I think that this question is so incredibly broad (similar to asking what life was like in Victorian England, or in Germany from WWI to WWII), that it makes sense to anwer it by recommending some books that I've found about everyday life in post-Revolutionary and Stalinist Russia.

I personally wouldn't venture to answer this question properly. But I will say that life was hard, it was materially austere, but to some extent knowingly and meaningfully so (similar to how monks embrace their austerity and take some pride in it). At the same time, the inequality based on party clout or administrative position, that will become a big problem for the USSR much later, gradually blossomed (not reliant on, and not expressed in money — but rather in the form of some state-issued amenities and authority, balanced by vastly increased personal responsibility and chances of downfall; like a big, big game of daring and intrigue). The rift between the city and the village, both psychological and material, widened. The informal "gray" world of favors and semi-legal trade sprang up and went through a whole series of transformations. In fact, most things about everyday life transformed several times, including experimentation with how people should work, eat, live, and rest. It was definitely not a monolithic chunk of time, but a succession of rather drastic changes.

Another thing is that people's life became increasingly transparent in all senses. It was open to criticism or scrutiny by the state and their peers (be it incisive satire in a magazine or anonymous denunciation); put in open view by the cramped living conditions in a rapidly urbanizing/industrializing country (the urban housing shortage was dire until long after the war); and evaluated and put to the test every time one wanted to progress in life (dissecting one's class background and lineage, possible former transgressions, worker's characteristic, recommendations). But as long as one checked out (...or maybe concealed the red flags and black marks during the review!) — social mobility skyrocketed, especially for those involved in new and modern industries and sciences.

The profound feeling of personal responsibility for propelling one's country into the future was a very strong motivator for many, most of all for these educated workers: scientists, engineers, administrators, army officers. This drive was often responsible for the paradoxical loyalty, patriotism, and tenacity in performing one's duty even when being persecuted, punished, or intimidated by the state; a contradiction that's difficult to perceive for external observer. In the eyes of the post-war generations, people who formed during that era were often seen as different: "iron", "hardened" — and not just because of them passively enduring hardship, but because of their seemingly unwavering resolve (and/or cunning) in the face of contradictory, dispiriting, and rapidly changing life situations. Of course, such individuals were the "survivors" of the era, the seasoned professionals who'd found their place — many others were pushed to the margins of society by the purges, or even perished; and the silent majority simply got by and managed.

Everyday Stalinism: Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times: Soviet Russia in the 1930s by Sheila Fitzpatrick

The Soviet Dream: World of Retail Trade and Consumption in the 1930s (Consumption and Public Life) by Amy Randall (this one has a nice user review/summary on Amazon)

Everyday Life in Early Soviet Russia: Taking the Revolution Inside

Russia in the Era of NEP: Explorations in Soviet Society and Culture

Music for the Revolution: Musicians and Power in Early Soviet Russia by Amy Nelson