The Turkish Statistical Institute’s Latest Minimum Living Wage Figures for January 2020
The regular calculations of minimum living costs for January 2020 have been completed and announced. The Public Employees Union Research and Development Center (Türkiye Kamu-Sen Araştırma ve Geliştirme Merkezi) released its figures for January 2020. Following its methodology, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) first calculated amounts for an individual and then for a family of four, estimating what is needed to cover living and basic subsistence (food) expenses for 30 days. Below are the minimum living figures TÜİK reported for January 2020 and the household sizes they refer to.
What Are the Minimum Living Figures for January 2020?
The Turkish Statistical Institute determined the following minimum living values for January 2020:
According to January 2020 prices, the poverty threshold for a single, working person is 3,435.81 TL.
The food (subsistence) threshold for a single working person rose by 0.49% compared with the previous month and was set at 2,649.60 TL.
For a family of four, the minimum living amount for January 2020 was determined as 6,929.97 TL. This represents a 0.47% increase from the previous month.
Average food and housing expenditures for a family of four within Turkey were estimated at 2,640.22 TL for January 2020. Based on health authorities’ guidance for adequate nutrition, a family of four would need to spend 53.84 TL per day in January 2020 to maintain a healthy diet.
The monthly food expenditure estimated for a family of four was 1,615.26 TL. On average, the share of a civil servant’s salary spent on food for their family corresponded to approximately 38.15% of their wage in January 2020. Additionally, the rent expense identified by TÜİK—1,024.96 TL—represented about 24.2% of the January 2020 total salary.
These figures show that, on average, a civil servant would allocate roughly 62.35% of their salary to food and housing alone. That leaves only 37.65% of the salary to cover all other needs. For a civil servant earning the average wage in January 2020, the net monthly salary was 4,234.52 TL, meaning only 37.65% of that amount remained to meet remaining expenses after food and housing.