If you are planning to visit Russia or to study abroad here, you might be choosing between two destinations — St. Petersburg and Moscow. These cities are both perceived as capitals — the official one (Moscow) and the «Cultural capital» (St. Petersburg). Personally, of course, we advise you to choose St. Petersburg, as it is home to EDUCA and we can guarantee that you will be welcome here! However, in this article we will try to compare the cities objectively and highlight their main features.
Travel expenses
No doubt, it is essential to foresee all expenses and realize how much your travel to Russia will cost. Let’s analyze average prices in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Average cost of living in a hotel (double room)
St Petersburg — 3819 RUB per night; Moscow — 4611 RUB per night
Average cost of renting an apartment (one bedroom, the cheapest variant)
St Petersburg — 1749 RUB per night, Moscow — 2377 RUB per night
1-day ticket for the main means of transport (tram, trolleybus, bus, metro):
St. Petersburg — 185 RUB, Moscow — 230 RUB
Average cost of a business lunch
St. Petersburg — 246 RUB, Moscow — 286 RUB
Of course, the prices vary and depend on season and exchange rates. We just intended to show approximate difference between prices in Moscow and St. Petersburg. To conclude, you are more likely to find cheap accommodation in St. Petersburg and your total travel expenses here will be lower than in Moscow.
Citizens’ mentality
The stereotype is that the residents of St. Petersburg are reserved, extremely polite and quite focused on culture, whereas in Moscow people are more pushy and ambitious. Of course, it all depends on person. But, in fact, the stereotype has a certain social basis.
Moscow is a city of big career opportunities and many people come here to work. The city is highly cosmopolitan. You will find a large number of people from all around Russia here and even people from the former Soviet republics. Meanwhile St. Petersburg is less attractive in respect of gob market. People come here just because they like the city and want to enjoy its views, landmarks and specific bar culture.
The pace of life in Moscow is believed to be faster than in St. Petersburg. According to the stereotypes, in Moscow, everything is important and urgent and everyone walks at high speed. In St. Petersburg people do not hurry, they try to find some time to relax and just enjoy the beautiful views.Probably the largest contributing factor to this is each city’s population with Saint Petersburg at around 5 million and Moscow around 12. This difference is especially noticeable at the rush hour — Moscow is notorious for its traffic jams.
Actually, citizens’ mentality is a controversial issue. You certainly will draw your own conclusions during your travel to Russia. We advise you to choose host family accommodation if possible — then you will spend much time with native Russians and have a chance to analyze the national character basing on your own experience.
Architecture and layout
St. Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe with plenty of classical and baroque architecture. Peter the Great spared no expense in hiring the best architects from Western Europe when he established the city. Moscow is more about Soviet style buildings and traditional Orthodox churches with onion-domes. Perhaps Moscow represents Russian spirit better, as its architecture is more original, not based on European traditions.
However, if you are planning to visit Russia for a short period, then it is better to travel to St. Petersburg. Landmarks in the city are located relatively close to each other and it will be easier to move between them.
Moscow is more confusing for a newcomer. Places of interest are scattered all around the city. In addition, while walking in the city center you probably will have the feeling of constantly moving in circles. Overall, Petersburg has a simpler, more navigable layout in comparison with Moscow.
Job market and available activities
If you are learning Russian language, it will be a good idea to apply this knowledge somehow and take up a summer internship in Russia or do volunteering here. Let’s see what opportunities you have in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Moscow is the financial center of the country. As we already mentioned, many Russians from all over the country move to Moscow, because there are more job opportunities. Many international companies have representation offices in the capital of Russia. If you want to do a Russian internship in the field of business, you have more chances in Moscow.
However, if you are more into art, St. Petersburg probably is a better destination for you. In Russian Cultural capital, you can find a job in one of the numerous museums or theatres. For instance, the State Hermitage Theater is EDUCA’s partner and offers a Russian language internship for our students.
What is more, specific branches of business are developed in St. Petersburg better than in Moscow. They are marine industry and international trade with northern countries. So you are more likely to find an internship in these fields in St. Petersburg.
