The 2021 consumer basket is an indicator of the well-being of Russian citizens

Structure and size of the consumer basket

The peculiarity of the current consumer basket is that its size depends on the cost of the necessary food products for each person.

It is worth considering that the law does not establish a list of services and non-food products. With its help, the government only shows that their price is determined by the ratio to food.

Services, like products, account for 50% of the cost. Thus, the total cost of the consumer basket is determined by the price of products multiplied by two.

The structure of the consumer basket consists of 3 parts:

• a minimum set of products divided into 11 groups;
• shoes, clothing and medicines as essential items;
• payments for transport and utilities.

It is worth considering that groups 2 and 3 are taken into account by law only formally. In fact, their value is determined “actually.”

What is included in the consumer basket in Russia in 2021

The consumer basket in Russia includes the following types of expenses: food, non-food products, services.

Since 2012, the principles for calculating the cost of the consumer basket have been simplified. To date, the legislation describes in detail only what is included in the minimum food basket. Expenditures on non-food goods/services are not detailed. Their minimum amount is now tied to the cost of the food package.

In 2021, the food part of the consumer basket in Russia includes:

Rosstat calculates the cost of a given set of products in terms of 1 month (each item is divided by 12). To determine the cost of the consumer basket, the cost of the grocery set is doubled.

Conventionally, it is considered that non-food products of the consumer basket cost 50% of the food part, the same amount is the cost of the minimum set of necessary services.

Consumer basket 2021 in Russia by month

The last official review of the structure of the current consumer basket was carried out five years ago. The cart for 12 months includes:

• 126.5 kg of bakery and pasta products;
• 100.4 kg of starch-containing products;
• 114.6 kg of tomatoes, cabbage, cucumbers and other vegetables;
• 60 kg of fruit, including apples, oranges and pears;
• 23.8 kg of confectionery and sweets;
• 58.6 kg of meat products;
• 18.5 kg of fish products;
• 290 kg of fermented milk products;
• 210 kg eggs;
• 11 kg of fats and vegetable oil;
• 4.9 kg of other products.

In relation to the products indicated in the list, half of the cost is spent on non-food products and another 50% on other services provided to the population. It is also worth considering that the cost of food is currently artificially reduced by almost 2 times, therefore the cost of living is below the norm.

It is worth considering that the minimum wage from May 1 is set at 11,163 rubles. per month. At the same time, the daily consumer basket of a Russian, taking into account fees for treatment, travel, food and other services, is 502.37 rubles.

The cost of the consumer basket in Russia - official data

Table: consumer basket 2021 in Russia

What does the consumer basket look like in 2021 (composition and price per month) in the Russian Federation? On the official website of Rosstat there is a form that shows the cost of a conditional (minimum) set of food products. For comparison, let’s take data for Russia as a whole, Moscow and St. Petersburg:

It looks implausible, especially considering that according to such calculations a person can spend only 132 rubles on food per day.

Now let’s see what the full consumer basket in Russia is for 2021 (official Rosstat data on the cost of a fixed set of consumer goods and services):

Let us remind you that the minimum wage from May 1 is set at 11,163 rubles per month. At the same time, the daily consumer basket of a Russian in rubles (2018, for May) is 502.37 rubles. This includes fees for treatment, food, travel, housing and communal services, etc.

The cost of the consumer basket directly affects the cost of living, and from 2021, the minimum wage. The mechanism is as follows: quarterly, Rosstat calculates the price of the consumer basket, on the basis of which the cost of living is determined. Let us remind you that from May 1, 2021, the minimum wage is 100% of the minimum wage.

We'll tell you how much the consumer basket costs in 2021. The composition and price for a month of the minimum set of food, non-food goods and services that are necessary for survival in the Russian Federation will be presented below.

What is included in the Muscovites' consumer basket?

If we consider the norms of the consumer basket for Moscow and Muscovites, then this is the picture we get.

