Moving to New York from Russia
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Russia to New York — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Russia to New York, you would find that New York is 3.1 times more expensive than Russia overall. A RUB5,482,743 salary in Russia would need to be roughly $135,736 in New York to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Albany averages 58°F vs 48°F in Moscow, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Russia to New York.
What does your salary buy?
RUB5,482,743 → $135,736
To maintain the same standard of living in New York
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 2.5 times more
Groceries
pay 2.9 times more
Transportation
pay 2.7 times more
Housing
pay 5.0 times more
Childcare
pay 4.6 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.2 times more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in New York cost about 60% more than cities in Russia.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from Russia to New York, based on official data.
people moved from Russia to United States · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to United States?
Top countries of origin for United States's foreign-born residents.
- 10,853,105
- 2,723,764
- 2,184,110
- 2,061,178
- 1,829,251
- 1,410,659
- · · ·
-
26.397,061
Russia
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Russia to New York.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
Russia performs better than New York across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
New York performs significantly better than Russia across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
Russia generally does better on employment & economy, though New York leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
New York performs significantly better than Russia across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Moscow | Albany |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 27°/15°F (-3°/-10°C) | 37°/19°F (2°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 62°/45°F (17°/7°C) | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 68°/52°F (20°/11°C) | 78°/58°F (26°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 36°/26°F (2°/-3°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Moscow | Albany |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21°/10°F (-6.3°/-12.3°C) | 31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C) |
| Feb | 24°/12°F (-4.2°/-11.1°C) | 35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C) |
| Mar | 35°/22°F (1.5°/-5.6°C) | 44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C) |
| Apr | 51°/35°F (10.4°/1.7°C) | 58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C) |
| May | 65°/46°F (18.4°/7.6°C) | 69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C) |
| Jun | 71°/53°F (21.7°/11.5°C) | 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C) |
| Jul | 74°/56°F (23.1°/13.5°C) | 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C) |
| Aug | 71°/54°F (21.5°/12.0°C) | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C) |
| Sep | 60°/45°F (15.4°/7.1°C) | 72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C) |
| Oct | 47°/36°F (8.2°/2.1°C) | 60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C) |
| Nov | 34°/26°F (1.1°/-3.3°C) | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C) |
| Dec | 26°/17°F (-3.5°/-8.6°C) | 36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°C) |
Data:
Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring,
National Weather Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Russia and United States. To live, work, or study long-term in United States, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United States's immigration authority.
Russia passport holder visiting United States
Visa Required
United States passport holder visiting Russia
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in New York than Russia?
No — New York is on average about 81% more expensive than Russia. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to New York?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $33,934 in New York on a RUB5,482,743 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from New York?
Usually fine from major cities in New York. The harder questions are legal — digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
How is healthcare in New York compared to Russia?
Russia performs better than New York across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in New York compared to Russia?
The average high temperature in Albany is 58°F, compared to 48°F in Moscow. Albany receives around 39.4 in of rainfall per year, while Moscow gets 27.2 in.
What language do they speak in New York?
The official language in New York is English. In Russia, the official language is Russian.
