Cost of Living in Moscow

Moscow's rental market stabilized in late 2025 after a dramatic 31% price surge in 2024, and current rates offer reasonable value for a global capital of 13 million people. The most popular nomad-friendly neighborhoods cluster around the Boulevard Ring and Garden Ring. Tverskaya, Moscow's main avenue, places you near coworking spaces, cafes, and nightlife but commands premium rents of 80,000-150,000 RUB ($1,040-1,950) for a furnished one-bedroom. Patriarshiye Prudy offers a quieter, upscale residential feel with tree-lined streets and boutique cafes at similar price points. The Arbat district, famous for its pedestrian street and embassy quarter, runs 70,000-120,000 RUB ($910-1,560) for a studio or small one-bedroom. For better value, look beyond the Garden Ring to neighborhoods like Belorusskaya, Baumanskaya, or Frunzenskaya, where furnished one-bedrooms drop to 40,000-60,000 RUB ($520-780) with easy metro access to the center in 15-20 minutes. The Moscow metro's 250+ stations mean proximity to a station matters more than proximity to the center itself.

Moscow's dining scene spans Soviet-era canteens to world-class fine dining, and digital nomads can eat remarkably well on a modest budget. The best daily value is the business lunch (biznes lanch), offered by most restaurants weekdays from noon to 3-4 PM -- a soup or salad, main course, drink, and sometimes dessert for 350-500 RUB ($4.50-$6.50). Soviet-style stolovayas like the famous Stolovaya No. 57 inside GUM on Red Square serve borscht, pelmeni, and cutlets cafeteria-style for 400-700 RUB ($5-$9) per tray. The beloved chain Teremok dishes out blini with savory and sweet fillings for 250-450 RUB ($3-$6), while Mu-Mu offers self-service Russian classics for 400-800 RUB ($5-$10) per person. A quick shawarma or cheburek from a street kiosk runs just 150-250 RUB ($2-$3). For fast food, a combo meal at Vkusno i Tochka (the rebranded McDonald's) costs about 500 RUB ($6.50). A cappuccino at a specialty cafe averages 290 RUB ($3.75), though prices rose 12% in 2024-2025 and further 20-25% hikes are expected; budget-friendly chains like Cofix offer flat-price coffee around 200 RUB ($2.60).

Moscow's grocery landscape is dominated by budget chains Pyaterochka and Magnit, which blanket the city with thousands of locations and compete fiercely on staple prices. A liter of milk costs around 100 RUB ($1.30), a dozen eggs 135-140 RUB ($1.75-$1.80), a 500g loaf of white bread 75-80 RUB ($1), and a kilogram of chicken breast 480 RUB ($6.25). Beef is pricier at roughly 1,065 RUB ($13.80) per kilo, while a kilo of white rice runs 135 RUB ($1.75). Seasonal produce is a strong suit: potatoes cost just 74 RUB ($0.96/kg), onions 56 RUB ($0.73/kg), and cabbage prices dropped 28% in 2025. Tomatoes average 267 RUB ($3.47/kg), apples 162 RUB ($2.10/kg), and bananas 150 RUB ($1.95/kg). Local cheese runs about 1,080 RUB ($14/kg). Vegetable prices overall fell nearly 15% through 2025, offering real savings for home cooks. For mid-range quality with better selection, Perekrestok and Lenta are reliable, while VkusVill specializes in fresh, health-focused products at a modest premium. The upscale Azbuka Vkusa stocks imported and gourmet items but commands significantly higher prices -- expect to pay 30-50% more than at Pyaterochka for comparable goods.