Each citizen can consume per day:

Composition of the consumer basket

• 370 grams of bread;
• 290 grams of potatoes;
• 370 grams of vegetables;
• 180 grams of fruit;
• 780 grams of dairy and fermented milk products;
• 60 grams of sweets; half an egg;
• 70 grams of fish;
• 180 meat.

In addition, the necessary products include vegetable oil, tea, fats, and so on. Such products are required in the diet. As you can see, there are no cheeses, seafood, alcohol, sweet drinks, or delicacies.

How is the consumer basket calculated abroad?

Experts note that compared to other countries, Russia’s consumer basket is quite compact. It includes only 30 items: 10 items each for food, non-food products and services. For comparison: in the US, the consumer basket includes more than 300 items.

In the West, it is customary to inflate the basket on which benefits for low-income citizens depend. The more goods in the basket, the greater the benefits for the poor. In other words, the state spends more to support these segments of the population than it could, but on the other hand, it receives a return by stimulating production, tax revenues and economic growth as a whole.

It is not surprising that each US state has its own consumer basket. “In our country, the food basket is a kind of social indicator of the well-being of the population, but in the USA it is more of a reference information that allows you to estimate the expenses of a household if it plans to live in a given state.

Official data on the cost of the consumer basket in Russia in 2021

Rosstat calculates the cost of the minimum set of food products described above every month. Statistics are calculated in general for the country and in each region separately.

Every month, Rosstat calculates the cost of the minimum set of food products that we have given above. Statistics are compiled for the country as a whole and for each of the regions of Russia.

Real version of the economy grocery list for a month for a family of 3 people

The approximate list of the consumer basket is quite balanced, but each family has its own preferences.
For example, one family consumes less fruit, while another family does not consume sugar at all. Therefore, it is important to make a monthly grocery list for a family of 3 people yourself. What does a family of 3 usually include in their monthly budget shopping list:

• vegetables (cabbage, potatoes, onions, carrots, etc.);
• fruits (apples, bananas, pears, oranges, etc.)
• dairy products (milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream, etc.)
• canned products (sprats, peas, corn, cucumbers, tomato paste, etc.);
• meat (chicken, beef, minced meat, heart, liver, sausage, etc.);
• freezing (frozen mushrooms, dumplings, semi-finished products, etc.);
• cereals and flour products (rice, buckwheat, horns, noodles, etc.)
• other products (honey, vegetable oil, spices, tea, soda, etc.).

What can you buy with 3 thousand rubles?
If you carefully record all the foods you eat, you can correctly determine the volume of products you buy. In order to learn how to make monthly grocery lists for a family of 3 people economically, you need to make lists for each trip to the store.

All supermarkets employ specialists who display various products at eye level so that visitors make unplanned purchases. This is psychology and marketing, so don’t let yourself be fooled by intrusive advertising of different products.

In order to correctly navigate the various promotions of many stores, special mobile applications also help, where you can also make a list and buy only the products you need on promotion. At the end of the month, you will see that thanks to this simple method, you have saved a decent amount of money.

Price list of products in rubles:

• sunflower oil – 70 rub.;
• sour cream – 50 rubles;
• tea – 37 rubles;
• sugar – 30 rubles;
• flour - 35 rubles;
• bread – 30 rubles;
• rice – 50 rub.;
• buckwheat – 40 rubles;
• peas - 44 rubles;
• pasta – 22 rubles;
• milk – 40 rubles;
• cottage cheese – 100 rubles;
• cheese – 33 rubles;
• eggs – 55 rub.;
• butter – 60 rubles;
• chicken – 100 rub.;
• beef – 260 rub.;
• chicken by-products – 170 rubles;
• minced meat – 130 rubles;
• fish – 80 rub.;
• potatoes - 70 rubles;
• carrots – 30 rubles;
• tomatoes – 96 rubles;
• dill - 32 rubles;
• apples – 116 rubles;
• oranges – 65 rub.

This is a clear example of where our money goes and how to shorten the list, and learn to save without compromising the nutrition of not only an adult, but also a child.

To save money, go to a store with a list