Russian currency

I agree that purchases of food and lodging in Russia are cheap. Don't worry about your expenses because you will probably be surprised at the low costs.

ATMs are still the best way to obtain rubles. And you will find them everywhere in the large cities like STPB and Moscow.

Go to oanda.com and print a "cheat sheet" to take with you. It provides a table converting various amounts of rubles into dollars; so you can tell at a glance how much anything costs.

No. That means that there are 35.9 Roubles to $1, so the Rouble is worth just a little more than 2½¢.

I'm going to Russia and I'm trying to figure out how much money to take. How much will my American dollars buy in Russia.

Will meals cost me more there in Russia then here in USA? Could someone give me an example please.

At least as of 2006 in St. Petersburg, with the exception of lodging, for most necessities, I found the prices relatively cheap compared to the US and the rest of Europe. I can't recall the exact prices, but I don't remember paying more than about $10-20 for decent meals (not counting drinks and caviar...). Although foreign tourists pay more than Russian citizens to visit the museums and other cultural events (ballet, opera, symphony), the price is still much less than in the West.

Don't bother taking too much cash. Provided you don't spend all your time in the hinterlands, ATMs are widely available, particularly in hotels.

I was in Moscow this past July and to be honest, it is not as cheap as many people say. No, it is not expensive per se, but I was honestly suprised at the costs. I live in Florida, where I know it is less expensive than in other areas of the US, but to me, Moscow was inline with prices here in the US.

Our hotel, which was far from luxurious, cost something like $120 a night and an average meal was about $12 per person (no alcohol or dessert). You can, of course, go cheaper by eating from streetside venders. We only took the metro, so I can't comment on taxi charges.

We should probably point out, of course, that Moscow is currently one of the most expensive cities in the world. Although lodging isn't exactly a bargain in St. Petersburg either, nearly everything else is far cheaper. And in the hinterlands, things are dirt cheap.