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Thread: Cost of Living in Western Russia

  1. #1
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    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    Some travel guides can be a little outdated, so I trust the word of someone living there right now.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.

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    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.
    Если мама сказала - ноу, то это значит - ноу!
    (с) Сергей Довлатов

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    Завсегдатай Scorpio's Avatar
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    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.
    Кр. -- сестр. тал.

  4. #4
    mike
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    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.

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    z80
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    bad

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

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by mike
    Christ, why is alcohol so cheap? Aren't there any negative externalities considered?
    What about the possitive externalities? 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 .

    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 ).

  7. #7
    mike
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    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.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Scorpio
    renting flat costs 150$-200$ monthly, if not higher.
    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.
    Если мама сказала - ноу, то это значит - ноу!
    (с) Сергей Довлатов

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Veedey
    Quote Originally Posted by Scorpio
    renting flat costs 150$-200$ monthly, if not higher.
    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.
    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.
    Кр. -- сестр. тал.

  10. #10
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    Quote 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.


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

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

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tu-160
    Странно, а у нас, в Татарстане, все цены в рублях
    Тем более странно, что у нас в Украине в гривнах

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