Currency
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The ruble is the only legal tender used in Russia. Though most places in Moscow and St. Petersburg will take credit cards and traveler's checks, not all of them will, so you should check with your credit card and traveler's check companies before you leave home to determine if and where they can be used. Also keep in mind that you cannot pay with traveler's checks in Russia ; you can only withdraw money from banks with them. Once you leave Moscow and St. Petersburg , you will generally have to pay for everything with cash. ATM machines should not be relied on as there have been numerous incidents reported of ATM numbers being stolen from stand-alone machines. Therefore, many travelers plan on bringing enough hard currency to cover all their travel needs. If you are going to one of the big cities, you may be able to use a combination of cash, credit cards and traveler's checks. Visa and MasterCard are the most widely honore. If you need money wired to you, many of the Moscow banks will do this. Contact Western Union for info. on where you can do a wire transfer at www.westernunion.ru/Russia. You can legally bring any amount of cash into Russia , however you must declare it if you bring more than $3,000.
The exchange rate for rubles is 1 US dollar to 28 rubles. You can easily exchange your US dollars or Euros once you get to Russia. Currency can be freely exchanged at banks, hotels, and exchange kiosks for tourists. There are plenty of exchange offices in Moscow and St. Petersburg , but in the smaller cities where there are fewer, you will probably have to go to a bank. Do not change money on the street, or you may get defrauded.
Russian prices are a great deal lower than those of Western countries, although if you speak no Russian and live on the high-end in Moscow , you can spend a lot of money. Prices in shops and restaurants may often be listed in U.S. dollars, but you will still be expected to pay in rubles. Sometimes it is listed as "units" (y.e.), which is the same as U.S. dollars.
Click on the link below for a currency converter: http://europe.oanda.com/converter/classic
Cost of meals and lodging
The following is an average of what you can expect to spend on prepared meals and loding accomodations in Russia :
Cost of Meals
- Budget: US $4-10
- Mid-range: US $10-15
- Top-end: US $15 and upwards
Cost of Lodging
- Budget: US $10-45
- Mid-range: US $45-100
- Top-end: US $100 and upwards