Cost of living in the regions of the arctic zone of Russia

Active efforts to develop all elements of socio-economic systems of the regions of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation are the key to the effective development of their resources. The main element of territorial systems of the Russian Arctic is labor potential, the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of which are determined by the standard of living of the population. One of the main indicators of living standards in Russian statistics is the cost of living. The aim of the study, the results of which are presented in this article, is to analyze the values of this indicator for the population of the regions referred to the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. It was determined that the highest cost of living is in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. A significant level of differentiation of consumer expenditures on the purchase of food products by population groups with the lowest and the highest disposable resources was revealed. The imperfection of the methodology of formation of the main tool used for interregional comparisons of the cost of living assessment is substantiated. The practical significance of the study lies in their complex analysis within the framework of spatial development of the entire Russian Arctic. The prospect of further research is associated with the development of conceptual foundations for assessing the cost of living in order to improve state policy in relation to the population of the regions of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation.