 in those stupid shops. If you have enough brains you go to a computer market, buy anything you want for no more than $500 or even $300, get a screwdriver and screw it.

I thought the bread is 7 r. But I haven't went shopping recently, so may be something changed. Since I have a pancreatitis now I eat just an oatmeals, they cost 15 r. a 500 g paket.

Of course my situation is not so bad, I was kidding a little. Prices are different in shops and markets. As far as I know only fruits, some meat and vegetables, sometimes books, shoes and clothes, are more cheaper than in Europe. And bus tickets of course... And museum tickets.... and... and other stuff...

Originally Posted by Alexandr_S

4. AU$ = ? Roubles

$AU ~ 0.7$US ~ 21..22 p.

My income is $360 (11000 rub) + my wife(unemployment benefit and she works (not official) as a janitor) $130, then $490 per month. I've got 2 kids.
My spending per month:
I've got an own apartment so I pay for utilities only(cold and hot water, heat, elecricity, elevator etc) - $25
food - $200-250
kindergarten - $10
school breakfasts - $7
cellural phones - $25
rides by bus - $30
So my spending is about 290-350 per month.
The prices mostly are as Tu-160 said, but cell phones cost from $60 for new one, 1 minute of call costs from $0,04 up to $0,12.
I've got a car but I see no reasons to use it all the time becouse a bus ticket costs only $0.17 and the average time interval between buses or trolleybuses is about several minutes.

Originally Posted by AldRunh

Why doesn't Russia simply attempt to lower prices? I mean, middle class jeans costing 500 rubles...an entire months salery!!!

Good idea!!! So you're against the "liberal", free-price and free-market economy?

Why doesn't Russia just try to increase wages?

Originally Posted by Scorpio

Originally Posted by AldRunh

Why doesn't Russia simply attempt to lower prices? I mean, middle class jeans costing 500 rubles...an entire months salery!!!

Good idea!!! So you're against the "liberal", free-price and free-market economy?

What? Don't "liberals" tend to be more in favor of a centralized economy?
Is there something Russia could do but isn't? For whatever reason (Like the US...it isn't giving NK the nonaggression treaty because of "pride". Bah)

Russians, how much does it cost you to go on Masterrussian every day? Don't you get charged for internet/phone time by the minute? Or do you use those finicky "internet card" things with a dialer and a certain amount of hours I had to use those when I was in Bangkok. I would quickly get into my mail and hit "Reply" then get offline and write the letter, than get online again and send

Originally Posted by Pravit

Russians, how much does it cost you to go on Masterrussian every day?

It's free for me. The works where I work pays about $0,18 per 1 MB.

Don't you get charged for internet/phone time by the minute?

There is no charge for phone time by the minute in my town. The phone costs about $4-5 per month. The dial-up access to internet costs from $0.30 per hour or from $0.08 per 1 MB.

Hmm...Some Russian friends tell me that Boris Yelstin is responsible for Russias great economic crash (and they described a certain part of his anatomy in...colourful words)

Is this true?