Swapping Leafy Montclair for Mighty Moscow: A Win or a Loss?

What's preferable ... organic burgers or stuffed potatoes? The 10 people accused of spying for Russia are moving back to Moscow just 11 days after being arrested. The adults, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy in a federal court on Thursday, are banned from returning to the United States without U.S. government approval although their children—all born in the United States—can return at any time. The 10 include Richard and Cynthia Murphy—whose real names are Vladimir and Lydia Guryev—who lived on Marquette Road in Montclair.

So if you're the Murphys, swapping leafy Montclair for suburban Moscow, is this a win or a loss? Here's a comparison between the two:

Cost: You think Montclair is expensive? A leading Cost of Living Survey from the Mercer consulting firm recently named Moscow as the fourth most expensive place in the world, a city where an apartment rented for as much as $47,000 a month earlier this year. Other expensive cities are Geneva and Luanda. New York City placed a lowly 27th on the list.

Food: Whereas Montclair is all about organic and healthy eating, Moscow is all about stuffed potatoes and blinchiki, or Russian crepes packed with a variety of fattening fillings. And while Montclair touts the organic, grass-fed beef at Elevation Burger, Moscow boasts a plethora of fast food. There's Rostiks, a Russian Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise, as well as Kruzhka, a chain of beer restaurants that sell cheap food and, duh, mugs of beer.

The Arts: Montclair may have Broadway on its doorstep, but Moscow also has its fair share of shows. West Side Story, for example, just made its debut in Russia last month. Moscow also has ballet at the Bolshoi and concerts at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory. But Montclair has Tony Bennett at the Wellmont and landscapes by George Inness at the Montclair Art Museum. Could be a tossup, really.

School System: Kids may prefer Moscow as compulsory education doesn't start until age 7 and ends at 15. And they'll have 1,700 high schools to choose from rather than a handful.

Climate: Okay, now we're talking. Montclair wins hands down. Although Moscow enjoys high temperatures of around 73 degrees in June, July, and August, the temperature normally drops to about 14 degrees during the winter. And snow cover is around for three to five months a year, from November to mid-March.

Public Spaces: Red Square versus Watchung Plaza?

Drinks: Vodka versus, er ...?" We'd better stop now.

What do you think? Email me at Shelley@patch.com