This September, I'll move to Moscow from Hungary for two years to get an MSc degree. I'll start learning Russian next month and I have a place to live near the university that's already paid for.
I'd like to estimate the cost of living (food, smoking, etc.).
Also, I'm interested in book recommendations, either fiction or non-fiction, from which I'd better understand Russian culture.
Any general advice about living in Moscow as a foreigner is appreciated too.
1. Don't be black
2. Buy a track suit
3. Learn to squat
4. Start playing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. tonight
>>1094054
>1. Don't be black
I'm not.
>2. Buy a track suit
I have one.
>3. Learn to squat
I can.
>4. Start playing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. tonight
I played through that game in high school.
This was easy.
бyмп
>>1094051
>smoking
cigarettes are super cheap. There are some for poor people that cost like 30cents a pack. Really.
weed is not as common as in the West, as it is considered a "real" drug (by law) and punishments are harsh. So Russians prefer to do real drugs for the same punishment risk, duh
read the history books by Robert k. Maddie, about Peter the great, Catherine the great and Nicholas and Alexandra Romanov. Great stuff.
>>1094051
what school?
>>1094054
It's perfectly fine to be black in Moscow. Just don't be Middle Asian.
>>1094051
Not a Moscovite, but I do wonder why you chose to get a MSc in Putinland of all places when you could've gone to places like Germany and Austria and study for free at those unis.
As for an advice, check Numbeo - it's usually spot on for many places, including Saint Petersburg (which is where I live).
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Russia&city1=Moscow&country2=Hungary&city2=Budapest&displayCurrency=HUF
Also, you're in luck - since the collapse of the ruble, everything became really cheap if you're a foreigner (as in, it was cheap before, but it's the case even more now).