Data on government expenditures on education are presented. The salary level in education is compared to that in the economy in general and to the minimum subsistence level. Average prices for certain educational services are stated. The article uses materials provided by the Federal Service of State Statistics and by the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation. The material was prepared by I.Yu. Zabaturina, V.I. Kuznetsova and O.K. Ozerova, Senior Research Fellows at the Statistics and Education Monitoring Center of HSE.