Minimum life, maximum despair: Fire in the kitchen, silence in the wallet

Millions of workers in Turkey are no longer just trying to make ends meet; they are trying to survive. The TÜRK-İŞ June 2025 “Hunger and Poverty Threshold” report, along with TÜİK’s current inflation data and the resulting wage increase rates for employees and retirees, have once again laid bare the deep economic crisis and social injustice the public is facing. While rising food prices have turned into a fire in the kitchen, the decline in real wages is deepening the social crisis. Living on the minimum wage in Turkey is no longer a right, but has become a daily struggle for survival.

The minimum food expenditure required for a family of four to eat healthily and adequately, known as the HUNGER THRESHOLD, has risen to 26,115 TL. When other basic expenses are included, the POVERTY THRESHOLD stands at 85,066 TL. Yet, the MINIMUM WAGE set at the beginning of 2025 is only 22,104 TL.

TÜİK has announced the June 2025 Consumer Price Index (CPI) data. According to official data, monthly inflation was 1.37%, and annual inflation was 35.05%. However, the reality on the street is far beyond these figures. The constantly changing prices on market shelves, the eroding purchasing power, and the difficulties in accessing basic food items reveal that the inflation felt by the public does not align with official statistics. As income inequality deepens, Turkey is facing a food crisis.

This picture reveals that millions of workers in Turkey are tested by hunger every month, that poverty has become normalized, and that the minimum wage has moved far away from meeting even the “survival” threshold, let alone “livability.” Moreover, this figure constitutes the sole source of income for a large portion of the working class. In other words, millions of families trying to survive on a single salary have reached a point where they cannot even see the next day, let alone the end of the month.

MINIMUM WAGE BELOW THE HUNGER THRESHOLD: FACTS BEYOND THE NUMBERS

According to the TÜRK-İŞ research, the monthly food expenditure amount required for a family of four to eat healthily, balanced, and adequately—the HUNGER THRESHOLD— was 18,978 TL in June 2024, 21,083 TL in December 2024, and 25,092 TL in May 2025, rising to 26,115 TL in June 2025. This amount is the lowest level required for the most basic human need: nutrition. It does not include expenses such as housing, transportation, health, education, rent, and bills. Only kitchen expenses.

What is striking at this point is that the current NET MINIMUM WAGE is 22,104 TL. In other words, millions of workers are officially living on a wage approximately 4,000 TL below the minimum amount required for food expenditure.

When other mandatory monthly expenses for clothing, housing (rent, electricity, water, fuel), transportation, education, health, and similar needs are added to food expenditure, the POVERTY THRESHOLD for a family of four has reached 85,066 TL in June 2025, compared to 61,820 TL in June 2024, 68,675 TL in December 2024, and 81,733 TL in May 2025. This figure is not just an economic data point; it is also a measure of social welfare. For a family to pay rent, educate their child, access healthcare, and reach basic rights such as heating and transportation, their monthly income needs to be at this level.

However, in reality, we are talking about millions of households across the country struggling to live on much lower incomes. This picture clearly reflects the deep inequality in income distribution and the decline in purchasing power.

According to TÜRK-İŞ data, as of June 2025, the cost of living for a single worker is 33,587 TL. The difference from the minimum wage is 11,483 TL. This data reveals that even a single person working for minimum wage cannot meet their basic needs. Moreover, this calculation is based only on the basic expenses required to survive. There are no books, no culture, and a vacation is already a dream. In other words, not only families but also single workers are living under severe economic pressure.

These differences prove the hardship experienced by workers, civil servants, or retirees not just through sentiment, but with numbers. And this picture is becoming a social problem that concerns not only the low-income group but broad segments of society.

FOOD INFLATION: THE TRUTH BURNING IN THE KITCHEN

As of June 2025, the increase in food prices in Turkey shows that the fire in the kitchens has reached a dimension that can no longer be ignored. While the data that TÜRK-İŞ regularly announces every month reveals the difficulty in accessing basic food products in all its nakedness, the inflation rates published by official authorities tend to soften this picture.

