Yulia sometimes dines with her roommate, but the others prefer their privacy.
11 people live inside this kommunalka, sharing a kitchen, shower and toilet.
“Of course I like privacy, but I can’t afford it,” says Alexander, 24, a brewer working for popular Russian beer maker Zhiguli.
The kommunalka was built in 1903 and is still home to old appliances.
“Nobody wants to pay the communal electric bills. We never agree who owes what,” Yulia says.
Most residents here are in their 20s and have recently come to Moscow to pursue a dream.
“She is my third and best roommate ever,” Yulia boasts of Gohar, a hairstylist from Armenia.
“She is my third and best roommate ever,” Yulia boasts of Gohar, a hairstylist from Armenia.
“Living here is temporary, but in Russia nothing is as permanent as temporary,” muses Yevgeny, a 24-year-old pharmacist who has been living in this kommunalka for six months.
Monthly rent averages 22,000 rubles (about $425) per room. Residents prefer to share rooms in favor of lower living costs.
Leaving the kommunalka, Yulia stumbled across a man passed out next to a beer in the stairwell.
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