Moscow's public transit system is one of the most extensive and affordable in Europe. The backbone is the Moscow Metro, which operates 304 stations across 15 lines spanning over 535 km -- the longest metro network outside China. Trains run from roughly 5:30 AM to 1:00 AM with headways of 90 seconds during rush hour, making it faster than driving in most cases. Your essential tool is the Troika card, a reloadable smart card that costs 150 RUB (~$1.60) to purchase, with 50 RUB refundable on return. Using the Troika wallet, a single ride on the metro, bus, tram, or MCC ring railway costs just 46 RUB (~$0.50) per trip. A 90-minute transfer ticket, which includes one metro ride plus unlimited surface transfers, runs 69 RUB (~$0.75). For heavy daily use, the 30-day unlimited pass at 3,460 RUB (~$37) is hard to beat, while a 90-day pass goes for 8,450 RUB (~$90). You can top up your Troika at any metro station kiosk, through the Moscow Metro app, or via Apple Pay and Google Pay. Surface transport -- buses, trams, and electric buses -- covers areas the metro doesn't reach, and the same Troika card works seamlessly across all modes.

Moscow offers some of the fastest and cheapest internet in Europe, making it a strong base for bandwidth-dependent remote work. Home broadband from the dominant provider MGTS (an MTS subsidiary) delivers fiber speeds averaging 154 Mbps download and 158 Mbps upload, with plans starting at 500-600 RUB (~$5.40-6.50) per month for 100 Mbps and topping out under 1,000 RUB (~$10.80) for 300-500 Mbps tiers, often bundled with TV or mobile service. Alternatives like Rostelecom and Beeline offer competitive pricing in the 600-900 RUB range. If you're renting an apartment, most come with fiber already installed or can be connected within days. For mobile data, Russia's big three -- MTS, MegaFon, and Beeline -- all offer generous prepaid plans. MegaFon's popular tourist-friendly package gives 20 GB plus 750 minutes for 750 RUB (~$8) per month, while Beeline offers 22 GB with 1,200 minutes for 900 RUB (~$9.70). However, be aware that since January 2025, new regulations require SIM cards to be linked to the Gosuslugi government portal, making it nearly impossible for short-term visitors to buy a physical SIM directly. The workaround is purchasing an international eSIM before arrival or having a local friend register one for you.

Moscow has a well-developed private healthcare sector that delivers genuinely high-quality care at prices far below Western equivalents, though navigating it as a foreigner requires some preparation. A general practitioner consultation at a reputable mid-range private clinic like Medsi or SM-Clinic runs 3,000-5,000 RUB ($30-55), while premium international-standard facilities such as K+31 or the European Medical Center (EMC) charge 8,000-18,000 RUB ($85-200) per visit but offer full English-speaking staff. Specialist consultations at private clinics cost 4,500-9,000 RUB ($50-100), and diagnostics are remarkably affordable: an X-ray or ultrasound runs 3,500-6,500 RUB ($40-70), and a comprehensive blood panel costs around 5,000-8,000 RUB ($55-90). Dental care is a genuine bargain -- a cleaning costs approximately 6,000 RUB ($65), a filling runs 5,000-8,000 RUB ($55-90), and a metal-ceramic crown starts at 15,000 RUB ($165). Pharmacies are everywhere and most over-the-counter medications cost 300-600 RUB ($3-7) per package, with antibiotics and stronger medications available without the strict prescription enforcement common in Europe, though this is gradually tightening.

Moscow is one of the most logistically complex destinations for Western digital nomads due to sanctions, and payment infrastructure is the single biggest challenge you must solve before arrival. Visa and Mastercard cards issued outside Russia do not work at all -- no shops, no ATMs, no online payments. Your options are limited: bring USD or EUR cash (up to $10,000 undeclared per person), exchange at banks like Sberbank or Tinkoff for rubles at fair rates with no commission, and live on cash. Alternatively, set up a YooMoney account to get a virtual MIR card that works for domestic payments, taxis, and online services. Some nomads use USDT crypto exchanged at physical offices in Moscow City with a 1-3% fee, though using crypto for payments directly is illegal in Russia. For visas, citizens of 64 countries can get an e-visa online for $52 allowing 30 days, but Americans, Brits, Canadians, and Australians must apply for a traditional tourist visa ($90-150 plus $30-60 service fees) with an invitation letter ($20-50 from a hotel or agency). There is no digital nomad visa, so most remote workers enter on tourist visas and do visa runs every 30 days.