Regions with the lowest cost share in housing and social services identified 05:44

The smallest share of household expenditures on housing and communal services (HCS) is about 6.3% in consumer spending and is observed in the Astrakhan region. At the same time, according to the study materials, the largest share is about 14% recorded in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. RIA Novosti.

The agency writes that issues related to housing and communal services are among the most discussed in Russia. The public is actively interested in periodic tariff increases that occur in the face of an opaque pricing system and constant complaints about the quality of services.

Tariffs for housing and communal services also affect inflation processes. For many Russians, paying electricity bills constitutes a significant part of the budget, and even a slight increase in tariffs can negatively affect the standard of living, especially for low-income people, RIA Novosti explained.

In 2023, tariffs were not indexed, but housing and utility prices increased after the December 2022 indexation. Despite this, the share of housing and utility expenses in family budgets decreased due to the positive income and expenditure dynamics of the population.

Experts from RIA Novosti analyzed how housing and utilities costs are distributed among families in different regions of the country. The study includes housing and communal services costs, as well as fuel costs for heating and lighting. Based on these data, a rating of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation was compiled by the share of population spending on housing and communal services.

According to the results of 2023, the smallest share of expenses for housing and communal services (HCS) was recorded in the Astrakhan region at only 6.3%. Low rates are also observed in Kalmykia, Dagestan, Sevastopol and Kabardino-Balkaria – in these regions the share of housing and communal services costs does not exceed 7% of the total consumer spending of families. Typically, the lowest costs for housing and communal services are typical for the southern regions, where energy consumption is lower. In general, residents of 60 regions spend less than 10% of their consumer spending on housing and communal services.

At the other end of the spectrum are the northern and Far Eastern regions, where utility costs are significantly higher due to the high cost of fuel and its higher consumption. The highest shares of expenditures are observed in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (14.0%), Buryatia (13.4%) and the Amur Region (13.3%). As a result, residents of 25 constituent entities of the Russian Federation allocate more than 10% of their consumer spending to housing and communal services.

Russians before reminded on housing and social services benefits for non-retirees.