Where is it better to live in Russia: regions by salary, housing, health and unemployment
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There is no single best region: Moscow leads in salary and unemployment, Tyumen Oblast and Yugra in housing affordability, and Dagestan ranks first in life expectancy. Below is a comparison of regions by four Rosstat indicators: salary, apartment price, how many years people live, and how long they look for a job. There is no author's opinion here, only numbers. What is considered “better” is decided by the reader, and the tables and charts are available on the website in interactive form.
Summary table: ten regions and Russia
The largest regions from different parts of the country and two oil‑producing regions of Siberia are taken. The columns read left to right as a set “what I get, what I pay, how I live”.
| Region | Salary, ₽ per month, 2025 | Years of salary for a 54 m² apartment, 2024 | Life expectancy, years, 2023 | Unemployment, %, 2025 | Below the poverty line, %, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russia | 101,784 | 5.8 | 73.41 | 2.2 | 6.7 |
| Moscow | 181,777 | 8.9 | 79.38 | 0.8 | 3.8 |
| Saint Petersburg | 123,341 | 9.0 | 76.55 | 1.5 | 3.2 |
| Tatarstan | 91,495 | 8.9 | 75.23 | 1.7 | 3.3 |
| Tyumen Oblast | 133,753 | 4.1 | 75.44 | 1.4 | 7.6 |
| Krasnoyarsk Krai | 106,698 | 4.6 | 71.32 | 1.9 | 10.1 |
| Sverdlovsk Oblast | 89,675 | 5.6 | 71.84 | 1.4 | 5.5 |
| Novosibirsk Oblast | 88,684 | 6.2 | 72.20 | 2.7 | 7.5 |
| Voronezh Oblast | 75,525 | 6.3 | 72.91 | 2.0 | 4.9 |
| Krasnodar Krai | 80,518 | 11.7 | 73.71 | 2.0 | 6.2 |
Source: Rosstat. Gross salary, before tax. “Years of salary for an apartment” is a calculation by the website: price per square metre on the secondary market multiplied by 54, divided by the annual salary for the same year.
The first thing that catches the eye: no region has the best value in all columns. Moscow leads in salary, life expectancy and unemployment, but an apartment there costs almost nine annual salaries. Tyumen Oblast earns more than any other in this list after Moscow and can buy an apartment in four years, but its share of the poor is higher than the Russian average. For Krasnoyarsk Krai the picture is opposite: a good salary and cheap housing combine with the highest share of the poor in the table, 10.1%, and the shortest life expectancy, 71.32 years.
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Salary: from 44 thousand to 217 thousand
The highest average salary in 2025 is in Chukotka, 217,182 rubles per month. Next are Magadan Oblast (181,790) and Moscow (181,777). The lowest is in Ingushetia, 44,399 rubles, followed by Chechnya (46,404) and Dagestan (50,101). Moscow earns 4.1 times more than Ingushetia, and Chukotka almost 4.9 times more.
The gap between the capital and the rest of the country is narrowing slightly. In 2018 the Moscow salary was 1.92 times higher than the Russian average, in 2025 it is 1.79. The reason is that other regions are growing faster: Tatarstan from 35,172 to 91,495 rubles (2.60 times), Voronezh Oblast from 31,207 to 75,525 (2.42), Krasnodar Krai from 33,846 to 80,518 (2.38), Moscow 2.17 times, Saint Petersburg 2.04.
The figures are nominal, i.e., without price adjustment. What remains after inflation can be checked in the inflation calculator. How salary is divided into “average” and “typical” is explained in the article about median salary.
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Housing: how many years to save for an apartment
A high salary by itself says little until you compare it with the price of housing. For this, the website has a page housing affordability: there a secondary‑hand apartment of 54 square metres is converted into years of the region's average salary. Across Russia it comes to 5.8 years.
The most affordable housing is in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, 3.7 years, followed by Murmansk Oblast (3.8), Yamalo‑Nenets Autonomous Okrug (3.8) and Magadan Oblast (3.9). Tyumen is fifth in this list with 4.1 years. The most expensive are Sevastopol, 12.4 years, and Krasnodar Krai, 11.7. Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Tatarstan are close together, around nine years. In the middle of the list are Sverdlovsk Oblast (5.6) and Novosibirsk (6.2).
If you look only at the price per square metre without adjusting for salary, the picture is different. On the secondary market in 2024 the metre cost 320.3 thousand rubles in Moscow, 221.0 in Saint Petersburg and 182.8 in Kuban. The cheapest metre was in Ingushetia, 58.7 thousand, then Kabardino‑Balkaria (63.5) and Oryol Oblast (67.5). Moscow’s price per metre is 5.5 times higher than Ingushetia’s, 4.1 times higher by salary, and this imbalance makes capital‑city housing difficult.
The jump of Krasnodar Krai from 74.7 thousand in 2021 to 194.2 in 2022 is the sharpest in the set; Rosstat provides no explanation, so it should be read cautiously. Overall across the country the metre rose from 58.5 thousand rubles in 2019 to 114.1 in 2024, almost twice. The Moscow metre grew 1.8 times over these years, the Saint Petersburg metre 2.1 times, and the Kuban metre 3.1 times. More details on real‑estate prices by year are written in the article housing prices in 2026.
