All you need to know before your arrival in Russia: Leisure, Culture, standard of living and the cost of living in Russia.

The decision to come to a foreign country to get an education is a fairly important step, because you need to immerse yourself in another culture, adapt to a new environment, get used to a specific climate, gradually master the Russian language, learn the peculiarities of the character of the residents of the country. It is therefore important for all students to learn, in order to adapt to the new living conditions of the country, to the culture, to the mentality of the population in addition, to learning a new language. You will find below the necessary information for your stay in Russia.

ACCOMODATION

Universities in Russia offer accommodation to all foreign students with full-time education throughout their study period. Evening programme students will only need accommodation for examination period. Generally, the residence halls are not far from the institution. This is the cheapest option as the accommodation costs around 300 - 6 000 roubles (approximately $5 - $90) per month.
The price depends on comfort level in a specific university residence hall. Fees can be paid monthly, every semester or once a year according to specific university internal regulations .

If your university has no residence hall or you are not satisfied with the available options for any reason whatsoever, you can rent a room or an apartment. This however maybe more expensive which will cost you about 10 000 roubles (approximately $150) for a room, on the contrary about 25 000 - 35 000 roubles (approximately $370 - $520) for apartment in big cities. It will be much cheaper in non-metropolitan areas 

RUSSIAN CURRENCY

The Russian national currency is - the Rouble. At the start of 2019, the rate was estimated at:

• 1 USD – 66,86 rub

• 1 EUR – 77,21 rub

• 1 GBP – 85,29 rub

In Russia, all payments are made in roubles. Foreign currencies can be exchanged in all Russian banks. Likewise, international bank cards are accepted. The Western Union money transfer system and bank transfers between countries are also allowed. The expenses necessary for studies in Russia are: the tuition fees, accommodation, health insurance, transport and living expenses

In 2018, experts established that a minimum amount of 10,451 roubles per month (around $ 160), is necessary to provide for basic needs on Russian territory. We must acknowledge that in big cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg, the standard of living is very high compared to other regions of Russia. It should be noted, however, that permanent discounts of up to 50% in museums, cafes, gyms, and sometimes even in some clothing stores, are granted to students. Fares for transport public are therefore less costly.

LEISURE TIME

Student life is very active in Russia. Students perform concerts, participate in festivals, conferences, exhibitions, and other scientific or educational seminars, sports competitions, plays in student theatres. Also, the students have the possibility to choose their favourite sport: football, basketball, volleyball and others. In terms of cultural life, it is also very interesting: art, beauty contests, comedy shows – « KVN » (theatrical stage plays presented by the students themselves) are frequently organized. Briefly, whatever your choice of university, you can always find an activity that suits you - sports, entertainment, creative activities.

TRANSPORTATION

Russia is a vast territory with long distances, the main thing is to plan your route in advance, just like going on a trip to any other unknown place. If you choose to live in student hostel, they are located close to your according to university policy in place which allows you to stay near your university.

If you are staying far away from the university, you will need to buy tickets for public transport. Given the privileges that the Russian government makes available to students in Russia, of which they entitled to reduced prices for public transport services (metro, bus, trolleybus, tram) which means that transport costs in the metro in Moscow costs 395 roubles per month, and 260 roubles per month for buses. This implies that per month you would have to spend a little more than 655 roubles (around $ 10) on your transport. In other cities, fares will be much lower than in Moscow and other major cities in Russia.