Orenburg has risen to 26th place in the availability of rental housing

In the region, 57.5% of families with two children can afford to rent a typical two-bedroom apartment without denying themselves the necessary daily expenses. Last year, there were 51.4% of such families. Family income required to pay rent and daily expenses amounted to 102.2 thousand rubles (in 2025 – 99.3 thousand).

Despite the improvement of positions in the rating of rental affordability, in general, the level of well-being of Orenburg residents decreased: the region lost 4 positions in the all-Russian rating of population welfare by the end of 2025 and took only 61st place. That is, the paradox is obvious - rent has become more affordable, but the general welfare has fallen.

What about the neighbors? Samara region in the rating of affordability of rent took 31st place, Chelyabinsk — 23rd, Bashkortostan was on the 39th, Nizhny Novgorod — 30th. Tatarstan expectedly took the 4th line, the Perm Territory - 14th place, Udmurtia - 15th, Mordovia - 22nd. The leaders of the rating were Khanty-Mansiysk (77.5% of families) and Yamalo-Nenets (77.4%) autonomous districts, as well as Magadan region (72.1%). Close the list of Chechnya (14.4%), Ingushetia (19.1%) and Kabardino-Balkaria (22.5%).

That's the rating. The calculation was made according to official statistics: the availability of rent is determined by the share of families in the region who can rent a typical two-bedroom apartment. Experts believe that 70% of the funds left after deducting subsistence minimums from the family budget, the family spends on renting housing, and 30% on other expenses. Rental rates are taken for January-September 2026, subsistence minimums for 2026 individually for each subject.

The paradox that underlies this story is worth a separate conversation. On the one hand, the availability of rent in the region has increased: more families can rent housing without cutting themselves off in everyday spending, and the position in the ranking has improved immediately by 11 lines. On the other hand, the general level of well-being of Orenburg residents decreased, and the region lost 4 positions in the corresponding rating. How is that possible? One explanation is that rents in the region did not grow as fast as in other regions, amid declining incomes. That is, housing has become more affordable not because people have become richer, but because rent has become cheaper or not more expensive, and incomes have fallen. And this is no longer a reason for joy, but a signal that the improvement of the position in the ranking is not the growth of well-being, but its decline.

Do you think an improvement in the ranking is good news if the overall well-being of the region’s residents has fallen?