Decline in average rental rates for single-occupancy residences in the city center to reach 32,000 units.
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Rental prices in Russia's major cities have seen a significant surge in July 2025, with average rates for one-room apartments in cities with over one million residents nearly doubling since the pandemic began[1].
The cities experiencing the most significant rental price increases are Russia's million-plus population cities, though specific city-by-city data was not detailed in the sources. The general trend applies broadly across major urban centers, indicating a widespread rise rather than isolated spikes[1].
Key factors contributing to this rise include post-pandemic market dynamics, preferential mortgage programs, and urban population pressure. As restrictions eased, rental demand intensified, stimulating housing market turnover and impacting rental supply and prices[1]. Preferential mortgage programs have also driven housing market activity, further fuelling the rental price increase[1].
Megacities with large populations naturally see greater rental demand, leading to faster price increases. For example, St. Petersburg saw an increase in rent to 51,000 rubles per month due to the tourist season[1]. However, not all cities followed this trend. Krasnodar experienced a rental price decrease of 2% to 26,400 rubles, while Krasnoyarsk saw a decrease to 25,000 rubles[1].
In July 2025, rental rates in Russian megacities increased by 2.9% compared to the previous month[1]. Over three months, rental rates increased by 4.1%. Cities such as Samara, Yekaterinburg, and Novosibirsk saw increases in rent to 30,000, 35,000, and 33,400 rubles per month, respectively[1].
Contrary to expectations, the increase in rental demand has slowed down in July 2025, according to Alexei Popov[1]. This is likely due to the seasonality of the housing market and a decrease in supply, as reported by experts[1]. In April 2025, rental prices in Russian megacities stopped declining after seven months of decrease[1].
Although there was data on rental costs in smaller cities such as Veliky Novgorod (rents ranging from 15,000 to 25,000 rubles monthly), this does not directly reflect the megacity trends but offers a contextual baseline for rent costs in significant but smaller urban centers[2]. No additional 2025-specific data on which exact megacities experienced the highest increases was found in the search results, but the overall pattern points to a generalized rise across Russia’s largest cities rather than isolated regional effects[1].
In conclusion, the rental price increase in July 2025 in Russian megacities is largely due to combined post-pandemic demand rebound and mortgage policy influences, broadly affecting all large cities with populations over one million[1].
[1] Source: "Yandex Arenda" and other housing market reports. [2] Source: Local housing market reports in Veliky Novgorod.
Amidst the post-pandemic market dynamics and mortgage policies, there seems to be an upward trend in lifestyle costs, particularly home-and-garden expenses, as rental prices in Russia's major cities have surged significantly. The increase in rental prices impacts the overall cost of living in these urban centers.
