February hunger and poverty thresholds announced: What is the cost of living in Turkey?

TÜRK-İŞ has announced its data for February 2025. Accordingly, the hunger threshold for a family of four living in Ankara has been determined as 23,323 TL, while the poverty threshold is 75,973 TL. The cost of living for a single employee has reached 30,206 TL.

According to the research conducted regularly every month by TÜRK-İŞ, while the hunger threshold covers only food expenditures, the poverty threshold includes basic needs such as housing, clothing, transportation, health, and education. The cost of living for a single employee is calculated to cover all of these items.

Emphasizing that living conditions are becoming increasingly difficult, TÜRK-İŞ stated that the purchasing power of low-income and fixed-income groups is declining. The fact that savings are being made, especially in food expenditures, shows that families are struggling to meet their basic needs. The expenditure that a family of four must make for food alone remains above the net minimum wage.

KITCHEN INFLATION CONTINUES TO RISE

According to TÜRK-İŞ data, 'kitchen inflation' increased by 5.39 percent in February compared to the previous month. On an annual basis, the increase in food prices was 43.47 percent. The average annual increase rate reached 57.73 percent. This situation reveals that the rise in food prices is seriously affecting family budgets.

TÜRK-İŞ emphasized that living conditions must be improved and income disparities between wage earners and retirees must be addressed. The union called for urgent measures to be taken to ensure a standard of living worthy of human dignity.

In the same period, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) announced a decrease of 25 thousand people in unemployment rates.