I am a programmer, and the IT industry in Latvia is generally developed, and there is a demand for specialists in it. So I just got an invitation to work from a company in Riga. They found me through linkidine, and I highly recommend this social network to everyone. I had a couple of Skype interviews and completed test assignments. All formalities took about two months. The first contract with me was for a year and I got a work visa, then I got a residence permit. There is both a simple residence permit and a blue card, which is issued for the duration of the employment contract. With such a card, paperwork takes less time to get a job. If the employee runs out of a residence permit, it can be extended legally for 200 euros. The company then reimburses the employee for these costs.
Our company has a very diverse team: there are not only local, but also Hindus, Kazakhs, Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians. In general, a significant part of Latvia either works in Riga or goes to Great Britain, Germany and other European countries to earn money. Many people flock to Riga from neighboring cities in the mornings, but since there is not such a large territory and not so many people live here, there are no traffic jams.
I don't speak Latvian very well, and so far nobody has rushed at me with their fists for this. Almost everybody speaks Russian at work, except Hindus and some Latvians. If someone does not understand Russian, then we can easily switch to English, and in our company (and in Riga in general) it is almost an official language. Outside of my work, I have met people who do not speak Russian in principle, but there are very few of them. In two years, you can literally count the cases when I spoke to a person in Russian, and he turned away as if he couldn't hear me, and it was not very important to me people.
Compared to many European countries, salaries in Latvia are low. The last thing students get is a part-time job - around 200-300 euros after deducting all taxes. This is a job in network fast food or as a waitress. The minimum wage for permanent work is usually kept at 400 euros. This is, as everywhere else, unskilled work: salespeople, service providers, mechanics without special skills, factory workers.
The average income is about 700-900 euros. For example, about a thousand taxi drivers from Riga can get it. High incomes in IT and business. There you can earn from 1,500 euros.
There is the very center, the core of the city, which is called the Old Riga. There are mainly museums, hotels, bars, and there is very little housing there. There is a stratum between it and the dormitory areas - the areas where parties take place, cafes and bars are open, there is all sorts of activity, but there is already more housing. And then there are dormitory areas, they are very different: some still give up the Soviet Union, there are panel five-storey buildings, others have begun to rebuild, and there are completely new areas.
Renting the cheapest housing in Riga will cost about 250 euros. This is a studio apartment with old furniture and not the freshest repairs, but you can live. From 330 you can already find a good apartment in the sleeping area. I rent a studio with a bar, spacious bathroom and quality repair for so much. Unless it would be desirable to have a bigger kitchen, but in general the apartment suits me quite well. Now I live here alone, but there would be enough space for two. Approximately 500+ euros is already a premium segment. For this money you can easily rent a good big apartment for a family in a quiet center.
It is important to consider not only the cost of rent, but also utility bills. Here, they depend on the area, each of them is managed by a management company that sets its own tariffs. I get about 40 euros in summer and 60 or even 100 euros in winter if the frost strikes.
You can buy a small apartment in a panel for 20-30 thousand euros, but the housing is larger in the higher class houses - around 50 thousand euros.
In Riga there are buses, trams and trolleybuses. A ticket for one trip costs two euros if you buy it from the driver. In the city there is a "Riga City Card", which is issued to those who live in the city or own property. It gives you the opportunity to travel by public transport cheaper: the trip will cost around one euro. You can also get discounts when you buy a reusable electronic ticket. There are also minibuses here. Travel on an electronic ticket will cost 1.15 euros, and some minibuses have free Wi-Fi.
A local taxi aggregator is available in Riga with the possibility of ordering via a mobile application - Taxify. From my sleeping area you can get by taxi to the center for four to five euros, and to the airport - for 11.
Almost all locals have their own bikes, but sometimes they sit on them not to get anywhere, but just for fun. The city has bicycle lanes, and you can basically ride a bicycle. In Riga and Jurmala, there is also a Sixt bicycle rental company. It is mostly used by tourists. It is possible to issue a season ticket and put money on the account. Holders of a subscription pay five euros per day for using a bicycle.
I drive a car here. I fill a full tank for about 60 euros. It lasts for two weeks, if you ride only on the route of the house - work. But I like to ride somewhere else, so I burn a full tank in a week or a half.
There are big supermarkets in Riga: Lidl, Rimi, Maxima, Beta. There is also a Supernetto chain with inexpensive food of normal quality, but soon it will be closed down and replaced by Rimi, but not by large supermarkets, but by the shops at home. In the centre of Riga there is a famous market where farmers sell their vegetables, fruit, meat and milk. Similar markets are now open in other areas as well, even in bedrooms. In general, large agricultural companies are working and feel fine. But small and medium-scale farming is not very developed. The state tries to allocate money to people who grow and sell something, but few people use it.
I spend about 50 Euros on a basket of products for a week, but I am ready to admit that I buy luxury and expensive food. For example, I take turkey meat, buy cheese and fresh fruit. If you start saving money, you could easily meet the requirements of 20 euros. For example, a liter of milk costs about one euro, kefir - 1.20 euros, sour cream - almost two euros per 500 grams, bananas - 1.20 euros per kilo, beef - about eight euros, red sea fish - about ten euros.
I pay 12 euros for the home internet per month. This is an unlimited tariff with a speed of up to 200 megabits per second. I put 17 euros on my mobile phone per month. It is unlimited for everything: calls, including those outside Latvia, Internet, SMS.
Uh, so I've written it up! Let's stop. I think that now the information is enough to allow you to make a balanced decision to move.