So has anyone here returned to Russia?

[mendeleev 68]

This site was incredibly useful for us 15-ish years ago as we got married and she came to the USA.  I've done the career thing and will soon retire.  What's good for the goose (living in the USA during my career) is good for the gander (returning to Russia when not constrained by work to live in the States).  So we're looking at a return this year or the next or surely the one after that.  Starting to plan, that is.

 

I'm wondering if there are others here who've come this far in the journey and getting ready for an adventure like we face?  We've lots of practical questions, often the reverse of those often asked here.

 

Cheers!

[millefleur 5,047]

We are planning to return to Russia in a few years. I lived in Russia for four years before moving to the US with my husband. I know a lot about living in Russia as a foreigner and what the requirements are. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to help.

[Caboose29 173]

Would love to see comments here. My about to be wife and I are considering the same, but not anytime soon. We’re actually thinking about buying a mountain cottage. 

[Simplytex 387]

I've done a couple trips over here. Happy to answer questions based on a mid-career person's perspective. My 2c, though? If I was in the shoes of someone looking to retire, I would pick a fairly large city with decent rail access to Moscow, or St P, something like Kazan. I personally would find it difficult or, at least at times, frustrating to spend my whole year here, but given how cheap certain things are in comparison (services, labor, even a decent apartment) it would make sense to come for the best parts of the year, save money on 'normal' living expenses, and then head out when the weather is gross. I guess it also depends on how you plan to spend your time 

 

Also, unsure of your Russian skills but even in Moscow good English speakers aren't all that common, even in restaurants etc. At least my anecdotal experience. 

[millefleur 5,047]

6 hours ago, Simplytex said:

Also, unsure of your Russian skills but even in Moscow good English speakers aren't all that common, even in restaurants etc. At least my anecdotal experience. 

If one plans to live in Russia, having at least a bare bones intermediate level for speaking and listening is necessary. Reading at a base level is also needed.

 

Visiting clinics and doctors even in Moscow and St Petersburg where the actual docs and staff speak English will cost significantly more than going to a standard private clinic and the doctors are not necessarily any better. Not worth the extra cost in my opinion. Better to find a good private clinic with a trustworthy doctor and then bring along someone who can translate for you (as discussing medicine in Russian is hard, even if you have a good intermediate level understanding.) I've had a few surgeries and procedures done in Russia and it's definitely a difference experience than in the US. Painkillers like opiates are non existent, it's a lot more "old school" where they just monitor your basic health and sort of expect you to bear the pain. Quality of care at private clinics in big cities is very good, though, often the doctors are European trained and have the same modern equipment, technology and facilities like you would see in developed countries like Finland or even the US. You will not be charged an arm and leg for staying many nights in a hospital or clinic, on the contrary, they will want to keep you there to make sure you are doing OK. You'll need basic Russia skills to communicate with nurses if you're staying overnight. Hospital food is quite mediocre, don't expect anything fancy. It'll be a lot of каша, lol. My room was shared with one other person sometimes (sometimes the 2nd bed was free, so it was like having a private room) and we had a shower/toilet en suite in the room, so no reason to go down the hall.

 

I never paid for health insurance in Russia. We just paid everything directly out of pocket, cash, same day of the procedures. The cost was still significantly cheaper than the US and the insurance industry in Russia is new and not very robust, so often you just don't need it. Dentistry in big cities in Russia is also very good, but again, same philosophy about pain applies. You will be expected to suffer through a lot more pain and just learn to deal with it than the endless pill popping that goes on in the US. Just some things to keep in mind for those who want to live in Russia and wonder about health care there. There are painkillers, of course, but they're a lot more mild.

Edited January 19, 2022 by millefleur

[Simplytex 387]

19 hours ago, millefleur said:

You will be expected to suffer through a lot more pain and just learn to deal with it than the endless pill popping that goes on in the US.

My fiance had her wisdom teeth out last year. She had them done 2 at a time (left then right side) so that she could continue to eat 'normal' food... And to make it even crazier (at least from my perspective) the dentist only gave local anesthetic, so she was awake and could feel and hear the dentist cracking and pulling the teeth out  😱

[Simplytex 387]

On 1/15/2022 at 1:42 AM, Caboose29 said:

We’re actually thinking about buying a mountain cottage. 

That would be pretty awesome to do, especially someplace down south near Krasnodar/Sochi. Not sure what the running costs are, but the mountains down there are beautiful, though just the overall vastness and available wilderness is still amazing to me.

[mendeleev 68]

I've had some very good medical care in Russia, too.  I always paid out of pocket.  We're talking serious acute illnesses.  I can say the care I got in Russia was comparable, in some ways, better than for similar illnesses here in the States that I had in the past decade.