Moving to Moscow

[mkracun]

OK, I also have a question on moving to Moscow. I'm moving there in February and would like to know what kind of appartment can I get for approx. 1000$ per month.

I'm also interested in price of used cars - I'd like to purchase approx. 5 yrs. old car, some medium class (like Renault Megane, Audi A3, VW Golf or thereabouts), how much would that cost?

Thank you for any suggestions!

[Dr_Woland]

I'm a foreigner living in Moscow.

For $1000 per month you could probably rent a palace. IGNORE THE ADS in The Moscow Times. These are companies who take advantage of foreigners or foreign companies who do not know the local market or speak enough Russian to find out. If you have contacts in Moscow, ask them to do some digging for you - offering a "bounty fee" (say $200-300) for finding the apartment you want would be a good investment.

Here is a rough guide of what you can get for your money in Moscow right now:

$100/month - will get you a "one-room" (ie what's called "studio apt" in the West) in an area at the ends of the Metro lines.

$200/month - should get you a one-bedroom apartment in a similar zone or maybe even a few stations towards the centre.

Don't expect much/any refurbishment in the first two categories.

$300/month ought to buy you some "cosmetic" refurbishment, and maybe a location nearer to a Metro station. (below this price you could expect to have to take the bus or tram from home to your nearest Metro).

$400/month should see you comfortably into a 2-bedroom apartment in a respectable outer neighbourhood.

$500/month is the kind of money you need to pay to live centrally - if you'd move down to a one-bedroom apt, you could live in a desirable address for this money.

$600/month bolsters your chances of a good one-bedroom apartment in a nice central location - or if you don't mind living a few metro stations out, you ought to be in the 3-bedrooms+"european renovation" league by now.

$700/month sees you into a 2-bedroom apartment in a prestige location - like Arbat, Patriarshy Pryudi, Prospect Mira, Zamoskvarechy, and similar areas.

Above this, you are paying "snob value" prices for the address - and for features like "evro-remont" (= "western-standard refurbishment" which ironically means "American", rather than "European" style decor) maybe jacuzzi, sauna, and other niceties.

Car prices are much the same as Western Europe. Beware of anything much cheaper - there'll be a catch involved. Also, check-out the actual proof of ownership of the vehicle!!

Dr W.

[Dr_Woland]

a tip about cars

buy a car with WHITE number-plates, and make sure they are MOSCOW plates.

If you want to make friends with corrupt bribe-grubbing traffic-cops every night you go out, buy a car with yellow (foreign-registration) plates :-)

Dr W.

BTW, the preferred car amongst most ex-pats is a Niva - a sort of Russian jeep. It's a bit noisy to drive, but they are built like tanks and never break-down. And unless you break the speed-limit, have a low "visibility" level for traffic cops and car thieves. I drive one myself. Beware of buying a "high-performance" car - getting 97-octane gas is almost impossible in Moscow, and completely impossible outside it. Niva's run on "92", which you can buy anywhere :-)

[This message has been edited by Dr_Woland (edited 23 November 2000).]

[mkracun]

Thank you very much, I'll get my future co-workers to find something for me

I'll probably have more questions when I actually move over...

[glock_girl]

Dr. Woland:

I wonder if you might have some contacts for places to rent (apartments) in Moscow? Some names, etc?

[Dr_Woland]

hi glock.girl

I wish I had some info for you. There are quite a lot of agencies, but I can't recommend any of them from personal experience, I'm afraid.

(briefly... one of my closest Russian friends married one of my British friends, and they moved to London afterwards - so I rent their old Moscow apt from them, it just worked-out as a happy coincidence).

Dr W.

[glock_girl]

ha ha ha lucky you