Question by bethany: How big is the currency difference between US and Russia?
I plan on making a trip to Russia within the next couple of years and I was talking to an online Russian friend and he mentioned ‘the level of life is so much lower than America’ and to be honest I never really thought about that. I feel like an idiot for that not crossing my mind! Anyway i was wondering how big the difference is. Like 20 dollars here is what there? Or.. what is alot there? Any information on it really.
Answers and Views:
Answer by jellybeancounter
Firstly, I believe your friend was trying to say that the quality of life in Russia is far below the quality of life in the US.
I like using this site for currency rates: http://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/ As of now, 1 USD is equivalent to about 31 rubles.
What do you think? Answer below!
sm says
The level of life isn't just about the exchange rate.
I've lived in Russia for a while and many people there live on a very small salary. I've seen many jobs advertised that paid between $ 300–600 a month in Russia.
Utility bills and rent are usually cheap but many things are very expensive compared to Europe or the US. Clothes/electronic good and food can cost much more.
Many people live a much simpler life and struggle to feed their family, things like cars and holidays are impossible for many Russians.