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Here is a random selection of Moscow prices for everyday commodities and necessities to help you, an active budget traveller, in planning your Russian adventure. Disclaimer: Some items here may be listed for their informational, educational, and entertainment value only. Their presence in the chart below does not necessarily imply that I consider them essential for everyday living, or suggest you buy these products or services. Please note that I will answer questions related to this region of the world and particularly to Russian travel free as a public service as long as I can do that off the top of my head or by making 1-2 phone calls. Unless your question is of private or urgent nature, please use my MESSAGE BOARD.
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How much will your
Russian trip cost? GETTING HERE Invitation/voucher for tourist one month visa - $40Invitation for one year multi-entry visa - $350 Consulate fee for the visa - $120-150 Airplane tickets - These can be very inexpensive, eg. under $1000 both ways from teh US, or under $100 from Brussels in February. Registration upon arrival - $60 Taxi fare from the airport to the center of Moscow - $60-80. Beware of taxi scam and other ugly things that happen to the disoriented freshly arrived travellers. Try to arrange to be met by someone you know. If somebody quotes you less than $40, expect to be charged extra for parking ($6-7) and waiting. Sheremetyevo to the center of Moscow by public transit - $5-10.Domodedovo to the center of Moscow by public transit - $10 BOOZEA bottle of OK vodka - $7-8 A bottle of vodka that will make you sick without officially poisoning you - $4 Fortified wine, the beverage of choice of the rural poor - $1.20 Detoxification services, minimal - $10. The procedure may include a few complimentary punches by the police. If you don't get the ugly treatment you expect, tell them they are "kozly" (goats) and their recently acquired veneer of civilized and professional behaviour will likely fall down. Detoxification, VIP - $100+ Domestic beer, bottle - $1 Fine for drinking beer in the street - from a reprimand to $10 Relieving your bladder on the street, per act - $4-10. If you firmly insist that there were no washrooms in the area and what an act you can't avoid can't possibly be an offence, you will be let go with a reprimand. Table wine, cheapest drinkable variety, bottle - $5-9 FOODPrices vary greatly. Figures given here are based on my own shopping preferences, and I usually opt for convenience and quality rather than "best deal". A loaf of break - $1 Rutabaga, in the winter - $1/kg Rutabaga, in the summer - 50 cents/kg Sauerkraut - $3-5/kg Cabbage, fresh, in the winter - $1-3/kg Potatoes - From under $1 for local dirty slightly rotten to $3-4 for fresh clean imported. Mineral water, per bottle - 70 cents to about $1. Lots of substandard substitutes. Buy only in reputable stores. Ask locals. Rice - From $1 for local stuff that turns mushy to $4/kg for edible Indian, Thai, or Pakistani rice Bean sprouts - $5/kg To-fu - $8 per small block unless you buy it at a secret illegal Vietnamese market, in which case it will be $2 for a much larger block. Broccoli, in the winter - $5-8/kg Eggplant, in the winter - $5/kg Eggplant, in the summer - $1/kg Corn oil - $2.50 for a one liter bottle under $2 for a 2 liter bottle $1.80-2.20/kg $1/kg Under $1/kg $1-2 per kilogram CONSEQUENCES OF EATING & DRINKING 10-15 cents 40 cents 20 cents 10 cents HOUSING $300/month $25-60/night $80+/night $600-700 for a basic small one-bedroom 25 to 50 cents a piece $100-180 per cubic meter Free of charge, meal included $500+/night Around $2800 per square meter (10 sq. feet) (OUTDATED INFO, PROBABLY 5 TO 6 THOUSAND $US PER SQ. METER AS OF MAY 2008) $25-50/night $20/week may suffice. Or in exchange for carrying water and chopping wood. $2-3 thousand for the whole set. Free, contribution to paying utilities, or perhaps even some pocket cash. The average utility bill for a 2-room apartment will be $100/month. ART, CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT $3-30 $5-12 Under $1 or put something into the donations box Nothing *required" but something like 50 or 100 roubles ($2 or $4) put into the donations box will be appropriate. Free at "touristy" hotels and other foreigner hangouts 30-70 cents WAGES AND SALARIES $150 per month Starting at $600/month About $800/month $600-700/month $20/hour $10-20/hour $250/month EDUCATION $10-15/hour in Moscow $3-5/hour in a small town Varies greatly, expect to pay $2-3 th. a year on the average. $120-160 $800-1200 $1000 Usually sold by live weight, $2-something per kilo ($1/lb). 3-10 cents/kg 10-15 cents/kg $250-350 minimum while the comfortable amount is $500-600 $1000 $2500-3000 at least 60 cents/liter (regular) $2 to $30 $800 for something basic 30-70 cents $20-40 30-50 cents/km or $15-18/hour $15 to $60 $200 for the most expensive ticket $12-15 th. $2-3 th. for something capable of taking off and offering a good chance of controlled landing MEDICAL / DENTAL / DRUGS $10 (small town) $50 (Moscow) >$100 (in a clinic that caters to westerners) Free in most cases. Tips to nurses are appropriate. Beyond cheap SINS, VICES, & CONSEQUENCES $50-150/hour range $110-160 in Tver, probably close to $200 in Moscow $200 4-5 years of "regular" prison $25-50 GETTING AWAY FROM IT ALL, ONE WAY est. $100 for the train ticket, another $100 to transport you 1000 miles north from the train station. $200 approx. $100 plus a bit of running around 20 cents to $1 $900-1000 Expected donation around $20-50 Under $1 |
THIS PAGE IS WAY OUTDATED. SEE FEBRUARY 12 2012 SAMPLE OF MOSCOW PRICES >> |
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Accommodation on Moscow, from cheap to
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