Cost of Living in Western Russia

I'm curious as to what everyday items cost in Russia. I'm planning on how much money I should bring when I travel, and what ratio of US dollars and Russian Roubles I will take. (I hear that use of foriegn currency is illegal, but the US$ will pretty much get you anything across the globe.)

Some particular things I'm curious about are:

beer
vodka
meal
cab
bus
lodging

Some travel guides can be a little outdated, so I trust the word of someone living there right now. I'm looking at average prices, and if you have anything else to add, please feel free. :)

A pint of imported beer in Moscow’s bars costs about $5, and you can get some Russian beer there for $2-3.
Russian vodka is cheap. I’d buy a bottle of «Гжелка», which price is about $5-6.

About foreign currency: yes, using it to purchase anything is NOT legal. Selling/buying any foreign currency in exchange booths is perfectly legal, and it's no problem finding one almost anywhere. Current exchange rate is: 1$ = 31 R, 1 Eu = 34 R

And here are some typical prices in Moscow:

beer:
bottle of "Baltika" - 15-20 R;

vodka:
bottle of "Stolichnaya" - 50-55 R;

meal:
depends from where you came. 300-400 R dinner is quite cheap;

cab:
municipal taxi system is dead long ago; there is a lot of freelance cabbers, but prices vary much.

bus:
in Moscow one bus ride costs 7-10 R now (and metro ride the same).

lodging:
renting flat costs 150$-200$ monthly, if not higher.

:o :x :o :x :x :x :o :o Christ, why is alcohol so cheap? Aren't there any negative externalities considered? I can't even buy 750mL of ginger ale for the equivalent of 55 rubles.

thats as bad as where I live!! Rent is almost double what you would pay in a morgage for the same house.

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Originally Posted by mike

Christ, why is alcohol so cheap? Aren't there any negative externalities considered?

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What about the possitive externalities? :D I have found in my travels that bottled water is more expensive than beer in most countries (maybe because of demand, since only Americans ask for tap water at a restaurant :)). However, it doesn't seem too out of whack to me to get a pint for around $0.50 in Moscow when you consider that rent is only $150 to $200...

Rent is around 350 beers a month in Moscow, and I'd say around 200 a month in New York and 175 in Boston :D.

I think of when I was in Prague three years ago and beer cost $0.25 per pint, but that's not so cheap considering I got a room for $4 a night (granted they didn't say the room flooded, and I woke up in the morning with 2 inches of water in the room :().

What exactly are the positive externalities of liquor sales in a third world country? In an economic boom I could understand, but alcohol should be the last thing poor people are spending their money on.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Scorpio

renting flat costs 150$-200$ monthly, if not higher.

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No, Scorpio!
Even a decent two-room flat anywhere far from the city center with cheap old furniture can’t cost less than $400 a month. I think that a little but good flat near the city center costs at least $1000.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Veedey

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Scorpio

renting flat costs 150$-200$ monthly, if not higher.

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No, Scorpio!
Even a decent two-room flat anywhere far from the city center with cheap old furniture can’t cost less than $400 a month. I think that a little but good flat near the city center costs at least $1000.

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Agreed. I really meant the cheapest - renting one-room flat with minimal furnishing somewhere nearby MKAD. Anything larger or closer to center costs more, of cause.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Veedey

A pint of imported beer in Moscow’s bars costs about $5, and you can get some Russian beer there for $2-3.
Russian vodka is cheap. I’d buy a bottle of «Гжелка», which price is about $5-6.

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:o :o

Ну и цены у вас!! Не в Москве пиво стоит 0.5$

Странно, а у нас, в Татарстане, все цены в рублях

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Originally Posted by Tu-160

Странно, а у нас, в Татарстане, все цены в рублях

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Тем более странно, что у нас в Украине в гривнах :o