Moscow and Chechnya's Grozny Named Best Cities to Live in Russia in Early 2026

At the end of the first quarter of 2026, Moscow and Grozny emerged as the Russian cities with the highest quality of life. These findings come from a study conducted by Alexander Shatilov, Deputy Scientific Director of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, as reported by RIA Novosti.

Top Cities Leading Russia's Quality of Life Ranking

"Monitoring conducted by the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation showed that by the end of the first quarter of 2026, the cities with the highest quality of life are Moscow, Grozny, Sochi, St. Petersburg, and Vladikavkaz,” the experts specified.

Kaliningrad, Yekaterinburg, Novorossiysk, Kaluga, and Vologda also secured high positions in the ranking. Orenburg, Khabarovsk, and Murmansk stood out as cities with the most affordable housing, while Grozny, Vladikavkaz, and Novorossiysk led in environmental quality. Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg ranked highest in residents' self-assessment of material well-being.

Cities Where Living Standards Require Improvement

At the same time, analysts identified a number of cities where quality of life still requires significant improvement. These include Arkhangelsk, Astrakhan, Barnaul, Volgograd, Irkutsk, Yoshkar-Ola, Kemerovo, Kirov, Krasnoyarsk, Nizhnevartovsk, Novokuznetsk, Omsk, Orenburg, Sterlitamak, Ulan-Ude, Chelyabinsk, Chita, and Yakutsk.

How Analysts Measured Urban Quality of Life

In compiling the ranking, analysts considered monitoring data across several key indicators: material well-being, housing affordability, quality of healthcare services, environmental conditions, the performance of educational institutions, access to cultural assets, and opportunities for self-realization.

They also assessed the state of road infrastructure, the effectiveness of city authorities, the quality of public utilities, urban improvement efforts, and the prevalence of destructive behavior.

Earlier, analysts also identified the Russian cities with the oldest housing stock. Novokuznetsk, Volgograd, and St. Petersburg led that ranking.