Like half an apartment: Belarusians calculated how much they spent on housing rent in Minsk over many years

Life in Minsk requires serious saving. Paying more than a third of one's salary for rented housing is a harsh monthly reality for many.

Finding an apartment for $300 a month today is something out of a fantasy. Rent for a one-room apartment starts from $400, and there are only a few dozen such offers on the entire market.

Have you ever wondered how much you can spend over years of wandering through rented apartments in Minsk? Journalists asked Belarusians to calculate these expenses — everyone was surprised.

Seven years of renting — and she eventually took out a mortgage

Maria was lucky: she lived in a dormitory for almost all her student years. Her mother simply wouldn't have been able to pay for her daughter's housing rent in Minsk.

In her fourth year, Masha moved in with her future husband. That's when their wanderings through other people's apartments began.

"We rented our first place for a rather decent sum at the time: prices had just jumped in 2015. It was a 'granny flat' for $250 a month. Serebryanka, a terrible landlord – an old man who could come without warning and start painting old furniture while we were having dinner. We didn't live there long and moved to Loshitsa the very next month – to a more pleasant apartment, but already for $270," the girl recounts.

The housing was simple: with an old sofa and "tired" renovations, but quite cozy. The couple rented an apartment in Loshitsa for almost two years. During this time, prices for one-room apartments in Minsk began to fall.

The landlady was reluctant to make concessions, but eventually, the price gradually decreased from $270 to $230.

The owner did not want to lower it further, although by the end of 2016, a neat one-room apartment not on the outskirts of the city could be found for $200.

Павялічыць

Then the couple started looking for new housing. According to Maria's calculations, approximately $6060 was spent on apartments in Serebryanka and Loshitsa from February 2015 to November 2016.

"Finally, we found an apartment for $140 in the Rosa Luxemburg Street area. It was simply a miracle. Through an agency, we paid the realtor $100 (which was 200 rubles at the time). The only furniture was a kitchen set and a wardrobe. Moreover, no one was registered (meaning utility payments were higher than usual in winter). But all of this completely satisfied us," Masha recounts.

The couple paid that amount for a full two years — it was very cheap.

"Of course, rental costs in the capital were rising. But our landlord was very careful and understanding in raising the price. Gradually, by $10–30. After the divorce, I continued to live in this apartment," says Maria.

She lived there for five years. During this time, the price rose from $140 to $200. According to the interviewee, it was still cheap, as similar options on the market cost from $250.

"I also did renovations in this apartment. We split the costs with the landlord, he was all for it. I only regretted not doing it sooner, as I had lived in that house for a full five years," Masha adds.

Over the years of living on "Rozachka" (Rosa Luxemburg street), the girl spent $9060.

In total, about $15,120 was spent on rented housing over seven years. And then Maria bought her own apartment on credit.

"The first payments were terrifying — 1750 rubles a month with my salary of 2200 rubles. I took on any side jobs. But it didn't last long. Now I pay 1050 rubles, and the amount is gradually decreasing. This is less than what my friends and colleagues pay for rent, and I'm paying for my own place. I believe that rental prices in Minsk are currently inadequate," the interviewee concludes.

A "little enclosure" for $200

Yulia returned to Minsk after mandatory work placement in September 2018. She stayed with a friend for a couple of weeks, and then found rented accommodation — her first one-room apartment in the Pushkinskaya metro station area.

"It was a 'granny flat' with old Soviet furniture, but it was near the metro. And the price at the time was very pleasant — $200. Joking with my friends, we called this apartment 'my little enclosure'. But everything suited me: I worked a lot, only coming there to sleep. From time to time, I thought about renting something better, but decided there was no point," Yulia recalls.

From 2018 to March 2022, she paid the agreed $200 monthly for housing. Then the dollar sharply increased, and the girl also lost her job. The apartment owner met her halfway, and they decided to fix the amount in Belarusian rubles — it came out to 520 rubles a month.

"The landlord didn't raise the price anymore. I think he understood everything perfectly, and was accommodating," says Yulia.

As a result, in the first four years of living in this apartment, the girl spent $8400. She then paid in rubles: by October 2025, another 22,800 rubles had accumulated. According to the average exchange rate (the dollar then sharply jumped and then pulled back), this is approximately $7150.

In total, over eight years of living on "Pushkinskaya", it amounted to $15,550.

"For a year now, my boyfriend and I have been renting a nice apartment in 'Minsk World' – a Euro-three-room apartment for $700. With modern renovation, appliances, air conditioning. We have separate budgets, my share of these expenses is $300. As a result, during this time, I spent another $3600 on housing rent," Yulia calculates.

Over nine years of living in rented apartments — a total of $19,150.

"The thought that I could have bought something for myself during this time is just fantasy. It's unrealistic. My salary isn't the highest — 2500 rubles. Renting an apartment, satisfying some basic needs — that's the whole salary. Now I've stopped monitoring housing rental prices. I only know that our option — $700 for such an apartment — is no longer the most expensive," Yulia concludes.

In 14 years — almost $35,500

Nikolai is 37 years old, 17 of which he has lived in rented apartments. He only lived in a dormitory during his first years of university. Then he and his friends rented half of an old private house and paid $80 per person. Students had limited choices.

Павялічыць

"It was a private house in Stsyapyanka. I combined work with studies, and I only had enough money for that. We lived there for a year, and then moved to a two-room apartment on Yakub Kolas Street. We paid $100 per person for the room," the man says.

The tenants lived there for four years. Then Nikolai moved to Moscow for three years and rented housing there. After returning, he lived for another year in the same room in a two-room apartment for $100.

In total, he spent almost $7000 on housing rent during five years of living in Minsk.

And from 2017, he lived with a neighbor in a two-room apartment in Kamennaya Gorka, which cost $250 for two. This was the average market price for such housing. Then his friend left, and Nikolai decided to rent the entire apartment himself: it was better to overpay than to live with a new stranger.

"We had a pretty good relationship with the landlady; she didn't raise the price for many years. Only in 2022 did she increase the cost by a symbolic $30. I lived in that apartment for another two years for $280 a month – at that time, it was very cheap," the interviewee recalls.

From 2024, he moved into a one-room apartment for the same $280. The landlord had rented it at that price for almost a year and a half. In early 2026, the owner decided to increase the cost and, against the backdrop of a falling dollar exchange rate, switched the payment to euros. Now Nikolai pays €300.

"At first, I even thought about looking for a new apartment, but then I analyzed the prices and realized that such a cost is quite reasonable now. Unfortunately, these are today's rental prices," he sighs.

As a result, over 14 years, the man spent $30,720 and €2400 on rented housing.

"It's a lot, of course, but I don't see any other option for myself yet. Personally, buying an apartment on credit now carries more financial risks than living in a rented one. Prices have risen for everything, not just housing. I don't feel stability or confidence in tomorrow, so I'm not taking the risk yet," Nikolai admits.

He adds that the current apartment rent is several times less than what he would have to pay on a loan. Therefore, he chooses this option over living in his own apartment with bare walls, going hungry, and without a minimal level of comfort.

• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 2
• 0
• 0