E-State: electronic cards instead of papers, affordable mortgages, high taxes and teachers from the Soviet era
The sight of scrubbed walls and ironed suits of staff seems to guarantee that you are unlikely to be served anything stale here. On the streets you won't find dogs or cats wandering in philosophical contemplation – all homeless animals are either in the homes of caring owners or in shelters. But who abound on the streets are people on rollerblades, skateboards, and bicycles: Estonia is experiencing a boom in healthy lifestyles.
NO BRIBE
Another hallmark of Estonia is the absolute absence of corruption. They began eradicating this notorious phenomenon of Soviet times 20 years ago, immediately after the collapse of the USSR – long before 2004, when the country joined the European Union. They acted harshly: they imprisoned anyone caught taking bribes. Special audit teams conducted a "witch hunt." So now in Estonia, people in positions of power are afraid to even accept a box of chocolates as a thank you.
ORDER ON THE ROADS
The changes also affected the traffic police. "Times are not what they used to be," says Tallinn businessman Erik Laine. "Once, I think in 1995, they stopped me for speeding. There was no question of issuing an official fine: they immediately named a fee of $20. I didn't have that much money with me, so I emptied my pockets and got about ten bucks. To get the rest, the law enforcers drove with me to the office, but along the way they changed their plans – they took my home phone number and scheduled a meeting for the next day. They called back first thing in the morning and hurried me: bring it quickly, they said."
I brought it, of course – I still had to drive on these roads, so I didn't want to deceive them. But now it's scary to even imagine such a turn of events. Recently, my wife exceeded the speed limit by 20 km/h – she had to pay an official fine of 156 euros."
LIFE WITH THE LETTER "E"
Estonia is called an electronic state. And for good reason: paper documents have almost disappeared in the country. Every Estonian from birth and people with residence permits have a plastic electronic ID card – an identity document. With it, you can create a digital signature, vote, pay for utilities, use banking services. And in October 2005, Estonians were the first in the world to vote via the Internet: they were electing local government bodies, and two years later, they also elected parliament in the same way.
COST OF LIVING AND MORTGAGES
Owners of a 70 sq. m apartment in an energy-efficient new building in Tallinn (yes, they care about resource conservation) pay about 70 euros in summer and 130 in winter. This amount includes the cost of garage maintenance, stairwell cleaning, and hot water, which is supplied year-round 24 hours a day. The sum is not small, but far from exorbitant: everyone living in buildings constructed in earlier times pays twice as much.
BUS
Public transport fares differ for residents and visitors. In Tallinn, for instance, lucky registered residents (with the corresponding electronic card) pay nothing for travel, while guests pay 1.10 euros per hour for the pleasure of riding a tram or bus, even if the trip is only 5 minutes. If you decide to save money and ride without a ticket, prepare for a 40 euro fine. However, buses don't get stuck in traffic because they travel in dedicated lanes.
HOUSING COSTS
The cost of residential real estate in Estonia, as in Ukraine, depends on the location: in central Tallinn, a square meter costs about 2,500 euros, in a residential area the price drops to 1,500 euros per sq. m, so a 75 sq. m apartment would cost 112,500 euros.
If there is not enough money to buy an apartment, Estonian citizens have the right to take out a loan. The highest interest rate will be about 3.5% per annum (if the bank considers the risks high). If the person has a good credit history, the rate may be reduced even to 2.5%. The loan can be paid off until retirement.
COUNTRY LIFE
Estonians move to the countryside for two reasons: to get away from the city or to start a business. For example, in a picturesque spot on the island of Saaremaa in the Baltic Sea, a house-hotel costs 400,000 euros. And in the quiet village of Keila, 25 km from the capital, a residential house of 80 sq. m with 1.5 hectares of land will cost 39,000 euros.
Families move out of town – almost everywhere has all the infrastructure. Estonians love villages: they understand how important it is to breathe fresh air and eat properly grown, clean products.
THE MONEY QUESTION
According to official data, the average salary of Estonians last year was 1,015 euros, but in reality many earn much less: for example, cashiers in supermarkets get about 350 euros, factory guards and manual workers about 400 euros. However, there are completely different salaries: a doctor gets about 1,400 euros, a nurse 800, a teacher from 800 to 1,200 euros. Officials, police officers, and migration service employees earn from 700 euros to 5,000 euros. The number of zeros in the salary amount increases with higher education, and you won't be hired for a managerial position without higher education at all.
However, good specialists – be it a welder or a hairdresser – can earn up to 3,000 euros per month. "I work as a manicurist in a salon in the center of Tallinn," says Marta Rekand. "My rate is 28 euros for acrylic nail extensions and 20 for maintenance with a manicure. The process takes about 2 hours, so I can serve about five clients in a 10-hour workday. In 20 working days I earn about 2,000 euros. And my prices are not the highest. Many charge more, and therefore earn more."
Read the continuation: LIVING EUROPEAN STYLE: Estonia (part 2)
Yanika KALYUVEE.
Based on materials from Сегодня.ua