Poverty line four times as high as minimum wage in September

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The poverty line for a family of four living in the capital city of Ankara has increased to four times as high as the minimum monthly wage in September, according to the monthly survey of the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Türk-İş).

The poverty line, which includes expenditures for clothing, housing, transportation, education, healthcare and other needs in addition to minimum food expenditures, was 23,599 lira in September, up by 147 lira in a month (1 US dollar = 18.54 Turkish lira).

The starvation line, which is defined as the minimum food expenditure for a healthy, sufficient and balanced diet for a family of four living in Ankara, was 7,245 lira this month, increasing by 355 lira from August .

The starvation line increased by nearly 5 percent and 130 percent compared to the same month last year.

The "living cost" of a single working person rose from 8,999 to 9,469 lira.

The net monthly wage is 5,500 lira. (HA/VK)