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Hello! I live in Russia. I am ready to answer all your questions and at the same time to correct my English. Can talk on any topics about Russia, and I think that some of it will be interesting. Ask questions :
I love russian people
what can we do to increase russian immigration to USA ?
How can help to bring Poland Germany and Russia into one economic zone much like ASEAN
I hope you are aware that there is a so-called "BigMac Index", which shows the undervaluation and overvaluation of currencies. So, the cost of a BigMac in the US is $5.67 approximately, and in Russia 135rub. (about $1.9 at the current exchange rate). Based on this, the ruble is a highly undervalued currency. And the exchange rate is kept low for obvious economic reasons. Thus, if the ruble was fully valued, the dollar exchange rate would be 135/5.67=23.81rub.
Let's count how many BigMacs you and I can buy for $ 100?
You can buy 100/5.67=17, and I can buy 100/1, 9=52.
Accordingly, if you recalculate the minimum salary according to the Bigmac index,it will no longer be $ 173, as it is now, but $509. This amount is also not amazing, but it does not look so depressing already.
The problem with your analysis is Big Macs don't cost 5.67 here. They cost less, sometimes much less. So using the highest priced Big Mac I can find in LA (3.99) your minimum wage is $348 a month. Ours is $2,465.
Incredible that so many people do not realize that even currently Russians, on average, are better off on many aspect that a vast section of the American populace.
Because its not even remotely true. You're being lied to, and have been since the Tsars. Russian standard of living is shockingly low by our standards.
The problem with your analysis is Big Macs don't cost 5.67 here. They cost less, sometimes much less. So using the highest priced Big Mac I can find in LA (3.99) your minimum wage is $348 a month. Ours is $2,465.
If I google the price of Big Mac in US ( I have to google it, since I am not familiar with prices there for many-many years,) this is what I see -
Big Mac $3.99 ( plus tax)
Big Mac Meal $5.99 ( plus tax)
Next..
When I think about the rent in US ( plus utilities,) plus car insurance per month, ( and car in the US is a MUST,) these $2, 465 get closer and closer to $348 a month...
Putin is riding a high wave on WWII theme, using it for his political advantage.
That's on one hand.
On another hand, the latest attempts to re-write history coming from the US and some East European countries, brings a wave of indignation in Russians, which is totally understandable.
Hence - one more new and impressive memorial + new amendment to Constitution, that forbids tempering with historic truth. ( One of the most popular amendments as I've already mentioned earlier.)
Because its not even remotely true. You're being lied to, and have been since the Tsars. Russian standard of living is shockingly low by our standards.
And speaking of "shockingly low" - what I personally found shocking in the US ( according to Soviet standards, and needless to say after what I saw in Western Europe) - the women working in their latest semester of pregnancy, old people working at McDonald's type of jobs, homeless shelters and the conditions of the "hoods" overall.
So all THIS was shocking for real, I'm telling you..
Because its not even remotely true. You're being lied to, and have been since the Tsars. Russian standard of living is shockingly low by our standards.
I did not need to being told anything..i saw it with my own eyes....I used to think exactly like you, before moving and living in the US and visiting modern Russia....
US standards of living for a large part of the population are appallingly low....from the supposed #1 country in the world.
The son of one of my wife's client (in order to be client of the firm where my wife works you need to have a net worth of minimum 5 mil, real estate excluded) met a girl from St Petersburg and after visiting each other for a while they decided to get married.
In typical (and i have to say American) ignorant fashion, his family was concerned that she was interested in him "only because she wanted to move to America". She basically said "you are crazy if you think I want to move to the US, you either move here or we will go separate ways".
It has been 4 years since and he absolutely LOVE living in Russia (one child already, another on the way), no need to mention his family is baffled to say the least, typical West Coast wealthy liberal folks that think Russia is bad and Putin is the devil in person.
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