Well, I am frequently asked about the cost of living in Moscow and here is what I pay generally. Of course this cost increases over time (count 20% per year - yes, its is that much - especially in the RENT sector). No need to say that you can spend much more money on clubbing, shopping, trips outside of Moscow, restaurants and cafes and so on … ah and on girls of course, which is a major cost factor for many male expats since most Russian women expect you to pay if you go out, even if you are “just” friends. Of course there are exceptions ;-)

I think the highest cost factor is rent these days. For an average apartment you’ll spend about $2500-3500 in the Moscow center. That is some small place with Western Style renovation. If you want something bigger you can spend up to 35 000 and more. Its all depending on the size, the view and how close it is to the Kremlin. The closer an apartment is to the Kremlin, the higher the rent. I know a few expats which pay $10 000/month rent for an apartment, you’d pay 1500-2000 EUR in any other European city.

Some of you may ask: How can Russians afford to pay that. Well, most of them don’t. After the fall of communism the inhabitants received ownership of their apartments. So most of the Moscovites live rent free and just pay the utilities. An interesting fact on the side. They became owners of the apartment, but the ground on which the house was built, belongs to the city. It happens frequently, especially with old buildings, that the ground is sold to some development company. The inhabitants are forced to move out and usually are offered same sized apartments in a project on the cities outskirts. The development company replaces the old building with a new skyscraper and sells the apartments there for a premium price to the new rich Russians.

Anyway, here are the other costs. I hope it helps you to orientate yourself and negotiate the right salary and conditions before you move to Moscow. Another tip: if your employer doesn’t want to pay a higher salary, ask for free rent (or a part), a car and other amenities to decrease your cost of living.

All cost monthly - 1 Person

Telephone local 10 EUR
Telephone long distance 50 EUR
Mobile Telephon (only local calls) 50 EUR
Internet (6 Mbit DSL - Stream.ru) 30 EUR

Shopping/Groceries (Achuan/Metro - 1 Person) 400 EUR
Taxi 180 EUR
(Car: Gas & Insurance/Driver) (250 EUR/1000 EUR)
Metro / Subway 20 EUR
Health Insurance (Allianz) 230 EUR

4xClubbing 400 EUR
4xRestaurants/Bars 200 EUR

Rent 2500 EUR
Cleaning Lady 150 EUR

Of course you can spend more on Clubbing, Bars and Restaurants. I believe that these activities are vital for networking, especially since a lot of business here is done through personal connections.

There are other cost such as
Workpermit (yearly) which is between 800-1500 EUR
Accounting monthly 300 EUR

Hope that helped. Feel free to discuss this in the comment section, write about your cost of living and add items, if you feel I have overseen any.