The cost of long-term rentals in nine million-plus cities decreased over the holidays

The cost of long-term rentals in nine million-plus cities decreased over the New Year holidays. This was reported to Izvestia on January 14 by analysts of the Yandex Rent service, who conducted market research.

The most noticeable reduction in the median rental rate compared to the end of 2025 occurred in Rostov-on-Don (-2.8%; 31 thousand rubles), Krasnoyarsk (-2%; 28 thousand rubles), Moscow (-1.7%; 90 thousand rubles), Chelyabinsk (-1.4%; 26 thousand rubles) and Samara (-1.3%; 32 thousand rubles). The cost also decreased slightly in St. Petersburg (-0.9%; 45 thousand rubles), Yekaterinburg (-0.9%; 35 thousand rubles), Perm (-0.9%; 30 thousand rubles) and Nizhny Novgorod (-0.5%; 37 thousand rubles).

In several other metropolitan areas, the median rate stagnated or varied within half a percent. Only two million-plus cities recorded growth in early January: Ufa (+5.2%; 27 thousand rubles) and Omsk (+3.2%; 26 thousand rubles).

"The rental market in most cities was in a state of seasonal lull in the first decade of January. The supply in most megacities has been declining or stagnating in less than two weeks, and the average number of apartments for rent among millionaires has increased by only 1%. The trend is due to the fact that some owners temporarily removed their ads from publication by the beginning of the new year in order to return to finding a tenant after the holidays. As a result, cost changes are largely related to changes in the structure of the offer," Roman Zhukov, head of the Yandex Rent service, explained to Izvestia.

According to him, in general, January remains one of the most comfortable months for tenants to find rental housing. At the beginning of the year, demand is still not so high, the competition between candidates is lower, which means that future tenants have more time to choose rental housing at the right price and within a comfortable time frame.

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On December 17, 2025, Yandex Rent analysts, speaking with Izvestia, reported that by the end of last year, the cost of long-term rentals in megacities had decreased by almost 4% by the end of the year. It was clarified that by the end of the first decade of December, the median long-term rental rate for all types of rooms in megacities was 35 thousand rubles (-3.8% per month; -3.3% per year). At that time, Zhukov noted an increase in the number of apartments for rent — this figure increased by 7.5%. Experts predicted that the trend could continue in the post-holiday period.

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