Red City on Volga or the Foggy Albion on Thames

MOSCOW, Russia / LONDON, United Kingdom

June 26, 2007 (Tuesday)

It is shocking how Moscow has changed so rapidly in the past years. I am quite frequent in the Russian capital and every time I visit the city where once lived, the prices are more expensive. Last year just the taxi ride itself from the Sheremetyevo International Airport to the Domodedovo International Airport with one stop at the Red Square cost my companion and I around 5,500 rubles (€140 / £96 / $192).

There is a famous song called Москва слезам не верит [Moskva slezam ne verit] or Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears. Locals joke and say that contemporary Moscow believes in dollars, euros, pounds and then rubles. It makes me wonder how Muscovites survive. Last week The London Paper (http://www.thelondonpaper.com, June 18, 2007) published an article comparing two capitals – the Russian and the British.

MOSCOW | LONDON
Rent: £2,057 | £2,000
CD: £12.77 | £12.99
Cup of coffee: £3.14 | £2.00
Burger meal: £2.47 | £3.89
International newspaper: £3.24 | £1.20

In 2003 I came to Moscow to work on a special project. The company paid $1,200 for my three-room apartment in Strogino, temporary residence permit and food as well as transportation expenses on top of my salary. Basically, I had no expenses but to enjoy my life in the former Soviet capital. My cousin and I would drive around in Moscow on his Mercedes, go clubbing, shopping and drinking. Those careless days... Once the project was completed in 2004, I moved to Riga in Latvia.

My family lived in Moscow during the Soviet times and, of course, life was affordable then. Everyone was Soviet rather than Russian and non-Russian. However, I still think that Moscow is one of the amazing cities in the world. Maybe I am saying it because I spent my childhood there. Below is the cost of living ranking of the cities I have visited or lived by the Mercer Human Resource Consulting (http://www.mercerhr.com).

1. Moscow RU;
2. London GB;
6. Copenhagen DK;
9. Zürich CH;
10. Oslo NO;
12. Saint Petersburg RU;
15. New York City US;
23. Stockholm SE;
25. Amsterdam NL;
28. Kyiv UA;
30. Almaty KZ;
40. Frankfurt-am-Main DE;
42. Los Angeles US.

If you are traveling to Moscow, please keep in mind the current exchange rates against the Russian ruble (рубль, руб. or RUB). Make sure that you do not use the street exchanges. Most of the shops accept foreign credit and debit cards. Here is how far your local quid goes in Russia:
£1 (GBP) – 58 руб.;
€1 (EUR) – 40 руб.;
$1 (USD) – 29 руб.;
¥1 (JPY) – 0.25 руб.;
₣1 (CHF) – 25 руб.

До свидания (Do svidaniya),

~ζ