Apartment Guide — How to Rent an Apartment in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities in Russia.

Historically, there are four types of apartments in Russia:
1) Luxury (or elite) apartments (highest standard);
2) Western standard (also called "evroremont");
3) Above average standard (or "cosmetic renovation");
4) Standard "Soviet" apartments (or average);

The luxury apartments are renovated to the highest standard and the house where apartment is located is very high quality too, with well-developed infrastructure around and good ecology. Such apartments usually have all the facilities possible (from satellite TV and DVD players, to air-conditioning, jacuzzi and sauna). Also, there are normally a few bathrooms (something very uncommon for Russia) and a lot of space.Here are some sample photos of luxury apartments (the less expensive ones):
    
Luxury apartments can be very expensive and the rental prices start at about $3000 US per month, but for a real "elite" apartment the landlords will ask from $5000 per month. The short-term price will be about $200 - $500 per night and higher.


The western standard apartments are generally the same as you would expect a good apartment to be in Europe or the USA. Except that most apartments in Russia are located in apartment blocks, and not townhouses or semi-detached houses.
The amenities usually include some stadard facilities, such as a washing machine, microwave oven, satellite TV, VCR, stereo system, intercom at the entrance, etc. Sometimes if you are ready to pay a higher price you can get such extras as jacuzzi, sauna, air-conditioning, etc. Here are some sample photos of western standard apartments:
   
The "western standard" apartments are rented out in Moscow from $1500 - $2500 US per month for long-term periods and at about $90 - $200 US per day for short-term periods.
The prices in St. Petersburg are about the same, and in other Russian cities the price can be about 20-30% less.


The so-called "above average" standard, "cosmetic renovation" (or also "moderately-priced") apartments are the ones that used to be the "Soviet" type (see below), but were slightly renovated to be more comfortable for living. These apartments are usually slightly below Western Standard in terms of the quality of renovation (paint, walls, materials, etc.), but may often be quite well equipped (washing machine, microwave, satellite TV, etc.) Here are some sample photos of such apartments:
   
A normal long-term rental price for such apartments in Moscow would be about $900 - $1300 per month. If rented short-term, the price would be about $60-$80 per night.


The standard "Soviet" apartments are basically those that were built before 1990s and where interior hasn't changed much since 80s. That means that the apartment is liveable, but is nothing fancy and may look a bit worn. Such apartments are the cheapest ones and are rented out from $700 US / month (if located in the center of Moscow) or $40 - $50 US per night (for short-term rentals). Here are some sample photos of this type of apartments:
    
The rental prices in St. Petersburg for such apartments are usually about 5-10% less, and in the other Russian cities — 30-50% less.


The rental agency fees in Russia are usually 100% of 1-month payment (one-time fee), and usually no rental fee is charged for short-term rentals (although a deposit may be required to secure the reservation).

If you would like to share the rental price, we advise you to use the flatmate matching service - FlatMates.Ru - created by WayToRussia.Net team.

If you have any more questions about reservations, please, write to RentLine.Ru support team.