The following tables of wages and costs were compiled, in October, 1917, by a joint Committee from the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and the Moscow section of the Ministry of Labour, and published in Novaya Zhizn, October 26th, 1917:
Wages Per Day—(Rubles and kopeks)
| Trade | July 1914 | July 1916 | August 1917 |
| Carpenter, Cabinet-maker | 1.60—2. | 4.—6. | 8.50 |
| Terrassier | 1.30—1.50 | 3.—3.50 | |
| Mason, plasterer | 1.70—2.35 | 4.—6. | 8. |
| Painter, upholsterer | 1.80—2.20 | 3.—5.50 | 8. |
| Blacksmith | 1.—2.25 | 4.—5. | 8.50 |
| Chimney-sweep | 1.50—2. | 4.—5.50 | 7.50 |
| Locksmith | .90—2. | 3.50—6. | 9. |
| Helper | 1.—1.50 | 2.50—4.50 | 8. |
In spite of numerous stories of gigantic advances in wages immediately following the Revolution of March, 1917, these figures, which were published by the Ministry of Labour as characteristic of conditions all over Russia, show that wages did not rise immediately after the Revolution, but little by little. On an average, wages increased slightly more than 500 per cent….
But at the same time the value of the ruble fell to less than one-third its former purchasing power, and the cost of the necessities of life increased enormously.
The following table was compiled by the Municipal Duma of Moscow, where food was cheaper and more plentiful than in Petrograd:
Cost of Food—(Rubles and Kopeks)
| August 1914 | August 1917 | % Increase | ||
| Black bread | (Fund) | .02 1/2 | .12 | 330 |
| White bread | (Fund) | .05 | .20 | 300 |
| Beef | (Fund) | .22 | 1.10 | 400 |
| Veal | (Fund) | .26 | 2.15 | 727 |
| Pork | (Fund) | .23 | 2. | 770 |
| Herring | (Fund) | .06 | .52 | 767 |
| Cheese | (Fund) | .40 | 3.50 | 754 |
| Butter | (Fund) | .48 | 3.20 | 557 |
| Eggs | (Doz.) | .30 | 1.60 | 443 |
| Milk | (Krushka) | .07 | .40 | 471 |
On an average, food increased in price 556 per cent, or 51 per cent more than wages.
As for the other necessities, the price of these increased tremendously.