Food & drink

Shops and Markets
Buying food is not a problem since the 1990's: there are a variety of groceries in the supermarkets. You can buy fruits, vegetables, meat or fish in markets (however the last two items are better to buy in shops for safety, and the price is about the same).

Sometimes you need to haggle in markets, as it is a tradition in our markets. For household goods such as laundry detergent, towels, shampoo, soap, etc, both the shops and the markets are quite fine. As for clothes, a lot of modern European boutiques have opened in Moscow in the recent time. Sales have grown and they have become popular places to buy clothes.

Old Soviet "univermag"s still exist but it's usually difficult to find fashionable thing here. There are clothes markets as well. The biggest markets are "Luzhniki" ("Sportivnaya" metro -red), "Olimpiysky" ("Prospect mira" metro - orange), "Cherkizovskiy" ("Cherkizovskaya" metro - red), "Dinamo" ("Dinamo" metro - green). The common name for shops with things for children is "Detsky mir" ("Детский мир"). You can find the additional inquiry information on http://www.infoservices.com/moscow/index.html.


Average Moscow Prices:

bread $0.25
milk $0.25
cheese $4
meat $3-7
fish $2-6
butter $0.8
sugar $0.7
tea (250g) $1
500 ml of Russian beer $0.8
vodka $1.5-6
cake $1.5-4
wine $3-6
a rose $3.5
soap $0.2
toothpaste $0.6
shampoo $1-2
socks $0.8-3
non-pirated compact disc $4
movie $6-$9
10-minute cab ride $2
one trip on the Metro $0.15
Moscow-St. Petersburg train (round trip) $8-$30
lunch at a Western-style pizza chain $5
weeknight at the Marriott Grand $300
Big Mac Value Meal at McDonald's $2.50
issue of The Economist $1.50
average cost of parterre seats at the Bolshoi, purchased through a scalper $15
1-room flat leasing $200-250
2-rooms flat leasing $300-450


Water

Many people drink water in Russia that is not distilled however water from the tap should be boiled. It would be advisable to buy a filter for tap water. Bottled water from a supermarket would be the best choice for all foreign visitors.