countries that are good

If anyone is wondering what to do, here are personal stories from those countries where it is now possible to move and where it is relatively easy to build a new life.

1. Finland

The most happy, safe and politically stable the country. At least according to the ratings. They also love dogs here.

It is now difficult to leave Russia for Finland, but the country is in great need of IT specialists, and if you receive an invitation from one of the companies, or even better an employment contract, options remain. Moving – either by bus from St. Petersburg, or by own car across the border.

Of the minuses, judging by the stories of our heroes, are relatively low salaries (2.5-2.7 thousand euros per hand), expensive rent (one room – 700 euros), a cold climate and a difficult language. It will be very difficult to learn Finnish, and it is not always necessary to rely on English. For example, most sites with rent housing – in Finnish, you need to punch them through Google Translate (mandatory download extension, as well as a smartphone app).

Jobs are also mostly available only in Finnish, even if the official language of communication within the company is English. Therefore, to find a job, you have to use LinkedIn or apply application through g-mate bot in Telegram.

2. Montenegro

One of the easiest options for moving: the country is inexpensive, open (there are no direct flights, but you can fly through Kazakhstan or Istanbul), getting a residence permit is very simple, the climate is ideal for many, without extreme heat but without sub-zero temperatures. The language is Serbian, very close to Russian, if you strain, you can understand what they are saying to you. And the Russian community in Montenegro is quite large.

The only serious drawback is that there are almost no companies of their own here, so only those who can continue to work remotely should seriously consider moving. We have only a dozen open vacancies in our bot in Montenegro, and the salaries are mostly no higher than Russian ones, 250-450 thousand rubles.

But rent is quite inexpensive. For 400-500 euros you can rent a good two-bedroom apartment in a new building. The rest of the prices are about Moscow. But around – the sea, mountains, clean air, beautiful medieval architecture.

The COVID entry rules are still in effect. Proof of full vaccination is required, provided that the second dose of vaccine is given no later than six months prior to entry. And a negative PCR test is not older than 72 hours.

3. Sweden

You can go through Finland. Flight only with transfers and not by a Russian airline. Or on the ground. It is highly desirable to have a job offer. The upside here is that there are a lot more jobs in Sweden, and IT companies are experiencing a huge shortage of specialists. Stockholm is the Scandinavian Silicon Valley. Even a sysadmin or tester in Sweden has options. Especially if you work for one of the companies that has an office in Sweden (or with an eye to go to work for such a company).

The country is attractive primarily for its standard of living. Salaries are higher than in Finland and higher than in Russia, but it is still far from the level of the USA, Britain or Norway. The minimum salary in the IT field is $3400, a good senior earns $7000. Companies are actively hiring foreign specialists, they know how to adapt them, if you have at least intermediate English, it will be good for you to communicate here, everyone knows English.

There is a service for the spouse Jobspranget, which also allows you to find a job, and free Swedish courses. There is even a dedicated website vacancies for those who have just moved. In general, the state here is doing everything to adapt foreigners and infuse them into their culture. It will be especially good here for introverts who do not want to have a wide circle of friends.

Of the minuses – it is difficult to find free housing (and apartments are quite expensive). If you are in Sweden for a long time and are going to live here with your family, it is easier to buy something with a mortgage in a few months. Mortgage payments are much lower than rent. A two-room apartment will cost from $140,000, with a mortgage interest of 2-3%. The main problem is the down payment, which is 15% of the cost of housing.

4. Cyprus

Warm, quiet, beautiful and friendly country. Sea, mountains, beaches, diving sites, rock castles, wineries. Calm, relaxed and positive people. Fresh and delicious food. Housing is expensive (from 600 to 1000 euros per month), but the apartments are luxurious by Russian standards: large, with high-quality finishes. Large Russian-speaking community, especially in Limassol. And the main plus is the abundance of work. The country has a lot of successful financial and other companies serving the whole world. And they are constantly looking for new employees.

Now we have very many jobs in Limassol: QA-engineer, Software Engineer, Data Scientist, data analyst, DevOps and others. Salaries offered for this region are good, from 300 to 600 thousand rubles. These are companies such as TheSoul Publishing, Exness, Wisebits, LiveXP, Zero10, Alber Blanc and others. At the same time, IT specialists here, as in Russia, are an elite class. Most ordinary Cypriots earn 2-3 times less.

You can get into the country, for example, through Turkey. This country is open, you can fly there on the route of one of the airlines (Azimuth, UTair, RedWings, AirSerbia, FlyDubai or Turkish Airlines). Then – by ferry to Cyprus. Ferry prices, depending on the type of ticket, from 700 to 2100 rubles.

As a bonus, I recommend considering the countries in which IT people live, maybe not so well, but in general, it’s also not bad:

+ Turkey. IT-direction in the country is developing rapidly. There are many international companies ready to accept Russian developers. About Turkey, a good article about moving from mbps54 is here.

+ Georgia. The direction is popular, so renting a house has risen in price. It has also become more difficult to enter, and when registering an individual entrepreneur or other documents, they say that there are too many applicants. Salaries are generally Russian. Surprisingly, despite the hype, we still have enough vacancies of various profiles in this country.

+ Portugal. It is attractive with a simple registration of a residence permit, this is a paradise country for those who earn good money remotely or can provide themselves with passive income. But there are almost no vacancies there.

+ Armenia. Here it’s the other way around. The country is far from being so idyllic, but there is a lot of work, and salaries are mostly higher than Russian ones. Housing rent has risen in price this month, but in general prices remain below Moscow ($700 for a good two-room apartment). The country, like Turkey, quietly lets Russians in, no documents are required, you can enter with a Russian passport. And the risks at work and in general with the presence of the Internet are reduced very significantly.

The best vacancies with relocation – in telegram bot g-mate. Indicate the desired salary, and he gives you the best offers and helps you pass the interview. Everything is free.