Get free answers from our Russian expert!

If you have a Visa/Mastercard card, you can try to pay for the order using it.

In 2021, the average salary in Rostov-on-Don was in the range of about 35,000-40,000 Rubles per month (450-530 USD). The monthly cost of a long-term rental of a one-room apartment starts from about 10,000 rubles. For a general idea of the cost of living in the city, check out this site. I think that an income starting at about 50,000 rubles a month will be enough to live relatively comfortably alone in this city. But of course you can live relatively well even with a lower income.

It is possible. If you don't plan to leave the airport transit area, you don't need a Russian visa. For registration and boarding a flight foreign citizens traveling in transit through the airports of Russia must provide a medical document (certificate) in Russian or English with a negative test result for COVID-19 made by PCR method no earlier than three calendar days before arriving in the territory Russia. You can also contact Sheremetyevo International Airport directly to get more info.

In 1986, the official exchange rate was 0.7 Soviet rubles for 1 USD. However, due to the economic difference, it did not reflect the real ratio of the value of these currencies. In the USSR, it was impossible to buy or sell currency in a bank. On the black market, for 1 USD, they could ask for 4, 6, or more rubles. So the sum of 1,000 Soviet rubles was equal to about 200-300 USD.

I would double this amount to feel comfortable enough even if you are going to eat in inexpensive fast food restaurants. If you cook your own food and don't move around the city a lot, visit museums, etc., then the amount of 6,000 rubles will be enough.

The average collectible value of these banknotes is about 2-3 USD, so you can just keep them as nice souvenirs.

Yes, this is a relatively large amount for the average Russian citizen, exceeding the monthly income in most cases (November, 2021). However, be careful and do not send any such gifts until you are absolutely sure that this is a real person (this requires a real meeting or at least numerous online talks with a webcam turned on).

If you are an experienced traveler, then you should not have serious problems with traveling in Russia, especially in large cities that are often visited by tourists (Moscow, St. Petersburg), where signs and other information are often duplicated in English. You can also find comprehensive information about almost all places of interest in these cities in English online. Also, modern technologies can greatly simplify your travel, because you can translate almost anything on the fly using your smartphone, as well as communicate using an automatic translator.

You can easily find information on the approximate collectible value of this banknote by checking it on Ebay. Just search for something like "50 rubles (the year of issue)". This year should be indicated somewhere on the banknote.

The average collectible value of this banknote is in the range of about 10-20 USD. You can also check its price on Ebay.