Housing and Use of Cars in Russia (vs. the US)

Specifics of housing and private transportation in Russia, how they affect the lifestyle, and how they differ from the US.

In the picture: An aerial view of typical Moscow residential districts.

Lifestyle is such a vast subject, which considers not only national specifics, but a multitude of one’s personal choices. Yet, looking at a certain nation, it is possible to spotlight common behaviors and ways of living most people adhere to en masse. Here I am attempting to uncover some elements of Russian lifestyle related to housing and private cars, both of which are different from those in the US. By no means does the list of points I am bringing up claim to be explicit, so if you believe a notable point is missing, leave a comment.

The first obvious difference is housing: 77% of Russians live in apartments. For the US, this figure is 20%, as an apartment is not a very common housing choice. Russians live in areas with condensed population, and all the land in between is populated very sparingly. An airline flight from Moscow to Vladivostok goes throughout the night, and if you don’t sleep and look outside the window, in some parts of the flight you’ll see only a few lights on the ground for hours.

The Moscow agglomeration counts 22 million residents, which is 15% of the entire country’s population. Population density in Moscow is 5183 residents per square kilometer (0.61 sq mi). This defines the mode of living: in Russian cities you can walk to most places or reach them by public transportation. This is what Russians who immigrated to the US complain about quite often: to buy a loaf of bread, you have to drive, and even if you are okay with walking to a store, many US cities are not walkable. To be fair, Russian villages are not exactly walkable either, as many lack pavement and sidewalks.

Russians residing in cities are very used to having everything accessible in close proximity. In the neighborhood where I live, a typical residential area with no frills, there are three schools within 5 to 10 minutes on foot. Unless a family lives in a very remote area or their kids attend a private school, Russian school students have no idea what a school bus is. Even if the school a kid goes to is not in the area where the family lives, he will simply use public transportation. It is not unusual to see kids aged 10-15 in buses and the subway alone, going to and from school or other places.

All the other infrastructure, such as shops, library, sports facilities, pharmacies, policlinics (which the US doesn’t have), daycare (6 of those in my area, not counting the private ones), is typically within a short walk. That again is a difference, because in the US you would have to drive to most places.

Speaking of sports clubs, there are three of them in my neighborhood—nothing super fancy, but very well-equipped and spacious. Each evening, the two of them I pass by regularly are packed. There are two healthy food stores (selling sprouts and all that) and a store that stocks proteins, dietary supplements, and so on. Perhaps not in all parts of a Russian city you’ll find all the infrastructure so close, but at least everything essential will be there.

Largest shopping malls are within subway reach; you absolutely don’t have to drive to visit any of them. A lot of shops selling food and other essentials are concentrated around subway stations: various shops, three bakeries, two coffee shops, three wine stores, a notary public, five or six barber shops—I could go on forever, but I believe you get the point. In smaller cities, all this infrastructure either revolves around an anchor area of the city, such as a city square, or places with higher pedestrian traffic, such as a railway station.

Places to eat out are not that many where I live, but two tram (light rail, as it is called in the US) stops away are a great beer joint and a restaurant. That would be like 20 minutes on foot. For other options, I’d have to go a bit away—one or two subway stops, or 15 minutes by bus, or a brief taxi ride, which would cost US$4–$6. In the US, to eat out or to have a drink, one would have to drive. To this day I don’t understand how Americans drink and drive back home afterward. For me personally, driving drunk is something unthinkable, but maybe it's just me.

With all the essentials within reach of a hand, most Russian families do not stock up on groceries for the week ahead (although that happens too), but shop daily or when they run out of something. Most Russian families still cook and eat at home. In general, the Russian diet is richer and healthier than typical US food. Working in the office, you'll see many colleagues bringing homemade lunch food, despite the fact that they can buy food in the office canteen or elsewhere. Modern Russian cuisine absorbed a lot of culinary traditions of the 14 republics of the USSR, making it a fusion cuisine that is very rich and diverse.

Nowadays, food delivery service is on the rise, so if you're not in the mood to cook, ordering from any restaurant or cafe is quick and easy. Same with groceries; most shops will deliver to your place in 1-2 hours upon ordering.

Considering all the above, owning a car is optional. Car ownership rate in the US is 92%; in Russia, it’s 63%. This percentage is unevenly distributed throughout the country. In Moscow, car ownership is 30%, while in Vladivostok it’s well over 80%, albeit the cars there are imported from the Japanese domestic market and have the steering wheel on the right-hand side. In general, road infrastructure in Russia is less developed; you won’t find freeways like interstates in the US. Russian roadside infrastructure is limited as well; no motels or inns, nice cafes—it's only gas stations, some of which have shops selling snacks, soda, and sometimes hot dogs. Road quality is good in the Moscow area, but the moment you leave the Moscow region, the pavement quality changes drastically, and not for the better. In rural areas, many roads and even city streets have no pavement at all, and if it does exist, it often cries out for rebuilding. Regions above the polar circle often have no road connections or have only seasonal roads because of permafrost. This is why, for long-distance travel, Russians choose trains or airlines. There are no RVs in Russia. Workforce mobility in Russia is less than in the US; you won’t meet many people relocating from one area of the country to another because of a job.

As for private housing, in Russia it does exist too, although options are not many: an old Soviet-style village home or a more recent build, often called a “cottage.” In the US, private housing options are much greater: detached houses, townhouses, trailers, and others. Townhouses do exist in Russia, but those are very few modern developments.

In Russian, areas either in villages or within city limits with individual homes are called частный сектор (private sector). No lawns like those found around American homes exist in Russia. Russians are dedicated to keeping their lives self-sufficient. Residents of cities have dachas on which they grow their own produce. Almost every household living in a detached house uses available land to grow something. With a few exceptions, each house in the private sector has a vegetable garden on its premises, patches and bushes with berries, and fruit trees. If you grow your own stuff, you know what goes into the soil, so your produce is truly organic, no nonsense. Residents of private houses never have to buy fresh produce in season, and for the winter, many do a lot of pickling and canning. In smaller towns and villages, nearly all households have chickens, pigs, often a cow, geese, and goats. That takes care of the meat, egg, and milk supply throughout the year.

Many of the houses in the private sector have no plumbing, and the toilets are outside. This depends on what a household though, as money can buy comfort: a well to provide fresh water, a septic tank, and whatever else is needed to comply with modern housing standards, which not many can afford. Heating can be natural gas, when it’s available, coal, or chopped wood. There will be a separate post about private housing in Russia.

I could continue writing, but I tried to bring my points across in a readable length-wise post. I hope by now you have a sense of the differences in the lifestyles of Russians and Americans, at least in how it is affected by the specifics of housing and use of private cars. Please leave a comment with your thoughts, experiences, observations, or questions.