According to TÜRK-İŞ, when we look at food expenditures on a monthly basis in June 2025, there was an increase of 4.08% compared to the previous month. This rate was 4.39% in May. This increase, which was only 0.05% in June 2024 and 2.54% in December 2024, shows that citizens' kitchen expenses have risen significantly on a monthly basis.

When looking at the last year, the total increase rate in food expenditures was recorded as 37.60% in June 2025, compared to 82.96% in June 2024, 46.08% in December 2024, and 32.27% in May 2025. This reveals that citizens are forced to buy the same products at much higher prices.

These rates show that food inflation is no longer an exceptional situation but has become a structural problem. Especially for fixed-income citizens, this means that living conditions are becoming more difficult every day.

The area where the citizen feels this heavy picture the most is their kitchen. As of June, the average vegetable price is 45.66 TL, and the fruit price is 134.46 TL. The average fruit-vegetable price has reached 83.33 TL. Prices at these levels make balanced and healthy nutrition a luxury for millions of families. People now have to prioritize not only their shopping budget but also their basic needs.

When we look at the June 2025 data published by TÜİK, the picture is presented from a different framework. According to TÜİK, consumer prices increased by 1.37% in June compared to the previous month. On an annual basis, inflation was announced as 35.05%. In the same period, the cumulative increase since the beginning of the year was recorded as 16.67%. According to twelve-month averages, inflation was measured at 43.23%. However, according to the Inflation Research Group (ENAG), inflation in June showed an increase of 3.05% compared to the previous month and an increase of 68.68% compared to the same month of the previous year. Contrary to the figures announced by TÜİK, the fact that a retiree shopping at the market sees that the prices of the products in their basket have increased even more brings to mind the question of how much the statistics overlap with daily life.

TÜİK’s annual inflation data according to main expenditure groups is also noteworthy. While the annual increase in food and non-alcoholic beverages was announced as 30.20%, an increase of 27.72% was recorded in the transportation group, 65.54% in housing, and 73.33% in education. However, TÜİK data states that food prices declined by 0.27% in June. This situation clearly contradicts the 4.08% increase announced by TÜRK-İŞ for the same month.

This difference between the data of the two different institutions explains why the divergence between “real (felt) inflation” and “official inflation” in Turkey is so debated among the public. Especially low-income citizens directly experience every day in the market and grocery store that TÜİK’s figures do not match their own life realities. Real food inflation makes itself felt in a much harsher and more ruthless way with the price hikes reflected in the public’s pockets.

REAL RAISE FOR RETIREES: EXPERIENCED AT THE MARKET

The situation is even more striking for retirees. Depending on the official inflation rates announced yesterday, the raise rate for civil servants and civil servant retirees was determined as 15.57%, while SSK and Bağ-Kur retirees will receive a 16.67% raise. These raise rates remain far behind the 37.60% annual food inflation seen in TÜRK-İŞ data. This means that the real purchasing power of retirees has fallen even further. Millions of retirees struggling to live at the hunger threshold feel inflation in their bones not when the salary raise is announced, but when they go to the market.

In Turkey, inflation is no longer just a statistical data point, but has become a deep problem that directly determines the standard of living and affects all segments of society. Especially the increase in food prices makes it increasingly difficult for the public to maintain their daily lives. Food inflation is no longer a temporary, but a permanent and structural reality. Therefore, it has become a necessity for both the central government and local governments to review their social policies in this area, strengthen support mechanisms, and take effective steps towards price stability.

WHAT TO DO? WHERE ARE WE GOING?

The solution to these structural problems in the economy can be achieved not only with salary increases, but with deeper regulations such as a fair tax system, a production-oriented economy, reducing informality, and strengthening the right of employees to organize. In addition, it is necessary to consider that unless economic growth is inclusive, it will not be successful in reducing poverty, making income distribution fairer, and creating employment; in other words, it is necessary to focus more on the problem of fair distribution.

Along with all these, social support mechanisms for low-income groups need to be strengthened; public health, education, and housing services need to be made more accessible. Together with the central government, local governments, non-governmental organizations, and relevant public institutions can produce more holistic policies in these areas by working in cooperation and coordination, complementing each other.

