Experts have stated that the cost of dating in Russia is growing faster than the income of young people

Romantic relationships in Russia are becoming noticeably more expensive as young people's incomes grow. Ilya Rusyaev, a business consultant and founder of the Rusyaev Club business community, told Izvestia about this on June 23.

"The most expensive thing in the last two years has been the basic elements of dating that form the first impression. Restaurant receipts increased by almost 24% over the year, by about 11% in bars, and by 8% in the fast food segment. In large cities, dinner per person by the end of 2025 reached about 4 thousand rubles. The associated costs have also increased significantly: coffee in bakeries has added about a quarter of the cost per year and more than 70% since the beginning of the decade, and the average movie ticket has exceeded 425 rubles, an increase of about 18% per year," the expert explained.

As Rusyaev noted, rising prices actually change dating scenarios. With the rise in the cost of leisure, young people are less likely to choose restaurants and cinemas, but at the same time one exit becomes noticeably more expensive. As a result, some meetings are gradually shifting to more budget—friendly formats such as walks, takeaway coffee or home meetings.

The expert also pointed out that inflation redistributes the structure of leisure time: the number of trips to establishments is decreasing, but the average check is growing. According to him, the previous model of "affordable dating" for students and young people has actually become a thing of the past amid rising food prices, rent, staff salaries and an increased tax burden.

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Rusyaev added that against the background of the gap between income growth and prices, in some cases, the need for additional employment to cover leisure expenses may increase. At the same time, nominal salaries increased by about 15% at the beginning of 2026, and about 9% in real terms, but the restaurant sector is growing faster than these indicators.

Separately, he stressed that people's perception of the cost of dating is formed not through statistics, but through specific expenses per evening, which increases the feeling of an increase in the cost of relationships in general.

In addition, State Duma deputy, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Budget and Taxes Kaplan Panesh (LDPR) announced the introduction of a new GOST for leather goods — bags, suitcases and briefcases from March 2027. The standard will establish requirements for the quality, safety and production of products, while not affecting school bags and goods for children.

"The introduction of GOST is aimed at improving the quality of goods and protecting consumers from short-lived products. However, he noted that this could be a serious challenge for businesses, and the final cost of products in the middle segment could increase by 10-20% due to increased costs and production adaptation," the parliamentarian explained.

On the same day, Rosstandart adopted GOST standards for leather goods, including bags, briefcases, suitcases, folders and other items. Thus, the requirements for the strength of seams, as well as handles and shoulder straps of bags were established. In particular, the strength of the thread seam for beach bags made of artificial leather should be at least 30 newtons per 1 cm. The same indicator is provided for travel backpacks, whereas for travel suitcases of rigid construction it is higher — at least 40 newtons per 1 cm.