How much does healthcare cost in Russia in 2026?

When your RVP (temporary residence) or VNZh (permanent residence) status qualifies, OMS enrolment itself is not a Western-style monthly premium you shop for at a kiosk. You join a regional insurance medical organisation, then use the attached polyclinic and hospital programme. Visits inside covered acts can feel "free at the desk," yet paid diagnostics, dental extras, branded medicines, and queue-avoidance still hit the wallet. Tourists and many short visas stay outside OMS entirely; residence routes are covered in Apply for a residence permit.

Digital policy views through Gosuslugi help at many desks, but bring passport and status evidence to first visits. Clinic quality and English support thin out outside Moscow and Saint Petersburg, so regional movers should budget travel or private top-ups for specialist work.

DMS policies vary from basic outpatient networks to premium packages that include inpatient care and English-speaking clinics. Annual premiums stretch from modest tens of thousands of RUB for simple outpatient cover into much higher bands when maternity, dental extras, or flagship Moscow networks enter the policy.

Without insurance, mid-tier private consults in large cities often land in the mid thousands of RUB at networks such as Medsi. Premium Moscow clinics such as EMC or GMS commonly sit higher, sometimes well into five figures for specialist visits. That gap is why many expats in Living in Moscow treat DMS as a monthly cost line beside rent, not a luxury.

Pay clinic invoices with Mir or SBP once a local account works: Open a bank account. Foreign cards remain unreliable for everyday medical billing. Rebuild the household sheet in Monthly budget so health does not sit as an afterthought under rent.