What Belarusians Spend Money On and Where Expenses Are the Highest

Author and Editor-in-Chief: Vitaliy Kisterny02.09.2026 12:10:00

In the second quarter of 2026, an average Belarusian family had 3,152.2 rubles per month at their disposal. This is evidenced by data from Belstat.

It is noted that urban residents were noticeably wealthier than rural ones, and nearly 40% of all spending went to food.

Belstat has published fresh data on the living standards of the population. According to the report, in the second quarter of 2026, the disposable resources of an average household in Belarus amounted to 3,152.2 BYN per month.

Photo: © Belnovosti / Belarusian rubles. Author Vitaliy KisternyThese figures show how much money actually ended up in the family's hands before making mandatory payments.

The statistics confirm a steady trend toward financial urbanization. In cities and urban-type settlements, the average disposable resource reached 3,310.3 BYN. Meanwhile, rural residents could count on 2,639.5 BYN.

The difference is approximately 20%, which forces rural households to maintain a stricter regime of saving.

The expenditure side turned out to be quite predictable, but no less telling for that. On average, a family spent 3,072.6 BYN per month. The lion's share of this amount — 2,042.1 BYN (or 66.5%) — went to so-called consumer spending. Simply put, on living.

The breakdown of the consumption structure looks as follows:

Food. The undisputed leader, accounting for 37.5% of all consumer spending. This means that a significant portion of the family budget goes toward meeting basic needs.

Non-food goods. This category includes clothing, footwear, household chemicals, and electronics. They accounted for 35.6%.

Services. Payments for housing and communal services, transportation, communications, as well as spending on education and health rounded out the top three at 24.6%.

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