Starvation line exceeds minimum wage despite substantial increase

Click to read the article in Turkish

The Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Türk-İş) has published its monthly "Starvation and Poverty Line Study," revealing the current cost of living in the country.

According to the study, a family of four needs 11,658 Turkish lira for sufficient and healthy food expenses, coined as the starvation line. As a result, the starvation line has once again exceeded the minimum wage. At the start of July, the minimum wage was increased from 8,500 to 11,400 lira.

In June, the confederation had measured the starvation line at 10,373 lira and the poverty line at 33,788 lira.

For other essential monthly expenditures such as clothing, housing, transportation, education, and healthcare, the poverty line stands at 37,974 lira. Moreover, the cost of living for a single working individual has reached 15,123 lira per month (1 US dollar = 26.93 Turkish lira).

Comparing these figures to January, there has been a notable increase in the cost of living. At the start of the year, Türk-İş had measured the starvation line at 8,864 lira and the poverty line at 28,874 lira, with the cost of living for a single working individual at 11,556 lira.

Furthermore, the prices of various goods have been on the rise in Ankara, where a four-person family's minimum food expenditure has increased by 12.38% compared to the previous month.

Food prices

Regarding food prices, milk and yogurt costs have remained stable during July, but cheese prices have seen an average increase of 4%.

Within the meat category, prices have varied depending on the source. In chain supermarkets, ground beef is now averaging 315 lira, and stew meat stands at 340 lira. Over the course of a month, beef prices increased by approximately 6%, chicken by 13%, fish by 12%, eggs by 9%, kidney beans by 7%, and green lentils by 8%.

Vegetables have been priced at an average of 27.29 lira per kilogram, while fruits average at 35.20 lira per kilogram.

In the same timeframe, rice experienced an 8% increase, semolina by 6%, while pasta and flour saw slight price hikes. Additionally, white bread prices surged by 30%, reaching 6.5 lira in Ankara.

Olive oil prices have surged by 30%, margarine by 20%, and sunflower oil experienced a limited increase, while the cost of butter has remained stable.

Various food items faced price hikes, including tea by 10%, black olives by 12%, tomato paste by 8%, and sugar by 4%. Honey and molasses experienced limited price increases. On the other hand, green olives, linden tea, jam, and spices retained their previous prices, while salt saw a significant drop at 22%. (HA/VK)