Life in Crimea: the pros and cons of moving

Life in the Crimea - by the sea or surrounded by beautiful mountains - looks very attractive for those who are used to being here as a tourist. But moving to permanent residence is not much like a short stay on the peninsula. First of all, you will have to change your usual way of life, choose a new city and place of residence, solve bureaucratic problems.

There are also questions that inevitably arise for those who are moving to a new place of residence - where is it better to live, is it worth it to move here with the children, what are the pros and cons of the peninsula, is it worth studying the reviews of those who have moved. In order to fully understand all the features of moving to Crimea, you need to study all these points in as much detail as possible.

Choosing a city is a serious and difficult task for those who are ready to permanently settle in the Crimea. There are typically tourist areas on the peninsula where it is difficult to find work, and housing is unreasonably expensive. If we are talking about further employment, receiving social or medical services, a child attending a school or kindergarten, it is worth choosing a place of residence that possesses all these advantages.

Among the most popular Crimean cities for moving, there are several names.

• Simferopol. The official capital of the republic and its administrative-territorial center.The most attractive option in terms of infrastructure, job search or active social and cultural life. In the central part of the city there is industrial production, there are also sleeping areas. On the outskirts, you can find a more relaxed life, as well as attractions focused on connoisseurs of history and culture.

• Kerch. The city closest to the Krasnodar Territory, having the most advantageous geographical position - on the Black and Azov Seas. There are no problems with work; the Kerch bridge connecting the peninsula with the mainland has already been built. Within the region, the message will be fully established after the completion of the federal highway “Tavrida”. Housing is relatively inexpensive, social infrastructure is well established, but for a busy cultural life you will have to go to the mainland.

• Sevastopol. The city, originally focused on providing the bases of the Russian Navy. It is famous for the highest standard of living, but the excessive cost of housing, food. There may also be problems with employment. But if you want to live in a beautiful well-groomed city on the coast, Sevastopol will be the best option.

• Yalta. A city with high housing prices and developed tourism. In the summer, the abundance of visitors gives locals a lot of inconvenience, but otherwise, life in Yalta has a lot of advantages. The best sea views, many attractions in the vicinity, wild and well-maintained beaches are always at hand.

• Evpatoria. A typical resort city with inexpensive housing and a developed spa industry. It is rather boring here in winter; finding a job is also very difficult. But there are pluses - here you can settle in retirement to forget about the bustle of the metropolis.

In addition, for moving you can choose other smaller cities of Crimea.

• Bakhchisaray with its green gardens and farmland. Nearby is Sevastopol, there are many attractions.
• To Feodosia You can go to work in the tourism, fish farming, wine industry. In general, the city has a rather interesting history and good prospects for development.
• May be considered for relocation Alushta.

When deciding to live permanently in Crimea, it is worth considering in advance that resort towns demonstrate a completely different, smooth and unhurried pace of life. After the metropolis, it may seem that no one is in a hurry. You will have to get used to it, while at the same time gaining a lot of advantages from such a slow pace.

Let's look at the advantages of moving to the Crimea for permanent residence, which the peninsula has to offer its new residents. Among the most obvious reasons to go here are a number of factors.

1. Ecological well-being of the region. A healthy seaside climate, mountains, and the absence of harmful industries work wonders. It is not surprising that, because of the habit, many newcomers dizzy from the purity of the air and its oxygen saturation.
2. Excellent climate. You can settle away from the heat in the steppe of the peninsula, settle in the coastal strip of the South Coast or go closer to the mountains.
3. Active development of the region. Today in the Crimea there are truly favorable conditions for buying real estate or starting your own business.
4. The opportunity to enjoy proximity to the sea, improve your health and be the first to open the swimming season.

The main disadvantages of moving to Crimea are related to the disputed legal status of these territories. For residents in Crimea, foreign resorts and trips may be closed on a Russian passport. Obtaining a foreign visa in the absence of embassies in the region will be difficult.

Another significant minus is difficulties with employment, not too developed industrial and high-tech areas of activity. IT specialists should think about remote work when moving to the Crimea.

Housing is not cheap, especially in large resort cities. Far from busy areas, you can find more budget-friendly solutions. In any case, deciding to move, you should as soon as possible take care of the acquisition of real estate.

Modern living conditions in Crimea are fully consistent with those guaranteed by the laws on social security applicable throughout the Russian Federation. Since 2014, all the necessary benefits and measures of material support have been received here by pensioners, students, young mothers and families. Medical policies operating in the Crimea guarantee completely free medical care. There are medical facilities, there are branches of the pension fund.

However, the level of medicine in Crimea is still not at a very high level. Modern clinics are just being built and designed, and those that are available are often not adequately staffed. The renewed ambulance fleet does not always reach its destination quickly due to poor quality roads. But in large cities, these problems are pretty well solved.

The education system in Crimea is fully consistent with Russian standards. On the territory of the republic there are preschool educational institutions, schools, universities. But Crimean universities do not have international certification due to the disputed status of the territory. Outside the Russian Federation, they may be deemed invalid, it will be difficult to get an internship or find work abroad.

The sphere of secondary specialized education is well developed in Crimea. There is a developed network of educational institutions - colleges and technical schools, there are traditions in the training of employees for the tourism industry, agriculture.

