HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO BE A STUDENT IN ST. PETERSBURG?

MONTHLY EXPENSES

Dormitory

Polytechnic University provides dormitory accommodation in 90% of cases of applications (state-budgeted students always receive a place in dormitory). Internet access is additionally paid in the dormitory. The average cost is 500-600 rubles/month.

Living in a dormitory will cost you about:

🔻5000-7000 rubles per month, if you are studying on a contract basis;

🔻2500 rubles per month if you are studying on a scholarship basis.

Apartments

The cost of renting an apartment depends on many factors: location in relation to the center, the prestige of the area, the year of construction of the house, the quality of interior decoration, the size of the apartment, the number of rooms and other factors.

The closer to the city center, the more expensive the apartment is:

🔻Studio apartment - 30000 rubles/month

🔻One-bedroom apartment - 25000-35000 rubles/month

🔻Two-bedroom apartment - 45000-52000 rubles/month

Rooms

An intermediate cost option is to rent a separate room in an apartment. In this case, the bathroom, toilet and kitchen will be shared by all tenants. This practice is common in all major cities, but in St. Petersburg it gets a flavor because of the former communal apartments, which are rented by room. In the city center you can rent a freshly renovated room for 20 thousand rubles, and a room near the Polytechnic University campus can be rented for 12-17 thousand rubles.

If you decide to live in an apartment, be prepared for additional mandatory expenses:

🔻Utility charges. Mandatory payment for the use of water, electricity, garbage disposal, heating, etc. They are often specified separately. For example, in an apartment at the Akademicheskaya metro station they amount to 5 thousand rubles plus 30 thousand in rent. Sometimes they are included in the rent.

🔻Deposit. In 99.9% of cases, landlords ask for a deposit, and it is equal to the cost of a month’s rent. It must also be paid when you enter the apartment, along with the amount for the first 30 days. Sometimes landlords allow you to divide it into several parts. The deposit is refunded at the end of the stay if everything is in order - the furniture is in place and the repairs have not been damaged. The landlord has the right to withhold the deposit if something happens to the apartment. Sometimes the deposit can cover the last month’s rent. This is negotiated with the landlord personally.

🔻Commission. It is paid to the realtor hired by the owners of the apartment. In advertisements, the amount of commission is indicated as a percentage of the cost of the month of rent or just the amount. You can also find apartments without realtor services.

There are several canteens and cafes on campus. The average price of a complex lunch is 350 rubles (first, second, salad and compote). You may check the addresses of the cafes 🔗 here.

Prices vary markedly depending on the particular store, so we took the Lenta hypermarket as an example. It is quite popular in St. Petersburg, and it also has a large selection and frequent promotions with a discount card, which you can purchase at your first visit to the store.

Further all prices are given taking into account the discount on the card.

• Eggs, 10 pieces - 130 rubles

• Bread, 300 g - 90 rubles

• White potatoes, 1 kg - 35 rubles

• Sugar, 0.9 kg - 100 rubles

• Oranges, 1 kg - 199 rubles

• Chicken breast, 1 kg - 395 rubles

• Milk “Prostokvashino”, 930 ml – 80 rubles

• Butter, 380 g - 310 rubles

• Vegetable oil, 1 liter – 130 rubles

• Black tea, 180 g - 110 rubles

• Cool Cola drink, 1.5 liters - 110 rubles

• LAY’S potato chips, 225 g – 190 rubles

There are three types of smart cards in St. Petersburg, their cost depends on the number of trips and transportation. You can get a transportation card in the metro; you will need a student ID and a passport.

🔻Ground transportation only (streetcar, trolleybus, bus), unlimited number of trips - 655 rubles.

🔻Subway only, the number of trips is unlimited - 740 rubles.

🔻Unified ticket, the subway has 100 trips, and unlimited number of trips on ground transportation - 1,305 rubles.

You can also buy a Podorozhnik smart card, the cost will be lower. The Podorozhnik card can be replenished via mobile bank or at a metro ticket office.

🔻The cost of a trip in the subway - 45 rubles

🔻The cost of a trip in ground transportation - 40 rubles

🔻Cab (average cost) - 300-500 rubles. The cost of a trip from the airport to the campus is about 1300 rubles.

🔗 All prices here

• The cost of mobile communication: 500 rubles per month (on average).

• Stationery: 1500 rubles.

• Washing clothes + drying (each dormitory has washing and drying machines):170 rubles.

Free co-working spaces operate in St. Petersburg, book chains hold free concerts and exhibitions.

Student tickets are available at the Hermitage, the Russian Museum, ERARTA and other museums. In such case, going to a museum will become quite inexpensive.

ANNUAL EXPENDITURES

🔺 Medical insurance policy 

Upon arrival in Russia, you need to buy a medical insurance policy, which covers the minimum medical services prescribed by Russian law.

The cost of an insurance medical policy is a minimum of 12,500 rubles for citizens of the CIS countries and 13,500 rubles for citizens of other countries.

🔺 Medical examination – 4900 rubles

🔺 Photographing – 350 rubles.

! Medical insurance certificate unfortunately does not cover obligatory medical examination.