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- Pull the basket: the gap in prices of the basic set of goods in the regions has grown to 19 thousand.
Pull the basket: the gap in prices of the basic set of goods in the regions has grown to 19 thousand.
The gap in the cost of a fixed set of goods between regions increased for the first time in two years, and immediately by 12%, to 19 thousand rubles, according to Rosstat data. We are talking about a basket of 83 items, including products, basic necessities and services (bread, potatoes, soap, utilities, travel). In October, the most expensive recruitment turned out to be in Chukotka (41 thousand rubles) and Moscow (38 thousand), the cheapest in the Saratov and Astrakhan regions (22 thousand). The differences are related to uneven wage growth in the regions, logistics and food production costs, as well as varying degrees of competition in regional markets. See the Izvestia article about how inflation is changing and what can reduce price inequality.
The most expensive and most affordable regions of the Russian Federation
The average cost of a fixed set of goods and services in Russia for October 2025 exceeded 25 thousand rubles. Over the year, the indicator increased by 10%, according to Rosstat data (they were studied by Izvestia).
We are talking about the basic basket, which includes food, basic necessities and services, calculated based on the conditionally consumed volume per person per month and average prices by region. The set includes 83 items ranging from bread, potatoes and soap to household chemicals, utilities, travel and communications. The data is needed for an inter-regional comparison of purchasing power.
At the same time, the cost of a fixed set varies markedly by region. According to Rosstat, the highest prices were recorded in Chukotka — almost 41 thousand. And the lowest prices are in the Saratov region, where basic goods cost about 22 thousand rubles.
Thus, the gap between the regions reached 19 thousand, which is the highest figure in the entire history of observations, Izvestia calculated. For the first time in two years, this difference increased by 12% at once. Izvestia sent requests to the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
However, the rate of increase in the cost of recruitment varied. In Chukotka, prices rose by 11% over the year, to 41 thousand rubles, in Moscow — by 15%, to almost 38 thousand. The Murmansk Region closes the top three most expensive regions, where basic goods have risen in price by 14%, to 30 thousand.
In the most affordable regions — Saratov, Astrakhan and Oryol regions — prices increased more modestly: by 8-9%, to about 22 thousand rubles.
The Rosstat press service told Izvestia that the service does not generate official statistics on the reasons for changes in the cost of a basic set of goods and services, so comments on this topic are not within its competence.
Why do prices differ in regions?
The growing gap in the cost of a fixed set in 2025 is associated with both general high inflation and uneven price dynamics across regions, said Natalia Milchakova, a leading analyst at Freedom Finance Global. According to her, in regions with a more expensive cost of living, inflation is slowing down more slowly than in territories with relatively low prices.
According to Rosstat, from the end of 2024 to the beginning of October 2025, the largest price increase was recorded in the Far East - inflation was 5.1% (including 6.8% for products and 7.8% for services). The lowest growth rates were recorded in the Central and North Caucasus Federal Districts - 3.8%, while in food — 1.1% and 2.1%, in services — 9.7% and 8%, respectively.
The high cost of recruitment in the northern and Far Eastern regions is explained by objective factors — significant transport costs and more expensive fuel, Natalia Milchakova noted. According to her, the prices of fresh fruits and vegetables here are noticeably higher than the Russian average, since they are delivered from other regions and high logistics are included in the final cost.
In Moscow, the higher price level is partly due to the fact that rent is higher in the capital, as well as salaries and incomes of the population. The average salary in August in the capital was 161 thousand rubles, an increase of 13% over the year, Milchakova explained.
The territories of the Far North, Siberia and the Far East are also traditionally distinguished by high salaries, including due to allowances, added Ekaterina Kosareva, managing partner of the VMT Consult analytical agency. According to her, the increase in labor costs is also reflected in the final price of goods and services.
So, according to Rosstat, in Chukotka, the average salary reached 193 thousand rubles in August, which increased by 13% over the year. At the same time, in the Saratov and Astrakhan regions, salaries are 65 and 67 thousand, respectively, an increase of 7 to 13%.
In addition, pricing is influenced by the level of production costs. For example, in the south of the country, vegetables are grown at lower costs than in greenhouses in the Arkhangelsk region, where the cost of heating and logistics is higher, Ekaterina Kosareva noted.
According to Natalia Milchakova, in the southern and agricultural regions, including the Black Earth region, a significant proportion of the population have private houses, vegetable gardens and orchards, which allows them to grow fruits and vegetables independently. This reduces the demand for purchased fruit and vegetable products and, consequently, keeps prices lower than in the northern regions.
Finally, in regions where one or two suppliers dominate the market, monopolists can actually dictate prices (for example, in the North). On the contrary, with a larger number of sellers, competition increases, which leads to more objective and fair pricing, Ekaterina Kosareva noted.
What causes regional price inequality?
— Increased price stratification between regions can lead to an increase in social tension if the incomes of the population do not keep up with the rising cost of living in more expensive territories. This situation can increase internal migration: northern and remote regions will lose residents, and more accessible ones will experience additional pressure on the labor market and social infrastructure," says Yaroslav Kabakov, Director of Strategy at Finam IC.
If inflation slows down and tariffs become more predictable, price differences between regions may partially stabilize, he predicts. However, while maintaining high logistical and infrastructural costs in the northern and metropolitan areas, the pressure on the cost of a fixed set will remain, which will widen the gap.
The growing inequality in regional prices will require more active income equalization, especially in regions where they are significantly lower than the national average, Natalia Milchakova believes. According to her, additional measures to combat poverty may be needed there — food aid, increased payments to poor and large families. The expert also noted that at the same time, the effectiveness of monetary policy may decrease, since prices in different regions react to changes in the key rate with different speeds and time lag.
It is possible to reduce the price range, but this requires investments in infrastructure, the development of local production and flexible tariff regulation, Yaroslav Kabakov believes. In his opinion, targeted social support is also able to smooth out differences, but such measures will require significant budget money. At the same time, the expert stressed, price equalization should not be an end in itself: what is important is not the absolute equality of the cost of the basket, but the accessibility of life for residents of each region. Therefore, the key objectives remain to increase real incomes and reduce costs where they are most noticeable.
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