Moving to Syria from Russia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Russia to Syria — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Russia to Syria, you would find that Syria is 40.1% cheaper than Russia overall. A RUB6,400,000 salary in Russia would need to be roughly SYP586,000,000 in Syria to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Arabic. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Damascus averages 78°F vs 48°F in Moscow, making it significantly warmer.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Russia to Syria.
What does your salary buy?
RUB6,400,000 → SYP586,000,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Syria
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 24.9% less
Groceries
pay 22.9% less
Transportation
pay 9.9% less
Housing
pay 52.0% less
Childcare
pay 84.7% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 33.1% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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Key Indicator Comparison
How Russia and Syria stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Russia generally does better on safety, though Syria leads in homicide rate.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Russia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Syria leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Russia generally does better on environment, though Syria leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Russia performs better than Syria across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Russia performs better than Syria across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Russia generally does better on family life, though Syria leads in education spending.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2010–2021), The World Factbook (2009–2022), World Health Organization (2024), Federal Tax Service of Russia (2016), Ministry of Finance, Syria (2016). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Moscow | Damascus |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 27°/15°F (-3°/-10°C) | 60°/35°F (15°/2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 62°/45°F (17°/7°C) | 85°/51°F (29°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 68°/52°F (20°/11°C) | 96°/60°F (35°/15°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 36°/26°F (2°/-3°C) | 70°/40°F (21°/5°C) |
View all months
| Month | Moscow | Damascus |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21°/10°F (-6.3°/-12.3°C) | 55°/33°F (12.6°/0.4°C) |
| Feb | 24°/12°F (-4.2°/-11.1°C) | 59°/34°F (14.8°/1.3°C) |
| Mar | 35°/22°F (1.5°/-5.6°C) | 66°/39°F (18.9°/3.7°C) |
| Apr | 51°/35°F (10.4°/1.7°C) | 76°/45°F (24.5°/7.0°C) |
| May | 65°/46°F (18.4°/7.6°C) | 85°/51°F (29.7°/10.5°C) |
| Jun | 71°/53°F (21.7°/11.5°C) | 94°/58°F (34.2°/14.2°C) |
| Jul | 74°/56°F (23.1°/13.5°C) | 98°/62°F (36.5°/16.9°C) |
| Aug | 71°/54°F (21.5°/12.0°C) | 97°/62°F (36.2°/16.5°C) |
| Sep | 60°/45°F (15.4°/7.1°C) | 92°/55°F (33.4°/13.0°C) |
| Oct | 47°/36°F (8.2°/2.1°C) | 82°/48°F (28.0°/8.9°C) |
| Nov | 34°/26°F (1.1°/-3.3°C) | 69°/39°F (20.3°/4.0°C) |
| Dec | 26°/17°F (-3.5°/-8.6°C) | 58°/34°F (14.2°/1.3°C) |
Data:
Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring,
Ministry of Defence Meteorological Department
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Russia and Syria. To live, work, or study long-term in Syria, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Syria's immigration authority.
Russia passport holder visiting Syria
Visa Online (e-Visa)
Syria 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 Syria than Russia?
Generally yes: Syria runs about 40% cheaper than Russia on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Syria?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a RUB6,400,000 comparable salary, that's around SYP146,500,000 in Syria for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Syria?
With 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Syria can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Russia and Syria.
Is Syria safe for expats?
Russia generally does better on safety, though Syria leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in Syria is 2.1 per 100,000 people, compared to 6.8 in Russia.
How is healthcare in Syria compared to Russia?
Russia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Syria leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people in Syria, compared to 51.1 in Russia. Syria scores 64 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Russia: 79).
What's the weather like in Syria compared to Russia?
The average high temperature in Damascus is 78°F, compared to 48°F in Moscow. Damascus receives around 5.3 in of rainfall per year, while Moscow gets 27.2 in.
What language do they speak in Syria?
The official language in Syria is Arabic. In Russia, the official language is Russian.