Rental housing in the Crimea is well developed, you can find real estate in apartment buildings and the private sector, choose a hostel - guest house to stay, greatly facilitating the solution of everyday problems during the adaptation period on the peninsula. The cost of living depends on the season, the degree of remoteness from the sea, conditions. On average, for 7-10 thousand a month you can find an apartment for rent in almost any village.

Buying your own real estate in Crimea is not a cheap pleasure. For example, new buildings in Simferopol go to their new owners at prices from 86.5 thousand rubles per square meter. In Yalta, apartments in the secondary market are difficult to find for less than 100,000 rubles. / m2. In small towns, prices are more benign - for 10-15 thousand rubles. / m2 you can buy housing in the suburbs or in a multi-storey building.

In Saki, the average price per square meter is 25,000 rubles, this popular resort city is especially appreciated by people with disabilities due to the developed sanatorium and resort infrastructure.

Buying land for construction is also possible. But due to the confusion of the transition period, difficulties may arise with the official recognition of property rights. In the northern part of the peninsula, the acquisition of property is cheaper - about 60-80,000 rubles per one hundred square meters. In Sevastopol, this amount will increase 4-10 times, the most expensive land in Yalta.

The transition of Crimea to the Russian Federation deprived real estate buyers of the opportunity to check the previous history of housing. This has given rise to a variety of fraudulent transactions.Housing encumbered with pledges or illegally alienated was sold as legally clean. The only way to check the seller for integrity today is submitting a request to the registry. And it will be better if the document is received from both the Russian Federation and Ukraine.

You should not buy real estate in the Crimea by proxy. Even if we are talking about a bargain, it is likely that the purchased object will not have any relation to the seller as to the owner. The safest option is housing in a new building. The houses erected after 2014 were already made out according to Russian standards.

Getting a good Russian pension, you can move to Crimea without any extra hassle. This money is enough to live in a resort with comfort. But it’s rather difficult to work in Crimea and make good money without having a profession demanded in the region. It is worth considering that the average wage here is about 24,000 rubles.

Own business can be an attractive solution for those who plan to establish their life on the peninsula. The main thing is to choose your own business development options, able to give good prospects. Demanded activities include construction and repair, as well as the production of agricultural products, hotel business, tourism, seasonal rental of equipment and inventory.

Before moving to Crimea for permanent residence, it is worth trying to live here for about a year, without fundamentally changing the level and class of life. This will help to more carefully study the features and realities of local cities and towns. For a full-fledged relocation, you will need the same package of documents as for a change of residence in another region of the Russian Federation. When deciding to leave Russia, from the mainland to the Crimea, with a child, you must take care of registering permanently, which gives you the right to get a place in kindergarten and school.

Pensioners must also have an officially assigned address to receive pensions here. You can register in the officially rented premises (with the consent of the owner), in a house or apartment obtained under a social rental or sale contract. For official receipt of the Crimean "registration" you will need a general passport. For children - a birth certificate, a document on the establishment of citizenship.

People who decide to leave for Crimea from other countries must follow the rules established for migrants in the regions of the Russian Federation. Initially, they will be able to draw up a right to temporary residence, obtain a residence permit, residence permit. Then you can apply for citizenship and become a Russian.

It is worth considering a number of tips from the new Crimeans:

• when moving things it is better to transport the transport company;
• during the search for housing for purchase it will be cheaper to settle in a boarding house with full security;
• it’s easiest to get to Simferopol by plane — airfares are not too expensive to avoid fatigue on the trip;
• to search for work, it is worth using local Internet resources, message boards;
• execution of documents for real estate (and their verification) is better done through agencies - it’s almost impossible for the seller to trust himself;
• locals prefer not to mess with cashless payments - it is worth stocking up in cash;
• Central heating is not everywhere - in most houses there are boilers, and for the winter you have to additionally purchase fuel.

Today's opinions of people about moving to Crimea are rather controversial. Some of those who moved to the peninsula about 5 years ago are leaving today, regretting their unfulfilled hopes. But in fact, much more are happy with what is happening.The Russians, who previously valued vacation in Crimea, are today ready to seriously consider it as permanent residence.

The advice of those who have already managed to move, sound pretty simple. Ethnic Russians and representatives of the Crimean Tatar nationality, as well as representatives of other nations, feel quite comfortable in this newly acquired region of the Russian Federation.

People who have already decided to move leave their feedback about the presence of certain difficulties with the employment of the population. It is better to move here with a remote job or your own business. A good education may not be a competitive advantage - The main vacancies are in tourism and entertainment, agriculture.

On average, according to the reviews of those who moved, it takes about a year to move the place of residence. Many people prefer to buy land, and build housing on their own. But ready-made real estate objects are in demand mainly in large cities. The main migration flow comes from the northern regions of the Russian Federation. And many pensioners from Moscow are moving here, retaining the capital's registration and all the attendant privileges, and considering real estate by the sea as an option for a summer cottage.

As for the dissatisfied with the move, they mostly mention in negative terms such aspects of local life as quite a long and cold period of winter, especially in the steppe regions. The swimming season here also does not last as many months as is commonly believed. And the quality of service in state institutions, the deplorable state of hospitals, roads, and local bureaucracy also do not add appeal to the status of a local resident.

Moving to Crimea for permanent residence is not a tour trip. To completely change their place of residence, many have to sell their property — a car, apartment, house or cottage, take out a loan or lose a good position. Whether the move will pay off in this case, each new resident of Crimea decides for himself.

The whole truth about life in Crimea is shown in the video below.