Coins in Russia

[Figleaf]

Does that mean coins are circulating again in Russia? Been there only twice, but I didn't see any coins. The lowest value note I saw was 100 rubles...

Peter

[ciscoins]

Does that mean coins are circulating again in Russia? Been there only twice, but I didn't see any coins. The lowest value note I saw was 100 rubles...

Peter

When have you been here? Maybe that was before the currency reform - 1998?
Since 1998 coins of all the denominations are in circulation. (But 1 and 5 kopeks are only in supermarkets, drugstores and post-offices. ) And in our days 100 roubles are about 3,5 USD.

[Figleaf]

September 2003 and June 2005. I didn't go to any supermarkets, drugstores and post offices, though.

Peter

[ciscoins]

September 2003 and June 2005. I didn't go to any supermarkets, drugstores and post offices, though.

Peter

Then I don't understand why you haven't seen banknotes less than 100 roubles. It's rather big sum of money. In 2003 in Moscow (where all prices are highest in all the country) I could live 1 or 2 days for 100 roubles - including food, transportation, etc. Anyway, if you didn't always use your credit card, you could receive some change - at least 50 and 10 roubles notes.

[Figleaf]

I didn't spend much money, except on a pot of caviar Life is expensive for "official tourists". I remember one taxi driver refusing to take me from the ring road to the centre of Moscow for 100 rubles...

Peter

[ciscoins]

I didn't spend much money, except on a pot of caviar Life is expensive for "official tourists". I remember one taxi driver refusing to take me from the ring road to the centre of Moscow for 100 rubles...

Peter

Yes, maybe for tourists everything is more expensive... As for caviar (I mean red caviar, not black), 100 gramms cost 150 roubles in our local supermarket. In our days, not in 2003.

And from the ring road to the center - that's about 20 km. How much do you pay for taxi in your country if you go for the same distance?

[Figleaf]

The caviar was the real stuff and the price made me swallow hard, but I suspected it was cheaper than the Iranian caviar they sell here. I have no idea of taxi prices here or in Moscow, neither of distances or even the ruble rate. The hotel guy told me to offer 100 and I remember the driver turning it down. I don't remember what I paid eventually, but I do remember being happy to get there.

Peter

[ciscoins]

Taxi has always been more expensive in Moscow than red caviar. All the other transportation is much cheaper.

In 2003 those 20 km would cost 7 roubles by metro, 14-21 roubles by local buses/trams/trolleys, and about 150-200 roubles by taxi if I'm not mistaken. And in our days all the prices are 3-4 times higher.

[Bimat]

In 2003 in Moscow (where all prices are highest in all the country) I could live 1 or 2 days for 100 roubles - including food, transportation, etc.

That's really cheap!100 Roubles is approximately equal to 153 INR.If you come to Mumbai,it's impossible to live with such a small amount of money Transportation is cheap (provided you travel by local trains or bus,but not the private taxis) but hotels etc are very expensive.Decent hotels charge 800-1000INR per day (excluding food)

Aditya

[ciscoins]

That's really cheap!100 Roubles is approximately equal to 153 INR.If you come to Mumbai,it's impossible to live with such a small amount of money Transportation is cheap (provided you travel by local trains or bus,but not the private taxis) but hotels etc are very expensive.Decent hotels charge 800-1000INR per day (excluding food)

Aditya

A hotel is not included in this price. 
I am from Moscow myself, I don't need a hotel. But the money that I pay for my own apartment (water, electricity, TV, internet, etc.) are included.
But that were the prices in 2003. And in 2010 everything is 3-4 times more expensive.

Ivan

[andyg]

May I ask if those commemorative 10 Rouble coins are used, or have the new smaller 10 roubles replaced them?

[ciscoins]

May I ask if those commemorative 10 Rouble coins are used, or have the new smaller 10 roubles replaced them?

In most cases the banknotes are still in use. The new 10 roubles coins are almost the same size as 2 roubles, it is a big problem for the cashiers, so they prefer to give their clients a banknote rather than a new coin. Only if they spend all the banknotes they start to give these coins. And the commemorative 10 roubles... some cashiers collect these coins and refuse to give them to clients; also lots of other people collect these coins and don't return them into circulation. 10 roubles commemoratives are largely used in circulation only in far away regions; and in big cities like Moscow and Saint-Petersburg people put most of these coins into their small private collections.

[Figleaf]

There's no comparison between what locals pay and what visitors pay, because the locals know their way around. In Rome, I took public transportation to Tivoli, visited Villa d'Este, went to Villa Adriana and back to Rome. Total transportation cost for one person: €6. I could have done the same by booking a tour in the hotel I stayed in for €59. That would have included two entry tickets (€14 together) and a guide.

What made the difference was a helpful man in the Rome tourist office, who explained for each leg of the trip which bus (the underground part was easy) to take in which direction, the name of the operator, and where to buy tickets. Even so, we must have bothered a dozen (very friendly) people or so with additional questions, got out at the wrong stop once, waited quite a bit at stops and had to walk at least as much to the monuments as within the monuments. If I would have valued my time at the price my clients pay, it would have been cheaper to take the tour.

Peter

[gxseries]

When I was in Moscow back in 2002, I tried to hoard as much 1 kopek coin as possible. Turns out to be quite difficult even though I stayed there for one year or so. I could only get them in supermarket and back then, finding a 1997 St. Petersburg 1 kopek was already slightly difficult!

5 ruble notes were already scarce and I could only find two in circulation. Those 10 ruble bi-metal coins only started to circulate before I left and I pulled a couple from change. 

[Gagarin_Andrey]

I was in Russia (and Belorussia) this winter.

The smallest coin I've got on exchange was 10 kopecks, also 50, 1, 2, 5 and 10 bimetall roubles.

But i really don't understand for what in Russia are exist coins in 5 and 1 kopeck if their value of used metall for pruduction is several times higher than the value of a kopeck, when near 30 ruoblea are in 1 dollar USA...