Moscow vs. St. Petersburg: Which Russian Capital is Better?

While every country in the world has one capital, Russia has two. Moscow is the official capital, whereas St. Petersburg used to be a capital before and is now frequently called the "Northern capital of Russia". People from these cities always argue which of them is better, and never come to a conclusion. For citizens of other Russian cities, who are planning to move, it is even harder to decide where they want to live. This article focuses on the differences between Moscow and St. Petersburg and explores what life in these two cities is like.

First of all, we should analyze prices. They are pretty much the same when we speak about grocery, gas and public transport, but sometimes are significantly different. Buying real estate or even renting a flat and paying utility bills in Moscow is much more expensive. There are also many other price differences, such as basic costs of food in restaurants, drinks in bars, concert tickets, taxi rides, public transport and many other things cost more in Moscow too.

Speaking about public transport it is also a huge difference. Moscow has a complex public transport system, which can easily get you everywhere and even connects the suburbs with the city center. There are many new subway stations opening every year, while St. Petersburg’s got only five new stations in five years. The ground transport vehicles in the Northern capital are usually old and they do not go to the suburbs, which makes traveling in the city really hard for some people. If we talk about personal vehicles, the situation with these is much better in St.Petersburg rather than in Moscow. Traffic jams are not so terrible here and most of the parking areas are free of charge, and even those for which you should pay are cheaper than the ones in Moscow. Unfortunately, both St. Petersburg and Moscow have very poor bicycle infrastructure. for bicycles.

Even though Moscow has a modern and efficient transportation system, it is still hard to move around the city and it usually takes more than an hour to get from one place to another. A stereotype that people in Moscow are always in a hurry is not a stereotype — you actually need to hurry to get in time wherever you go. It affects the atmosphere of the entire city; Moscow is fast, while in St. Petersburg life is slower and the people are more relaxed.

If you’re planning to move to one of the cities, you most certainly need a job there. The average salary in St. Petersburg in nearly 57 thousand roubles a month, while in Moscow it is higher — 79 thousand roubles. It is a significant difference, but it does not look so if you sum it up with the rental costs, which I mentioned before. It’s easier to find a job in Moscow as there are more options for different areas and specialties. And for some jobs, like the ones in journalism and the field of IT, salaries can be much higher in the capital. The head offices of Yandex, Sberbank and other huge Russian companies are located in Moscow, as well as the only Russian offices of many worldwide companies. If you want to build a career, Moscow is a better choice for you.

Both cities have their own beautiful historical buildings, but only St. Petersburg has almost saved its pristine appearance. While Moscow has skyscrapers and huge Soviet time buildings, the whole St. Petersburg city center mostly consists of old houses and it gives the city its special atmosphere. The government spends huge budgets on the arrangement of Moscow’s parks and boulevards, but you still can’t call it a perfect city to walk around in. The traffic signals there are much longer, which makes St. Petersburg a more convenient city for pedestrians.

People say that the weather is very different in these cities. There is a stereotype that it always rains in St. Petersburg and, of course, it is not true. As for me, the weather is pretty much similar in these two cities. But, according to statistics, it is a bit warmer in Moscow. However, it must be noted that for some people, St. Petersburg can be difficult to live in, because the air here is more humid and the wind blows much stronger because the city is located near the Gulf of Finland.

As for entertainment options, both cities offer a wide range of different ways to have fun: bars, restaurants, music clubs, comedy stores and more. St. Petersburg is called the cultural capital of Russia and is famous for its numerous museums and theatres. But Moscow is still the capital city and it has the greatest variety of concerts, festivals, plays and exhibitions and other kinds of cultural events in the country. Speaking about simple ways of spending a Friday evening, the variety of different bars and restaurants there is also bigger. Though, as I mentioned before, you should pay more for it.

If we talk about international travel, both cities have huge airports with flights which can transfer you to almost any place in the world. But St. Petersburg is located closer to the border, and it will take you only several hours to ride to Estonia or Finland. If you want to travel to more distant places, it would be easier and cheaper to take a flight from one of these countries. This is why for travelers, St. Petersburg is a much better place. It is also easier to get a European visa there, but if you want to go to the United States, you can only apply for a visa in Moscow personally.

Based on these points you can see that Moscow and St. Petersburg are two completely different cities, and you can not say that any of them is better than the other. Every person should decide where they want to live depending on their own preferences.