Fish Prices by Year and in 2026: How Much Fish Costs and Why It Is Getting More Expensive
A kilogram of frozen whole fish in Russia currently costs an average of 391.06 rubles. These are Rosstat data as of October 26, 2026. A year ago it was 325.67 rubles, i.e., fish became more expensive by 20.1%, and since January 2022 the price has doubled, by 103.6%. Below are fish prices by year since 2000, weekly dynamics since 2022, salted and smoked fish, canned fish and a breakdown of what makes up the price tag in a store. Each chart has an interactive version on roschart.ru.
How Much Fish Costs in October 2026
Rosstat collects prices for frozen whole fish every week. The latest points in the series:
| Date | Price per kg |
|---|---|
| October 20, 2025 | 324.88 ₽ |
| December 22, 2025 | 330.56 ₽ |
| October 12, 2026 | 385.61 ₽ |
| October 19, 2026 | 387.70 ₽ |
| October 26, 2026 | 391.06 ₽ |
Since the end of December 2025 the fish has increased by 18.3%. The price is rising without setbacks: each of the latest weeks in the series is higher than the previous one.
For the buyer this looks like this. If you buy a kilogram of frozen fish each week, over a year it adds up to about 20,335 rubles at the price of October 26, 2026. In January 2022, at 192.05 rubles, the same would have cost 9,987. The difference is more than 10 thousand rubles per year for the same fish.
Fish Prices by Year
Rosstat's annual series shows the price at the end of December. It includes three types of fish: frozen whole, salted, marinated and smoked, as well as fish preserves. Key points, rubles per kilogram:
| Year | Frozen | Salted, marinated, smoked |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 29.54 | 61.22 |
| 2005 | 55.76 | 130.65 |
| 2010 | 79.22 | 215.55 |
| 2015 | 138.16 | 352.58 |
| 2020 | 181.08 | 453.54 |
| 2021 | 192.61 | 525.66 |
| 2022 | 207.56 | 597.77 |
| 2023 | 227.37 | 629.34 |
| 2024 | 276.90 | 765.30 |
| 2025 | 330.56 | 898.87 |
Over 25 years from 2000 to 2025, frozen fish became 11.2 times more expensive, and salted and smoked fish 14.7 times more expensive. Since 2010, both groups grew equally, by 4.2 times. Salted and smoked fish always cost a little more than twice the price of frozen fish: 2.1 times higher in 2000, 2.7 times higher in 2025.
Growth was uneven. Frozen fish in recent years:
- 2022: plus 7.8%, from 192.61 to 207.56 rubles;
- 2023: plus 9.5%, to 227.37;
- 2024: plus 21.8%, to 276.90;
- 2025: plus 19.4%, to 330.56.
The last two years in a row the fish price rose by almost a fifth. Salted and smoked fish repeats this picture: plus 5.3% in 2023, plus 21.6% in 2024, plus 17.5% in 2025. Over five years from 2020 to 2025, frozen fish increased by 82.5%, salted and smoked by 98.2%, i.e., almost doubled.
Fish preserves (natural and with oil) cost 690.19 rubles per kilogram in 2025. Here the series breaks: in 2021 the value was 156.01, in 2022 it jumped to 534.69. The three‑fold jump is not linked to the real price, so a fair comparison is possible only from 2022 onward. During this period preserves became 29.1% more expensive: 2.6% in 2023, 11.1% in 2024 and 13.2% in 2025. The full table is in the set of average consumer prices 1991‑2025, where you can place fish next to meat and milk.
Fish by weeks: how the price has moved since 2022
The weekly series starts 10 January 2022: then frozen fish cost 192.05 rubles. The lowest price for the whole series was on 11 February 2022, 190.33 rubles. Then the series steadily goes up:
- 16 January 2023: 207.19 rubles;
- 9 January 2024: 230.64 rubles;
- 9 January 2025: 282.04 rubles;
- 12 January 2026: 336.86 rubles;
- 26 October 2026: 391.06 rubles.
