Turkey’s lowest monthly pension no longer covers even 16 days of food expenses for a family of four, while the minimum wage covers only about 22 days, according to a May cost-of-living study.
The study by KAMU-AR, the research unit of the United Public Workers’ Confederation (Birleşik Kamu-İş), put the basic food expenses for a family of four at 37,655 Turkish lira ($820) in May. Including housing, healthcare, education, communications and transport, the expenses rise to 113,845 lira ($2,480).
KAMU-AR said the monthly cost of food for a family of four rose by 1,342 lira ($29) in May, while basic costs including food increased by 5,025 lira ($109) in the same month.
The figures show how quickly wage and pension increases granted at the start of 2026 have been eroded by the cost of living. Turkey’s net monthly minimum wage is 28,075.50 lira ($612), meaning expenses for food in May were 9,580 lira ($209) higher than the minimum wage.
The gap is wider for retirees. The lowest monthly pension, raised to 20,000 lira ($436) in January, fell 17,655 lira ($385) short of covering monthly food costs in May, meaning it could cover less than 16 days of food expenditure for a family of four.
The study also showed that the lowest civil servant salary, including family and child benefits, stood at 61,890 lira ($1,348) in the first half of the year. That covered only 54 percent of the basic costs.
The 2026 minimum wage was raised by 27 percent. Civil servant salaries were increased by 18.6 percent, while pensions rose by 12.19 percent. KAMU-AR said the purchasing power of all three had fallen in the first five months of the year.
In a separate May food inflation study, KAMU-AR said food prices rose 4.6 percent from the previous month, 32.4 percent in the first five months of the year and 63.6 percent from a year earlier.
The confederation said rising fuel costs, dependence on imported inputs, problems in agricultural production and the effects of the government’s economic program continued to push up the cost of basic goods.