Good things about living in Russia

People can love Russia or hate it for political or social reasons, but it has some truly remarkable advantages that are hard to argue with.

Central heating

One of the first advantages foreigners who come to Russia in winter, autumn or spring certainly note is that apartment buildings are centrally heated 24/7 during the cold season, and quite intensively, so, even though winters are typically cold, you can stay home wearing just shorts and a T-shirt in December. Of course, if you have high-quality windows in your apartment. Usually, heating a one-room apartment costs $30 to $35 monthly.
Hot tap water is also available all year long and doesn't cost a lot.

Free medicine

If a Russian citizen or resident ends up in hospital with, for example, appendicitis or a broken leg, the hospital will not bill him for a single ruble, because everything will be paid for from the Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund. There are also outpatient hospitals called «polyclinics», which provide free reception to individuals, and most of the examinations and other services there are also free (or rather, paid for from the fund). The quality of services in polylinics is another matter, but the very fact that medical care can be provided free of charge distinguishes Russia from many other countries.

Prices

In general, prices in Russia are lower than, for example, in Europe or the USA. Let's say, one-room apartments in St. Petersburg cost on average just over $50,000. Renting such an apartment would cost about $450 monthly. Medical and dental services, which I mentioned, if they are provided for a fee, are also noticeably cheaper than in Western countries. Their cost varies from city to city, but in the provinces you can get a filling for a carious tooth for $50, and the quality will be no worse than in an elite Moscow clinic. That's exactly the first thing Russians returning from abroad on holiday do - medical tourism in a way.

Free education

Russian students access free higher education. A student has to pay for the dormitory if he or she is from another city and wants to live there, but this amount is so insignificant that it is rather symbolic. Naturally, not all students and not always receive education for free – firstly, the government decides how many graduates from a certain program they need and, accordingly, how accessible this program should be, and, secondly, a university also determines the number of places paid for by the student and by the state (of course, these places will be taken by those who received the most points on the exam). Plus, foreign students with rare exceptions always pay a tuition fee.

Taxes

You might think, after what was said, that taxes in Russia must be very high, but this is not the case. Individuals and individual entrepreneurs pay 13% to the treasury if their income is not above average. But this applies to Russian tax residents.

Digitalization

The "Gosuslugi" state platform, to which we dedicated one of our videos, greatly simplifies the lives of Russians. It compiles 32 government bodies; therefore, you can order almost any service there. The Internet banking system is no worse developed. Of course, Russia is not the only country where it's at a high level, but it is certainly convenient, especially the Fast Payment System, which allows you to quickly and without fee transfer money between most banks. Plus, bank cards are accepted practically everywhere. By the way, the Internet and cellular is really affordable and fast here.

Infrastructure

Public transport networks are extensive in Russia; you can easily do without a car. Shops work, as a rule, from early morning until late evening every day without a lunch break, and it regards not only about large chain stores, but about ordinary groceries and pharmacies.

Travelling

Russia is the largest country on Earth, so it's no surprise it is made up of plenty of diverse destinations to visit, including both natural places (Lake Baikal, Valley of Geysers, Karelia, Altai, etc.) and historical places, like Palace complexes, museums, cathedrals and galleries of Saint Petersburg and Moscow, the Golden Ring of Russia, etc. In addition, there are many other indigenous peoples living in Russia who are often not related to Russians genetically, linguistically, or culturally. For example, visit Muslim Tatarstan, Buddhist Buryatia, or the Subarctic where people still use dog sleds for transportation – they all look absolutely different.


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