SOCIAL MUNICIPALISM: A FIELD OF INTERVENTION BASED ON SOLIDARITY

Faced with this heavy picture, social municipalism stands out as the most concrete and functional field of intervention against the social crisis. Practices such as city restaurants, rent and transportation support, student scholarships, and daycare services are valuable not just as temporary support, but as structural policies that organize social solidarity.

This model, implemented in metropolitan cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, Bursa, Adana, and Mersin, not only provides economic support but also allows individuals to lead a dignified life. City restaurants are becoming a multi-faceted service that contributes not just a plate of food, but to healthy nutrition, social integration, and the protection of the family budget.

A Social Municipalism Index to be developed to monitor and compare the impact of these practices will provide the opportunity to monitor and evaluate the social service capacity of local governments in a data-driven manner.

The situation of needing social assistance, which increases every day, stems not from the failure of individuals, but from the inadequacy of the economic structure. Therefore, the solution can be achieved not only with temporary support, but with the establishment of a structure where income is distributed more fairly and access to basic services is possible for everyone.

WOMEN’S LABOR AND DAYCARE SERVICES: THE CORNERSTONE OF SOCIAL JUSTICE

Women’s participation in the workforce is of vital importance not only for individual but also for social development. In this context, daycare services offered by local governments play a critical role in terms of both social justice and economic equality.

According to current TÜİK data, the rate of women’s participation in the workforce in Turkey is 36.5%. This rate is well behind the 50–60% range in OECD countries, and one of the important reasons for this gap is the lack of sufficient childcare services.

Daycares facilitate women’s continuation in working life while ensuring that children develop in safe, educational, and supportive environments. Especially free or low-cost daycares offered by municipalities provide significant support for families living on minimum wage and contribute to women remaining in employment.

Making women’s labor visible and expanding and strengthening daycare services in terms of children’s access to early education and strengthening social equality should be one of the main priorities of social municipalism.

CONCLUSION: LIVING ON MINIMUM WAGE HAS TURNED INTO A SURVIVAL TEST

The sharp decline in purchasing power in Turkey, along with rising inflation and increasing hunger and poverty thresholds, shows that the minimum wage is now far from meeting even basic needs. The latest data from TÜRK-İŞ reveals that millions of workers are tested not only by poverty but directly by hunger. While the current minimum wage of 22,104 TL remains approximately 4,000 TL behind the hunger threshold of 26,115 TL, which is the amount required only for food expenditure, this situation points to the deepening of social inequality.

Millions of low-income households cannot access healthy food; they try to survive by borrowing and consuming cheap and non-nutritious products. A healthy and dignified life is increasingly turning into a privilege of a narrow segment. This picture reflects not only an economic crisis but also a serious alarm situation in terms of the sustainability of the social structure.

Exactly at this point, the understanding of social municipalism offers concrete solutions that give breathing room to the disadvantaged segments of society. Practices such as city restaurants, low-cost daycares, and education and housing support are becoming not just temporary support, but structural tools that strengthen social solidarity. These services play a critical role, especially in terms of women’s participation in the workforce and children’s development.

However, for these policies to be effective, local governments must not be left alone and must be supported both financially and institutionally by the central government. The sustainability of social assistance can be possible by increasing the resources allocated to this area in municipal budgets and diversifying services.

In addition, the implementation of data-based mechanisms such as the “Social Municipalism Index” to measure and improve the performance of local governments in the field of social policy will increase the impact of the practices.

Turkey’s ability to reach a fairer, more egalitarian, and inclusive society depends on the central and local governments working in harmony and social policies focusing not on daily livelihood struggles, but on long-term social welfare. In the face of injustice in income distribution and the increase in living costs, the solution lies in building a strong social state understanding, fair distribution policies, and a solidarity-based local government vision together.

Settling for the minimum is no longer possible; a humane life within the framework of a social state is everyone’s right, and the delivery of this right is the most fundamental condition for social peace and sustainable development. Every step taken today is the key to building not only today but also the hopeful, strong, and egalitarian Turkey of tomorrow.