Russian spends $8.92 on a fast food meal, as US average of $6.50.

Russian spends $8.92 on a fast food meal, as US average of $6.50. According to research, the average Russian spends $8.92 on a fast food meal, as opposed to the United States average of $6.50. For example, a large “the works” pizza at Papa John’s in Kentucky costs $14, compared with $21.62 for the same pizza in Moscow. The reasoning? Russians, despite earning a lot less than Americans ($7,276 per annum in Russia versus $43,539 in the United States), actually have a lot of spare cash: They are unburdened by the hangover of consumer debt that has curbed American purchasing power. Nor do Russians have high medical bills because the health care system, if flawed, is largely socialized. The income tax is a flat 13 percent. And a majority of Russians own property mortgage-free, as a legacy of the mass privatization of apartments in the 1990s.