Moscow, Russia – Money and Laundry

Money

The official currency is the Russian ruble (p) and the unofficial currency is the US dollar ($). The only legal tender is the ruble.

There are change kiosks (Obmyen balooti) every few steps it seems, they usually post their exchange rates on big signs outside. Just put your dollars in the drawer, and they will push back rubles, or vice versa. Sometimes you can change German DM in these places too. These kiosks generally offer better rates of exchange than the banks and they’re faster too. Sometimes theyÂ’ll give you a receipt and sometimes not!

Prices are marked in p (rubles) or Y.E. Y.E. stands for units of exchange, which really means dollars. Although the price is in US$, it will be converted into rubles when you pay.

Credit cards are not widely accepted; don’t count on them for your money. As well, there have been a lot of scams recently where card numbers and PINs were electronically stolen from ATMs.

AMEX cheques in US dollars are a good way to keep your cash safe. There is one AMEX office at Sadovaya-Sukharevskaya ul.21a, M. Mayakovskaya. Cash your cheque into US dollars, then convert them to rubles at a change kiosk on the street – AMEX doesn’t offer a great dollar-ruble rate.

Cash or cheques in other currencies will be rather inconvenient to change and often at poor bank rates.

Laundry

Contrary to popular belief there is at least one Laundromat in Moscow and I’m happy to say I’ve found it!

11 ulitsa Vavilova
7:00 to 22:00 Monday to Saturday
Tram #39 from M. Lenninsky Prospekt or M. Universitet

Head up the short flight of stairs and go in the unmarked white door. One load costs about $1.50, which includes low-quality soap and use of the centrifuge, the dryer and the presser.

Hopefully you won’t pack dry-clean only clothes on this trip. There are do-it-yourself facilities but you’ll feel pretty toxic when you’re done.

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