Yekaterinburg is one of the largest cities in Russia and the Urals. It is a significant industrial center. This is the administrative center of the Sverdlovsk region. It is located in the Middle Urals, on the eastern side of the Ural Mountains.
From the very beginning, it was an important center of metallurgy. It was founded in 1723. The industry reached its greatest development in the Soviet period. Yekaterinburg is in fourth place in terms of population among the cities of the Russian Federation. It is also an important transport hub of the country.
The distance from Yekaterinburg to Moscow is 1667 km. Time in Yekaterinburg is 2 hours ahead of Moscow. The climate is relatively continental with pronounced seasonality and sudden changes in temperature.
Due to the city being in a vast decline and a developed industry, adverse levels of air pollution are observed here, which are largely related to road transport.
The city’s economy rests on the work of enterprises, but their role is no longer as significant as it was in Soviet times. Now, trade, transport, telecommunications, and financial activities are quite developed here.
Life in Yekaterinburg, according to people who have moved, is generally not bad.
The standard of living in Yekaterinburg
The standard of living in the city is considered to be higher than the average for Russia. It is included in the top ten cities of the Russian Federation in terms of living standards. Here, the average salaries are higher than the national average, large retail turnover, and high housing commissioning rates. In 2015, the average wage amounted to 41,492 rubles. The number of employees was 440 thousand people. Unemployment in 2015 was only 0.83%. The main disadvantages of life in Yekaterinburg are the insufficient quality of medicine, road facilities and utilities.
Infrastructure and landscaping
The city has developed housing construction. High-rise residential buildings predominate. Apartments are characterized by the small size of the rooms. Housing is mostly of medium duration (1920–2010).
Intracity transport is represented by trolleybuses, trams, a small metro. Gardening is parks, boulevards, squares. As throughout Russia, the area of green spaces has been declining recently. This is due to the densification of buildings, an increase in the number of cars, etc. Nevertheless, the city still has significant green spaces.
Education
In Yekaterinburg, all stages of the educational process are developed. This is one of the largest education centers in Russia. There are 20 state universities with over 140,000 students. In addition, there are 14 private institutions. The quality of education is considered good. It is second only to universities in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Work in Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg is a city with low unemployment. 220 different enterprises operate here. Therefore, it is easiest to find work for those who have working specialties and work experience in the workplace. In 2018, workers in Yekaterinburg receive about 30-32 thousand rubles, and good specialists - up to 37 thousand rubles. This, of course, is not much, but not bad by Russian standards.
Those who do not have qualifications (loaders, janitors, janitors) have a salary of no more than 16 thousand rubles. A little more get sellers and workers in the service sector - about 20 thousand rubles.
Those who manage something earn more. Their salary is about 57 thousand rubles. And the highest paid specialty is the welder (up to 80 thousand rubles). In principle, welders everywhere receive more than other specialists.
However, even more expensive posts have recently appeared - IT-specialists. The salary of an employee here can reach 100 thousand rubles, and the head - even higher.
It is easiest to get good specialists with experience in Yekaterinburg. But young will not be so easy. And of course, they will have lower wages. At least for the first time.
As for the distribution of vacancies by position, the maximum number of vacancies is in the field of services and trade. In second place are enterprises. The third is the Internet and programming. However, it is the latter area that is the most promising for those who live in Yekaterinburg. Because the number of vacancies is growing there, the salary is high.
Prices in Yekaterinburg
In general, prices in Yekaterinburg are the same as throughout the country. However, the road can take about 100 rubles. per day. Rental housing will cost a little more than in other cities of Russia, but it is less than in Moscow. The cost of apartments is not higher than in other major cities of the country. Utilities are relatively expensive.
Negative reviews about Yekaterinburg moved to permanent residence
There are only a few more negative reviews than positive ones; slightly less neutral. In the negative reviews in the first place - complaints about the population. They write that residents are uncommunicative, many drink, difficult to climb and boring on their own, a lot of crime.
In second place in the frequency of complaints are environmental problems: dirt, garbage, plugs, bad water, corrosive air. They write that there are very few places for entertainment, and the prices there are high. They complain that the city is uncomfortable, overloaded with buildings, cars. There are fewer trees. At the same time, high prices for a communal apartment. However, all this is typical for the whole country.
They also complain about a bad, cold and uncomfortable climate, high demands at work, and not too high salaries. At the same time, it is noted that there is a lot of work (vacancies). However, opinions regarding salaries are mixed. Others write that they are much higher here than in many other Russian cities. About medicine speak badly.
Positive reviews
Reviews moved about Yekaterinburg are quite diverse. They often contradict each other.
In positive reviews they write that the medicine in the city is good. And the prices for products given in one of the reviews are really not so high (in comparison with other cities of the country). They also write about climate and gas pollution, which is not very (here, probably, everyone agrees). There are traffic jams, but less than in Moscow. They write about the population that it’s a little harsh, but nothing more. What is simply affected here is a working lifestyle and a difficult climate.
They recommend moving to live in Yekaterinburg in positive reviews and note that the city is clean, it is being cleaned, and there is a lot of entertainment. These points are exactly the opposite of those found in negative reviews. Probably, it all depends on the area of the city and individual taste.
Conclusion
Thus, according to general information about the city of Yekaterinburg and the reviews of people who have moved, the following conclusions can be drawn:
- There are no problems finding a job in the city, and salaries are not bad by Russian standards. But at the same time, the work itself can be difficult (high requirements for employees, the specifics of production). Qualified workers, managers, programmers earn a lot.
- The city is not well adapted for tourists, and in some areas there are no good entertainment facilities.
- There are transport problems, but less than in Moscow.
- The population is not communicative and rather specific; many drinking citizens.
- There are serious environmental problems (poor water, dirty air, felling of trees, etc.). The climate is uncomfortable.
- Food prices are low, but quite expensive communal.