The same problem arises when it comes to your pastime: there are but a couple of cinemas where they show movies in English, and probably not a single theatre with performances in English (well, at least the city has a good opera & ballet theatre where language is a non-issue), and - most sadly - no English-language pub quizzes. Private education is virtually nonexistent to the best of my knowledge, there's just one international school in Minsk with English-language instruction. Private healthcare is quite affordable and of decent quality, but again, finding a medical practitioner with a good grasp of English may prove difficult. On the positive side, Google Maps will work just fine: the country has nearly ubiquitous 4G/LTE coverage, legitimately cheap Internet and unrestricted access to all foreign web resources (unlike Russia). For this reason, instead of asking a random passer-by for destination, you'd better consult Google Maps. Another issue most expats would find troublesome is that an overwhelming majority of people don't speak English - which, paradoxically, often includes designated government officials who deal with foreigners in their line of duty (e.g. And don't get me started on renting accommodation: once the agent learns their future customer is an expat, the price shoots through the sky.
Cost of argus developer for one month driver#
Locals are known to be eager to rip off any guest from the West: it's not uncommon to hear about a taxi driver charging an exorbitant fee from a foreigner for a ride to the airport, for instance. While most staples and FMCGs are quite affordable by global standards, you're likely to get poor assortment, especially when it comes to imports (no Amazon here for you!) and subpar customer service - and I mean it, it can be abysmal at times. As far as local prices are concerned, Thomas's comment below sums up the situation nicely, and his assessment is still valid today, though the prices keep creeping up and many goods, especially durables, are now cheaper in Moscow - where salaries are on average much higher.
As an internationally educated Minsk native who has lived both to the east (Moscow) and to the west of Belarus (EU), I can say that Minsk is by far not the worst place to live in, but it has its fair share of drawbacks, some of which may be critical for expats and foreign visitors.
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