Meat prices by year and in 2026: how much beef, pork, and chicken cost

2026-10-31 · Prices, inflation

A kilogram of beef in Russia costs an average of 759.90 rubles, pork 409.95, and chicken carcasses 272.75. These are Rosstat data as of October 19, 2026. Over the year, beef has become 14.4% more expensive, chicken 15.5%, and pork by only 2.5%. If you take a kilogram of chicken, a kilogram of pork, and half a kilogram of beef per week, the bill is now about 1,063 rubles, whereas in January 2022 it was about 699. Below are meat prices by year since 1991, weekly dynamics since 2022, a comparison of the three types of meat, and examples for a family budget. Each chart has an interactive version on roschart.ru.

How much meat costs in October 2026

Rosstat records prices once a week, on Mondays. As of October 19, 2026, the situation is as follows:

Beef is 2.8 times more expensive than chicken, and 85% more expensive than pork. For comparison: lamb in the same series costs 826.14 rubles, which is 8.7% more expensive than beef.

Pork is the only one remaining almost stable. In January 2026, it cost 401.79 rubles (January 19), by the beginning of July it dropped to 392.22, and only after that did it start to rise: 402.51 on September 7, 409.95 on October 19. This is the highest figure for the entire period of observation since 2022.

Chicken, on the contrary, became more expensive the fastest in the autumn. In May it cost 228.99 rubles (May 4), in July 243.78, at the beginning of September 264.80, and on October 19 it was 272.75. Since May, this is an increase of 19.1%.

Meat prices by year

The Rosstat annual series shows the price at the end of December. Here are the key points for three types of meat, in rubles per kilogram:

Over the 25 years from 2000 to 2025, beef prices increased 12.8 times, pork 6.8 times, and chicken 4.9 times. Since 2010, the picture is different: beef increased 3.4 times, chicken 2.25 times, and pork exactly 2 times. In 2010, beef and pork cost the same, 197.64 and 198.35 rubles. Today, the difference between them is 70% based on end-of-December 2025 prices and 85% based on October 2026 prices.

Before 1998, prices in the series are indicated in old rubles, before the denomination, and cannot be compared with later values. All numbers in this article are taken from 1998 onwards, when the series was already in new currency. The full table, including other products, is available in the dataset of average consumer prices 1991-2025.

The annual rate for the three types of meat varies significantly:

• beef: 2021 +15.4%, 2022 +16.3%, 2023 +7.4%, 2024 +14.1%, 2025 +14.0%. Not a single year of decline;
• pork: 2021 +15.9%, 2022 minus 1.3%, 2023 +12.0%, 2024 +6.0%, 2025 +8.7%;
• chicken: 2021 +26.1%, 2022 minus 2.9%, 2023 +27.7%, 2024 minus 1.1%, 2025 +5.2%.

Chicken is the most volatile: two years of sharp growth and two small declines. Beef grows steadily without pullbacks, which is why over the five years from 2020 to 2025 it increased in price by 87.3%, chicken by 62.7%, and pork by 47.7%. The general picture of food prices is analyzed in the article "Food prices in 2026".

How meat prices have increased week by week since January 2022

The weekly series begins on January 10, 2022. Since then, beef has increased by 82.7%: it was 415.98 rubles, and became 759.90. Pork has become 32.5% more expensive (from 309.36 to 409.95), and chicken by 49.8% (from 182.12 to 272.75).

Beef in the weekly series is growing in an almost straight line. As of March 25, 2024, it cost 543.55 rubles, on October 20, 2025, it was 664.11, on January 19, 2026, it was 686.74, on May 4, 736.11, on July 6, 744.99, and on September 7, 753.21. The record currently belongs to the week of October 12, 2026: 760.00 rubles. Last week, the price dipped slightly to 759.90, but this is within a tenth of a percent.

There are no sharp jumps in this series. For comparison: for eggs, which we wrote about in the article "Egg prices in 2026", the annual swings are much stronger.

Chicken: the sharpest autumn growth

Chilled and frozen chicken carcasses are traditionally considered the cheapest meat. But in 2026, they are the ones increasing in price faster than the others. In the spring of 2023, the price dropped to 169.69 rubles (April 17), which is the minimum of the weekly series. Since then, it has grown by 60.7%. As of March 25, 2024, chicken cost 218.75, on October 20, 2025, it was 236.07, and on January 19, 2026, it was 237.23.

Rosstat does not publish the reasons for the growth in its tables, so here there is only what is visible in the numbers. It is clear that the series is updating its maximum for several weeks in a row: October 5, 269.43, October 12, 270.71, October 19, 272.75.

What this means for the family budget

Let's take a simple weekly basket: a kilogram of chicken, a kilogram of pork, and half a kilogram of beef.

• in January 2022: 182.12 + 309.36 + 207.99 = 699.47 rubles;
• October 19, 2026: 272.75 + 409.95 + 379.95 = 1,062.65 rubles.

The basket has become 51.9% more expensive, an increase of 363 rubles per week, or about 1,570 rubles per month. If a family consumes twice as much meat, multiply by two.

Another way to grasp the scale. The average assigned pension in August 2026, 25,469 rubles, would have bought 33.5 kilograms of beef, or 62.1 kilograms of pork, or 93.4 kilograms of chicken. This is hypothetical, as pensions are not spent on meat alone. More details on the size of payments can be found in the article "Average pension in 2026". And the amount of meat one Russian consumes per year is shown in the summary "Meat consumption in Russia by year".

If you want to compare the rise in meat prices with general inflation, open the inflation calculator: enter the amount and the period, for example from January 2022 to October 2026, and compare it with the figures above. General inflation for 2025 is analyzed on the page "Inflation in Russia for 2025".

Questions and answers

How much does a kilogram of beef cost in 2026? On average across Russia, 759.90 rubles as of October 19, 2026. In January, it was 686.74 rubles (January 19), so the increase over nine months was 10.7%.

How much does a kilogram of pork cost in 2026? 409.95 rubles as of October 19. This is a record for the weekly series, but the growth since January is small: 401.79 rubles back then, that is +2.0%.

How much does chicken cost in 2026? 272.75 rubles per kilogram of chilled and frozen carcasses. Since May, the price has risen by 19.1%.

Which meat has become the most expensive in recent years? Since the end of 2020, beef: +87.3% by 2025. Chicken added 62.7%, pork 47.7%.

How much did meat cost in 2010? At the end of December: beef 197.64 rubles per kilogram, pork 198.35, chicken 105.14.

How did meat prices grow in 2025? Beef became 14.0% more expensive, pork 8.7%, chicken 5.2%. You can compare this with general inflation in the calculator, link above.

Summary

As of October 19, 2026, a kilogram of beef costs 759.90 rubles, pork 409.95, and chicken 272.75. Over the year, beef has increased in price by 14.4%, chicken by 15.5%, and pork by 2.5%. Over 25 years, beef has become 12.8 times more expensive, pork 6.8 times, and chicken 4.9 times. Beef prices rise steadily without pullbacks, chicken prices rise in spurts, and pork prices are almost stagnant. A family weekly basket (chicken, pork, half a kilo of beef) has grown from 699 to 1,063 rubles since January 2022, an increase of 51.9%. Source of all data: Rosstat.

See also

• Food prices in 2026: what has become more expensive over the year
• Milk prices by year
• Egg prices in 2026
• Average pension in 2026
• Inflation calculator