It is profitable to feed breakfast: morning meal in the Penza region was the cheapest in the country

Breakfast is an important meal that helps to recharge energy and tune in for the day ahead. At the same time, it is not only the benefits of products that matter, but also their cost. In this regard, the Penza region has something to boast about: the region was the leader in the cheapness of the usual home breakfast among other subjects of the country.

Journalists Life.ru decided to find out how much Russians have to spend on the morning meal, and compared prices for the same set of products in different parts of the country.

For the study, experts calculated the Breakfast Index, based on the average consumer prices of Rosstat for August 2026. The standard set included two eggs, 200 milliliters of milk, 15 grams of butter and 100 grams of wheat bread. They were added tea (2 g) or natural coffee (10 g). All these products can be bought in any region of Russia, and data on their cost are contained in the statistics of Rosstat. This allows you to objectively compare how much it costs the same set of products in different parts of the country.

It turned out that in the Penza region the cost of such a breakfast was the lowest among the studied regions. The option with tea will cost residents of the region 55.52 rubles, and with coffee - 72.64 rubles.

For comparison, in Tatarstan, a similar breakfast costs 59.29 and 76.73 rubles, respectively, in the Belgorod region - 61.63 and 77.81 rubles, and in the Sverdlovsk region - 65.06 and 83.20 rubles.

Much more expensive morning meals cost residents of Moscow. There, breakfast with tea is estimated at 81.14 rubles, and with coffee - at 98.88 rubles.

The highest rates among the studied regions were recorded in the Republic of Tyva: 81.92 rubles for tea and 100.06 rubles for coffee.

Analysts also estimated the costs for the month. If a resident of the Penza region will have a daily breakfast with such a set of products with coffee, for 30 days he will spend about 2,179 rubles. When choosing tea, the amount will be about 1 666 rubles.

At the same time, the difference in the cost of breakfast with tea and coffee in the Penza region is 17.12 rubles per day, or about 514 rubles per month.

Choosing coffee instead of tea at home breakfast costs an average of about 17-18 rubles a day. If you eat breakfast like this every day, a month is already a noticeable amount - for many it is comparable to paying for mobile communications or subscription to an online cinema. It is important to clarify: this is the cost of homemade breakfast, calculated at the average prices of Rosstat. It does not include cafe markup, delivery or cooking labor. And the difference between the regions is created not only by the price of tea or coffee, but also by the cost of eggs, bread, milk and butter, said Peter Shcherbachenko, associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.

Experts found that prices for basic products play a significant role in the formation of the cost of breakfast. So, in August, a dozen eggs in the Penza region cost an average of 60.83 rubles, while in Moscow - 117.91 rubles. A kilogram of wheat bread in the region was estimated at 100.12 rubles. against 161.24 rubles. in the capital.

Thus, about 97% of the difference in the cost of breakfast with tea in Moscow and Penza region accounted for eggs, bread, milk and butter. Tea accounts for only a small part of the price gap.

A similar situation is observed with breakfast, including coffee: approximately 95% of the difference in price is due to the cost of basic products.

The study authors stressed that the calculations reflect the cost of breakfast products at home. They did not take into account the cost of electricity, gas, delivery and other additional costs.

Thus, the cost of a homemade breakfast depends primarily on the prices of basic products, not on the choice between tea and coffee. At the same time, even a small daily difference in expenses for a month turns into a tangible amount. For Penzenians, the results of the study mean that the usual breakfast costs them less than residents of other regions included in the sample. However, its availability depends not only on prices, but also on the level of income of the population.