Maternity capital is becoming less and less effective when purchasing real estate

The indexation of maternity capital has not kept pace with the growth of housing prices, which soared during the period of the preferential mortgage program. The square meter of apartments in new buildings in most Russian regions has more than doubled in price from 2020 to 2024. Over five years, the effectiveness of maternity capital in Russia has fallen by at least a third.

This is the conclusion reached by analysts from Dvizhenie.ru, after studying how many meters residents of the country can purchase using maternity capital funds and how this share has changed over the past five years.

For the analysis, experts took 20 Russian regions with the largest area of ​​construction of apartment buildings. The average cost per square meter is given according to actual transactions.

In 2020, on average in Russia, it was possible to purchase 6 square meters of living space in a new building using maternity capital funds paid at the birth of the first child. In 2025, it will be 4, that is, one and a half times less.

The largest reduction in housing area, by more than 40%, was recorded in four regions.

In Krasnodar Krai in 2020, the "maternity" payment was enough to buy almost eight square meters of an apartment in a new building, in 2025 - four. In Tatarstan, the ratio of available meters: 6.5 in 2020 and 3.6 in 2025; in Rostov Oblast 8.6 and 4.9; in Stavropol Krai 10.5 and 6.2. By the way, as for the last region, its residents are the luckiest, this figure is the highest in the country.

The smallest reduction in square meters for maternity capital occurred in the Far East. In Khabarovsk Krai, minus 21%, from 5.4 meters to 4.3. In Primorsky Krai, the difference is minimal: minus 12%, from 4.6 to 4 "squares".

Moscow and Leningrad regions occupy the 3rd and 4th positions from the bottom (reduction of meters - 24% and 25%). In the Moscow region you can buy 3.5 "squares", in the Leningrad region 3.9.

In absolute terms, maternity capital is least effective in the capitals. In Moscow, with the average cost of a square meter in the mass segment of 352 thousand rubles, payments will not be enough to buy even two meters in a new building (1.9). Residents of St. Petersburg, with the price of a square meter of 247 thousand rubles, will be able to afford the purchase of 2.7 meters.

However, even in 2020, the capital's residents could not really indulge in anything. In Moscow, the payments could only buy 2.7 square meters of housing (at that time, a meter cost an average of 173 thousand rubles), in St. Petersburg - 4 (with a price per meter of 118 thousand).

According to the law, maternity capital can be divided into shares and used in several directions. Conventionally speaking, a family can use one part to pay for the child's education, the other - to purchase housing. This approach was conceived by the authors of the program, and lawyers explained to Russians how they can more wisely spend the amount received, by the way, quite a decent amount. But, as we can see, residents of many regions will not have enough "maternity" funds even for a bathroom.

REFERENCE "MK"

In 2020, the amount of maternity capital paid at the birth of the first child was 466.7 thousand rubles. Payments are increased annually. The smallest indexation occurred in 2021, by 3.7% (483.9 thousand rubles), the largest was in 2023 - plus 11.9% (586.9 thousand rubles). In 2025, maternity capital was increased by 7.3%, to 676.3 thousand rubles. The total indexation over five years was 45%.

Published in the newspaper "Moskovsky Komsomolets" No. 29469 of February 25, 2025

Newspaper headline: Regions measure maternity capital