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Life expectancy: a spread of 13 years
The expected life expectancy at birth in Russia in 2023 was 73.41 years. The highest is Dagestan, 79.87, followed by Moscow (79.38) and Ingushetia (79.2). These are the only three regions where the value exceeds 79. Next come Kabardino-Balkaria (77.14), Saint Petersburg (76.55) and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug (76.32). The figures for the North Caucasus republics stand out noticeably from their neighbours and from the mortality picture, so comparing them with the rest of the country should be done with caution.
At the bottom are Chukotka, 66.56 years, and Tuva, 66.59. The gap between Moscow and Tuva is 12.8 years, between Dagestan and Chukotka 13.3. This is the difference that does not disappear after adjusting for price levels: it reflects health, longevity and risks.
The chart shows the pandemic dip. In Russia the indicator fell from 73.34 years in 2019 to 70.15 in 2021 and returned to 73.41 in 2023, i.e., slightly above the pre‑pandemic level. Moscow moved from 78.08 to 74.60 and back up to 79.38. Tuva stayed roughly the same: 67.50 in 2019 and 66.59 in 2023. A complete picture by subjects is provided by the article life expectancy by regions of Russia.
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Unemployment: Moscow versus the Caucasus
Unemployment in Russia in 2025 was 2.2%, the lowest value since 2000. In 2020 it was 5.8%. The lowest unemployment is in Moscow, 0.8%. Next are Kaluga and Novgorod regions (both 1.0%), Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (1.0%) and Yugra (1.0%). In Saint Petersburg 1.5%, in Tatarstan 1.7%.
On the other pole Ingushetia with 25.5%, Dagestan with 10.9%, North Ossetia with 7.0% and Chechnya with 6.7%. Ingushetia has not moved over the years: 27.3% in 2017, 32.4% in 2021, 25.5% now. The situation in Novosibirsk region improved more than any of the shown: 6.0% in 2017, 2.7% in 2025.
In the Rosstat set there is no value for 2022, so the lines on the chart connect 2021 and 2023. If low unemployment is important, it does not mean that everyone will find a good job: the indicator counts those who are looking for work and cannot find it. How unemployment changed across the country is examined separately: unemployment rate in 2026.
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What four indicators show at once
If you put the picture together, you get three types of regions.
Capital and St. Petersburg. The best values in the table for salary, life expectancy, unemployment and poverty (in Moscow 3.8%, in St. Petersburg 3.2%). Minus one, price: an apartment costs nine years of salary.
Resource north and Siberia. Yugra and Tyumen Oblast combine salary above 130 thousand, an apartment for 3.7-4.1 years of salary and unemployment around 1%. Life expectancy 75.44 years in Tyumen and 76.32 in Yugra higher than Russian. In Krasnoyarsk Krai income and housing are good, but life is shorter than average by 2.1 years, and the share of poor 10.1%.
Large centers of the south and the Volga region. Tatarstan, Voronezh Oblast and Krasnodar Krai are around the Russian level or below for salary, but Tatarstan has low poverty, 3.3%, Voronezh has cheap square meter, and Krasnodar Krai pays with the most expensive apartment in the table.
It is necessary to remember what is not in these data. Climate, distances, schools, hospitals near the house, quality of roads and air. Rosstat data describe money and demographics, and the choice of place to live does not end with them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which region of Russia has the highest salary?
In Chukotka: 217,182 rubles per month in 2025. Among regions with large populations, the first is Moscow with 181,777 rubles. The national average is 101,784.
Where in Russia is life expectancy the highest?
According to 2023 data, Dagestan, 79.87 years, then Moscow, 79.38, and Ingushetia, 79.2. The average for Russia is 73.41 years. Data for the North Caucasus republics differ sharply from neighboring regions, so they should be compared with caution.
Where is housing the cheapest?
By price per square meter on the secondary market in 2024, the cheapest is Ingushetia (58.7 thousand rubles), Kabardino-Balkaria (63.5) and Oryol Oblast (67.5). By the number of years of salary needed for an apartment, housing is most affordable in Yugra (3.7 years).
Where is unemployment the lowest?
In Moscow, 0.8% in 2025. The average indicator for Russia is 2.2%.
Can you choose the best region with a single number?
No. Rosstat publishes indicators separately and does not compile a composite quality‑of‑life rating. The most honest comparison is the table above, where each region has its own set of pros and cons.
Conclusions
Moscow leads in salary (181,777 ₽) and unemployment (0.8%), the share of the poor there is 3.8%, but an apartment costs 8.9 years of salary. Yugra and Tyumen offer high salaries and housing for 3.7‑4.1 years. Life expectancy is highest in Dagestan, Moscow and Ingushetia (79‑80 years), lowest in Chukotka and Tuva (around 66.5). The salary gap between regions reaches 4.9 times, and the life‑expectancy gap 13 years. Any comparison depends on what matters more: money, housing, health or work.