Poverty line exceeds 10,000 lira in October

Photo: Fırat Topal/Evrensel

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Living costs continued to increase in Turkey in October, according to the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions' (Türk-İş) monthly survey.

The starvation line, which is defined as the minimum food expenditure for a healthy, sufficient and balanced diet for a family of four, rose to 3,093 lira, up by 44 lira from the previous month (1 US dollar = 9.50 Turkish lira).

The poverty line, which includes expenditures for clothing, housing, transportation, education, healthcare and other needs in addition to food expenditures, was 10,075 lira in October, up from 9,391 lira in August.

The "living cost" of a single working person was 3,709 lira in October, increasing by 137 lira in a month.

Since the start of the year, the starvation line has increased by 442 lira and the poverty line has increased by 1,437 lira.

Türk-İş noted in the report that the increase in food prices force people to cut their food costs and made it difficult to have a balanced and healthy diet.

It also pointed out the further increase the gap between the minimum monthly wage of 2,825 lira and the starvation line. (HA/VK)