Each January the price is higher than the January of the previous year, and the gap widens. From January 2022 to January 2023 the increase was 15 rubles, to January 2024 23, to January 2025 51, to January 2026 55.
Rosstat does not publish the reasons for price changes, so we will not guess what exactly raised the price. However the data show the main point: fish becomes more expensive faster than the average for food products. The overall picture for the basket is discussed in the article "Prices of food products in 2026".
What makes up the price of fish
Rosstat separately publishes the structure of the retail price for frozen cut fish, except salmonids. This is not the same as whole fish: the retail kilogram in this set costs 480.99 rubles. Let’s see where this money goes.
- Raw material (the fish itself and materials after waste is deducted): 114.94 rubles, or 23.9% of the retail price.
- Salary with contributions at the producer: 17.71 rubles, 3.7%.
- Producer's ex‑factory price with taxes and delivery: 188.94 rubles, 39.3%.
- Turnover of the distribution sphere, i.e., everything added by wholesalers and the shop: 292.05 rubles, 60.7%.
- Profit of retail trade organisations: 65.40 rubles, 13.6%.
It turns out that raw material accounts for less than a quarter of the price, while more than half of the price tag is made up by wholesale and retail links. The shop’s profit (65.40 rubles) is 3.7 times larger than the salary at the plant (17.71). The price in the shop is strongly affected by the number of links between the fisherman and the shelf. The full breakdown, including taxes and delivery costs, is available on the page "Structure of the retail price for frozen cut fish".
How much fish costs a family
Two simple Rosstat price examples. They show the order of magnitude, not your receipt.
Fish for dinner twice a week. If each dinner uses 400 grams of frozen fish, a week requires 800 grams, and 52 weeks require 41.6 kilograms. At the price of 26 October 2026 this is about 16,270 rubles per year. At the price of January 2022 it would be about 7,990. The difference is about 8,280 rubles per year for the same menu.
Smoked fish at the table. A kilogram of salted and smoked fish at the end‑December 2025 price cost 898.87 rubles. Over five years, since 2020, it increased by 445 rubles. Buying half a kilogram once a month costs about 5,390 rubles per year.
For your own calculations use the inflation calculator: it will show how the purchasing power of the ruble has changed over the selected period.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a kilogram of fish cost in 2026?
According to Rosstat, as of October 26, 2026 the average price of a kilogram of frozen whole fish in Russia was 391.06 rubles. In mid‑January 2026 it was about 337 rubles.
How much has fish become more expensive over a year?
Frozen whole fish on October 26, 2026 costs 20.1% more than on October 27, 2025 (391.06 versus 325.67 rubles). A year earlier, in 2025, the increase for the December year was 19.4%.
How have fish prices changed over the years?
From 2000 to 2025 frozen fish rose from 29.54 to 330.56 rubles per kilogram (by a factor of 11.2), salted and smoked fish from 61.22 to 898.87 rubles (by a factor of 14.7). The fastest growth occurred in 2024 and 2025: about 20% per year.
Which is more expensive, frozen or smoked fish?
Salted, marinated and smoked fish are 2.7 times more expensive than frozen: 898.87 versus 330.56 rubles per kilogram at the end of 2025. In 2000 the difference was twice as large.
Why is fish in the store so expensive?
Rosstat shows the price structure of frozen split fish: 60.7% of the retail price (292.05 of 480.99 rubles) goes to wholesale and retail stages, 39.3% to the producer, of which raw material accounts for 23.9%.
In Brief
- Frozen whole fish on October 26, 2026 costs 391.06 rubles per kilogram, 20.1% more than a year ago.
- Since January 2022 the price has risen by 103.6%, since the end of 2025 by 18.3%.
- From 2000 to 2025 frozen fish became 11.2 times more expensive, salted and smoked fish 14.7 times.
- In 2024 and 2025 fish prices increased by about 20% per year, faster than in 2022 and 2023.
- Of the retail price of frozen split fish, 60.7% remains in wholesale and retail trade, and raw material accounts for 23.9%.
Data: Rosstat, annual and weekly average consumer prices, retail price structure.