“What are the prices on the receipts?” The American saw the Russian payment for 4000 rubles and was in shock. One light costs five times more

Sarah from Texas came to Russia with a familiar view of the country. She wanted to see how ordinary people live, so after Moscow she went to Nizhny Novgorod, writes Zen channel “Talking about education”.

There she stayed in an ordinary two-bedroom apartment in a five-storey house. The apartment and the district did not make much impression on her until she was shown a utility receipt. The amount was 4032 rubles.

Sarah decided at first that it was just about electricity. But she was explained that this amount included water, sanitation, garbage collection, house maintenance and other utilities. Electricity was paid separately and amounted to about 870 rubles.

After the conversion into dollars, the American rechecked the figures several times. Then the conversation turned to her spending in Texas. According to Sarah, the electricity in her apartment alone could cost about $280 to $320 a month. In addition, they had to pay for water, sewage and garbage collection.

She was especially surprised that the Russian receipt for a whole range of services was comparable to the fact that she used to pay only for electricity.

Of course, the comparison of utility costs in different countries is not always correct. The total amounts are affected by housing area, tariffs, climate, type of heating, region and consumption.

But the difference impressed the American. She admitted that before the trip, she represented the Russian municipal system quite differently.

As a result, Sarah changed her mind not only about Russian apartments, but also about the usual picture of life in Russia. What she expected to see as a sign of a low standard of living turned out to be quite commonplace.

And the main discovery for her was a simple thing: the cost of living can not be estimated only by stereotypes and loud stories. Sometimes it is enough to look at the usual receipt.