Living cost
The price of rented student accommodation in MAI is 90 USD per month.
According to official research, the minimum shopping basket (including bread, pasta, meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, milk, and sugar) in Russia costs about 105 USD a month depending on the region. Russians estimate their monthly meal expenses to fall between 8,000 and 20,000 rubles (130 to 330 USD). Much depends on the region where people live and what and where they buy (corner shop, supermarket, market).
An average lunch bill is:
- At MAI canteens, lunch about 150-300 rubles (2-5 USD)
- At Moscow cafés, business lunch 250-500 rubles (4-9 USD)
- At Moscow restaurants, lunch 700-2000 rubles (12-35 USD)
A single journey on the Moscow subway costs 55 rubles (about 1 USD), while a 20-journey travel card costs 720 rubles (12 USD). Using a student discount one can get a monthly Moscow underground card for 380 rubles (6 USD), and 250 rubles (4 USD) for ground transport.
SIM-cards for mobile phones and tablets are sold in official phone stores. You need a national passport (indicating registration at your place of residence) and a migration card to buy a SIM-card. The cost of a standard package of services is around 300 rubles (5 USD). The most popular mobile phone operators are:
Moscow theatre tickets cost from 500 to 2,500 rubles (8-41 USD) and cinema tickets cost 150 to 500 rubles (2.5-8 USD). A museum costs 100 to 1000 rubles (1.5-16 USD).
There are plenty of chain stores of popular brands, both international and Russian. The clothing prices are generally higher than in Europe but affordable and high-quality clothing can always be found during the sales. For example, you can find a T-shirt for 250 rubles (4 USD) or jeans for 1,100 rubles (19 USD).
