Moving to Minsk

In our series of short blogs on moving between different international locations, we highlight cost of living and other major differences likely to be experienced.
Today we look at moving to Minsk in Belarus from Brisbane in Australia.
In Brisbane people speak English. In Minsk people speak Russian and Belarussian (both official).

Brisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia. Minsk is the capital and largest city in Belarus. Brisbane's economy is diverse. White-collar industries include information technology, financial services, higher education and public sector administration generally concentrated in and around the central business district and recently established office areas in the inner suburbs. Blue-collar industries, including petroleum refining, stevedoring, paper milling, metalworking and QR railway workshops, tend to be located on the lower reaches of the Brisbane River and in new industrial zones on the urban fringe. Tourism is an important part of the Brisbane economy, both in its own right and as a gateway to other areas of Queensland.
Minsk is the economic capital of Belarus. It has developed industrial and services sectors.

The overall cost of living rank in Brisbane is 29 out of 300 global locations, which equates it with high cost of living locations. An expatriate moving from Brisbane to Minsk which has an overall cost of living rank of 185, which equates it with low cost of living locations, will experience a change in cost of living of -25.6%.
In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Minsk is ranked as a high degree of hardship location with a hardship index of 30% compared to Brisbane with a hardship index of 10% which is a minimal hardship location.

Source: http://www.xpatulator.com as at July 2011.

Belarus, Minsk - Cost of Living

The Belarusian economy remains largely state-controlled. Thus approximately half of Belarusians are employed by state-controlled companies. The country relies on imports such as oil from Russia. Important agricultural products include potatoes and cattle byproducts, including meat. As of 1994, the biggest exports from Belarus were heavy machinery (especially tractors), agricultural products, and energy products.


Minsk is the capital and largest city in Belarus. Minsk is the economic capital of Belarus. It has developed industrial and services sectors.
Minsk has an overall cost of living index which equates it with low cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups.
The cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is now available.


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Belarus, Minsk Cost of Living April 2010

Country Full Name: Belarus.

Location: Belarus is in Eastern Europe, east of Poland.

Country Climate: Cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime.

Country Terrain: Generally flat and contains much marshland.

Major Languages: Russian, Belarussian (both official).

Major Religions: Christianity.

Country Population: 9.7 million (2008 est.) 9.6 million (2009 est.).

Country Economy: The Belarusian economy remains largely state-controlled. Thus approximately half of Belarusians are employed by state-controlled companies. The country relies on imports such as oil from Russia. Important agricultural products include potatoes and cattle byproducts, including meat. As of 1994, the biggest exports from Belarus were heavy machinery (especially tractors), agricultural products, and energy products.

Currency: Belarusian Ruble (BYR).

Country Inflation: 14.8% (2008 est.) 13.0% (2009 est.).

City: Minsk is the capital and largest city in Belarus.

City Economy: Minsk is the economic capital of Belarus. It has developed industrial and services sectors.

Cost of Living: Minsk has an overall cost of living index which equates it with low cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. Minsk is currently ranked 214 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 282 international locations.

For more information on Belarus, Minsk Cost of Living