 a month to cover essential expenses, more than four times the minimum wage of TL 28,075 ($620), according to data released by a labor union on Thursday.){kind=link}
A family of four in Turkey needs TL 112,660 ($2,493) a month to cover essential expenses, more than four times the minimum wage of TL 28,075 ($620), according to data released by a labor union on Thursday.
The figures were published in the latest monthly cost-of-living survey by the Confederation of Turkish Labor Unions (TÜRK-İŞ), one of the country’s largest labor confederations.
The survey showed that the hunger threshold — the amount a family of four needs to spend each month on food for a healthy and balanced diet — rose to TL 34,586 ($766) in April.
The poverty line, which reflects total monthly spending required for essentials such as housing, utilities, transportation, clothing, education and healthcare, climbed to TL 112,660.
TÜRK-İŞ also said the monthly cost of living for a single worker increased to TL 44,802 ($992).
According to the report, the minimum amount a four-person household needed to spend on food rose 5.47 percent from the previous month. The 12-month increase stood at 43.9 percent, while the average annual rise was 40 percent. Food costs have increased 14.74 percent since the start of the year.
The latest figures highlight the continuing pressure on household finances in Turkey, where years of high inflation have sharply eroded purchasing power and driven up the cost of basic necessities.
Turkey has faced persistent price pressure for years. Official data show annual consumer inflation has remained in the double digits since 2019 and climbed above 75 percent in May 2024 before starting to ease.
It currently stands at around 31 percent, according to official data.
Turkey is known for its relatively high percentage of the workforce making the minimum wage. Labor unions estimate that roughly half of all workers earn a wage similar to the minimum wage.
Over the past several years Turkey has been suffering from backsliding in its economy, with high inflation and unemployment as well as a poor human rights record. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is criticized for mishandling the economy, emptying the state’s coffers and establishing one-man rule in the country where dissent is suppressed and opponents are jailed on politically motivated charges.