Monday, July 9, 2007

Back into a Parallel Universe

So, I'm back to Hometown. I've grown so accustomed to living in Moscow that now it feels like I am in another world. It's said very often, that Moscow isn't Russia, because it's very different from other Russian cities. The capital and its people has money. Life is more expensive than in the rest of the country, but the wages keep up with the prices. In an average Russian city life is so much different.

I'm amazed at the prices here. A bus ticket costs around 20-40c. Apartments in good districts cost much less than $100K. The price of a cup of tea in a side street café is $0.39! A reasonable cab fare is somewhere between $3 and $5.

As far as I know, an average net income in Hometown is $400 per month or $4800 per year. I still can't find where to buy business or personal finance magazines here. I guesstimate that only several hundred people in this 600,000 city have put their money in stocks or mutual funds.

On the other hand, people seem to be more kind here. I think they are less sophisticated and more open. It's so peaceful and quiet in Hometown, that I'm beginning to forget about big city frenzy.

That's what I do every time I go to or from Moscow - I switch between two so different worlds.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Getting away from the city is refreshing. The lifestyles of the supercilious city dwellers are so shallow. Unfortunately, the best jobs are in cities, so I'll be stuck in the concrete jungle until retirement.

Anonymous said...

Outside of the U.S. the difference between the city and other areas is so pronounced. That's actually not quite true, it's just so much of the U.S. is suburbia rather than really in the "country."

Anonymous said...

Hi Olga,
I've tagged you on my personal finance web site for a blogger meme project that's weaving its way throughout the blogosphere. This project calls for sharing 8 personal facts about yourself, then tagging 8 other bloggers to do the same. Please look here for instructions: Fun & Frugal Friday http://millionairemommynextdoor.blogspot.com/2007/07/fun-frugal-friday.html
Thanks,
~Millionaire Mommy Next Door