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Questions and answers:
Venessa asks: I have a 1920s Russian ruble in the amount of 10,000,000. What is its worth in 2023 US?
Expert's answer:
If I understand correctly, you have one banknote of 10 million rubles. In the early 1920s, because of hyperinflation, such banknotes were issued both in the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and in the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic (
picture 1 and
picture 2). Not sure which one you have. The collectible value of the second banknote is about 13 USD. I haven't found information about the collectible value of the first banknote.
Foot asks: How much would 500 rubles be in 1850 present day?
Expert's answer:
I have checked the prices of some basic foodstuffs in 1850 (plus or minus several years), such as potatoes, buckwheat, meat, flour, and workers' wages. Based on this, compared with today's prices and wages, 500 rubles in 1850 roughly equals about 1 million rubles (13,000 USD) in 2023.
Alex asks: Do banks in Russia accept USD 100 old note for payment transaction?
Expert's answer:
Russian banks may refuse to exchange old dollars. Most often, dollar bills with a release date before 1996 are not accepted for exchange. Therefore, if you are going to Russia, then take new banknotes with you.
Yuri asks: I have 50,000 Belarusian rubles year 2000. How much is it worth?
Expert's answer:
The collectible value of this banknote is about 10-15 USD. You can check the prices yourself on Ebay, just search for something like: 50000 Belarus rubles 2000.
Bedo asks: Is 100 Euro ok for Kaliningrad to eat in cafe and make maybe visit museum. And if its danger to visit Kaliningrad in this time?
Expert's answer:
As of February 2023, 100 euros is about 7,500 rubles. The average check in Kaliningrad cafes and inexpensive restaurants is in the range of about 600-1000 rubles (without alcohol). The average ticket price of a local museum is about 400-500 rubles. So this amount will be more than enough for 1-2 days in Kaliningrad. There is no danger in visiting Kaliningrad, just take cash with you as your cards most likely won't work.
Adelle asks: What would 80 rubles from the 1960s be equivalent to in 2023 US dollars. I couldn't find an inflation calculator for rubles anywhere :(
Expert's answer:
The official exchange rate in the 1960s was 0.9 Soviet ruble to 1 US dollar. However, the Soviet ruble was not a convertible currency; on the black market, the price for 1 USD was about 8-10 Soviet rubles. So the amount of 80 rubles was equal to 8-10 dollars in the 1960s or about 70-100 dollars in 2023.
This is of course a very rough estimate, since the prices for all goods in the USSR were set by the state, therefore, for a number of goods, the purchasing power of the Soviet ruble could be high, while other goods simply did not exist or were in very limited supply (for example, cars).
Sufyan Anwer asks: Where do you see Ruble strengthening against USD till the end of 2023?
Expert's answer:
Some strengthening of the Russian ruble to the levels of about 65-70 rubles per USD can be expected in the first quarter of 2023. However, during the year, the reduction in export earnings due to sanctions restrictions will put pressure on the ruble and, most likely, the average exchange rate in 2023 will be in the range of about 70-80 rubles per dollar. So, most likely, there will be no significant strengthening of the ruble this year.
Laure asks: If someone spent 11 million rubles on a project in 1989. how much would he have to pay today to reach the same effect?
Expert's answer:
According to very rough estimates, taking into account the exchange rate on the black market in the USSR, 11 million Soviet rubles equaled about 1 million USD in 1989. Today, January 2023, this amount is about 2.2 million dollars or 154 million rubles.
Robin asks: Are United State Citizens allowed by my government and or your government to travel to Kemerovo?
Expert's answer:
For US citizens, there are no restrictions on visiting Russia and Kemerovo in particular. The official recommendation from the US government is
Do Not Travel. Check the site of the embassy of Russia to the US to get the latest info about
obtaining a Russian visa. As of January 2023, there are no direct flights from the US to Russia, so you will have to flight via Istanbul, Turkey to Moscow and from there to Kemerovo.
Tim asks: How much is a house in Russia?
Expert's answer:
As of mid-2022, the average cost of a country house suitable for year-round living amounted to 11.2 million rubles (about 160,000 USD) in Russia. At the same time, buyers are cutting budgets and choosing smaller houses. Half of the buyers are looking for a country house up to 100 sq. m for 3 million rubles (43,000 USD). Check the following auto-translated article about
Country houses in Russia.