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Accommodation
Arrangements: finding a place to live in Russia - student dormitories,
homestays, renting a flat, roommates, hostels...
Most student
live in dormitories provided by universities, and this is the
least expensive option. Other options include home stay (great
for
even more
immersion and a look at Russian life!) or renting an apartment
alone or with roommates. The program organizers can generally
assist with the first two
options, but apartment rentals is more specific. We would recommend
staying first in the dormitory while looking for an apartment
and also checking out flatmates.ru if you are interested in finding
a roommate. Be sure to inform your program organizers of your
housing plans as it can sometimes be an issue with your visa
registration (which is tied to your residence).
Student
Dormitories
This
is a very basic kind of accommodation and it allows to save a
lot of money and provides an easy way to meet a lot of young
people.
The quality of accommodation
really depends on the university.
In
Moscow (especially MGU)
and St.
Petersburg
dormitories are quite good and can be compared to the ones in
American universities (though in Russia they are much less expensive).
In smaller towns dorms
may be quite run-down, so it's better to check before what
you will be getting with your university. Check also if there
are any problems with hot water.
If you're staying for 3-4 months it
is just too much headache and expense to run around for an apartment,
so getting a dorm is the best option (unless you find a shared
apartment).
If you're planning to stay longer than a year, then you
can still get a dorm room for a month or two and directly when
you arrive to Russia start looking for an apartment or a roommate
to share an apartment with.
The price
is usually about $100 per month for quite a small room with
catering facilities
and showers outside.
Homestay
Allows you to get the feel of what life in Russia is like, but may be slightly
expensive for what there is, because most homestay owners (in Moscow and St.
Petersburg especially) are used to charging $10-$15 per night for a room. You
may be interested in living there for a week or two, but after that period you
may also start feeling like being pissed off by your neighbors, because you will
be tired of their presence and want some younger people around (because most
homestays are run by people in their 40s).
So, if you want to get all the good stuff that homestay can have, but not to
feel
as
if
you're
visiting your parents, check out the next option:
Finding Roommates
Until recently, there was not a single roommate matching service
in Russia and the few people who lived together sharing a flat
would find each other at work or at school. So it wasn't a very
popular way of accommodation for foreigners, because you can't
get to know someone before you actually get to Russia, and once
you find someone, it's time to go back home... :-(
However, nowadays everything is different — we created
the first Russian roommate
matching site - FlatMates.Ru which allows you to search for
roommates in any Russian city. At the moment I'm writing this
(Feb 2004)
there
are already about 250 members - one month after it was launched
- and there are a lot of Russians who are eager to rent an apartment
with someone else. So, if you're up to it, just go to flatmates.ru/eng/
to browse profiles.
There's also some information on apartment rental costs in major
Russian cities as well as useful advice on renting an apartment
and checking out your future flatmate.
Renting an Apartment Alone
This is the only option that will allow you complete privacy.
Renting an apartment in Russia is not as cheap as most people
think. For example, it's simply impossible to rent a one-room
apartment in Moscow suburbs (the cheapest it could be!) for less
than $300 US per month. Plus, you'll have to pay a service fee
to the real-estate agent who finds it for you (usually, 70%-100%
of one-month rent). And if you try to find it by yourself, most
likely it will be some sort of scam, so don't even try.
If you want a decent western-style apartment in a good comfortable
area in Moscow, it will cost about $1000 per month. If you agree
for a compromise (that is, something not completely awful and
not necessarily central), then you may be able to settle for
$500 US per month, if you know how to bargain.
More info on rental prices
in Russia - on FlatMates.Ru site.
Please,
contact us if you didn't find what you were looking for in this
section:
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