Novy Urengoy leads Russian city ranking for salary purchasing power

Novy Urengoy topped RIA Novosti’s new purchasing-power ranking, while Anadyr recorded the highest average take-home salary. The study covers the first half of 2026.

Researchers compared average pay after personal income tax with the regional cost of a fixed basket of goods and services. The annual ranking includes 100 cities and uses official statistics for large and medium-sized enterprises.

Novy Urengoy retained first place for a fifth consecutive year, with average net pay equivalent to 5.93 baskets. Salekhard followed at 5.59 and Anadyr at 5.29. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Moscow, Krasnogorsk, Magadan, Surgut, Odintsovo and Khimki completed the top ten.

Moscow ranked fifth for purchasing power at 4.89 baskets. St Petersburg was eleventh at 4.45. Among cities with more than a million residents, Volgograd placed lowest, ranking 68th overall at 3.08 baskets.

Grozny and Nalchik occupied the bottom two positions. Grozny’s average take-home pay covered 2.19 baskets, compared with more than five in the three leading cities. Most cities fell between 2.5 and 3.5 baskets.

The ranking for pay alone had a different leader. Anadyr’s average monthly take-home salary exceeded 238,600 rubles. Moscow followed at 194,000 rubles, ahead of Novy Urengoy at 180,300, Salekhard at 170,100 and Magadan at 168,400.

Average net pay exceeded 100,000 rubles in 27 cities, seven more than a year earlier. Grozny, Vladikavkaz, Nalchik, Cherkessk, Elista and Magas recorded averages below 60,000 rubles.

Saransk posted the fastest year-on-year pay growth at 30.9%, followed by Kaluga at 23.3% and Anadyr at 21.3%. Nizhny Tagil recorded the weakest increase, at 0.7%. These are nominal changes and do not measure gains after inflation.