Monthly minimum wage in Russia and its major cities 2025
The monthly minimum wage in Russia as of January 1, 2025, amounted to 22,440 Russian rubles, or approximately 251 U.S. dollars using the exchange rate as of February 28, 2025. In the capital Moscow, it was set at 32,916 Russian rubles, or around 368 U.S. dollars. In the country's second-largest city, Saint Petersburg, it was lower, at 28,750 Russian rubles. Starting from 2021, the minimum wage in Russia was calculated as 42 percent of the median wage. Between 2018 and 2020, it equaled to the minimum cost of living that was set in the country.
The poor and the rich in Russia
Around 12 million residents lived under the poverty line in Russia. Those earning the highest 20 percent of income accounted for approximately 46 percent of the total composite monetary income in 2023, while the group with the lowest income had a 5.5-percent share.
Regional disparities
The economic disparity was also observed across Russian federal subjects. The median monthly wage ranged from 19,000 Russian rubles in the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic to 78,000 Russian rubles in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug between September 2018 and August 2019. Minimum wage thresholds can be regulated by regional authorities, as long as they are not lower than the federal minimum wage.
