Residents of most North Caucasus republics would need between 9 and 12 years to save enough money to buy their own apartment. According to a new housing affordability ranking by RIA Novosti, these timeframes are the longest in the country.

Analysts found the situation to be most difficult in Dagestan. There, a family with one child would need about 12 years to save for a 60-square-meter apartment on the secondary market. Next in line were Kabardino-Balkaria (11.8 years), Chechnya (11.3), Ingushetia (11.2), Karachay-Cherkessia (10 years), and North Ossetia (9.2 years).

In neighboring regions, the time required is significantly shorter: purchasing similar housing would take 7.9 years in Krasnodar Krai, 6.9 years in Stavropol Krai, and 6.3 years in Rostov Oblast.

The study’s authors calculated the minimum time a family with one child would need to save for a 60-square-meter apartment on the secondary market. The calculations utilized regional median wages and assumed the family saved all income remaining after covering subsistence-level expenses. Analysts identified low median wages as the primary reason for the lack of housing affordability in the North Caucasus republics.

Housing affordability issues are also reflected in other socio-economic indicators for the region. Ingushetia previously ranked 84th out of 85 in a ranking of the socio-economic status of Russian regions, while five North Caucasus republics appeared at the bottom of a ranking regarding family well-being. According to these calculations, in Chechnya, Ingushetia, and Kabardino-Balkaria, a family with two working parents and two children ends up in the red after covering essential expenses, based on median wages and regional subsistence minimums.

On average across Russia, it takes a family about 4.9 years to save up for an apartment. In Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Chechnya, and Ingushetia, this period is nearly two and a half times longer.

At the same time, housing affordability has improved in most Russian regions compared to last year, driven by rising wages and high bank deposit rates that have outpaced the growth of real estate prices. However, the North Caucasus republics remain at the bottom of the rankings.