IPA President: Cost of living in Istanbul can be met with 4.5 minimum wages

Istanbul Planning Agency (IPA) President Buğra Gökce shared data that reveals the difficulties faced by those living on minimum wage. 

In a post on the social media platform X, "A painful picture: The story of 4 years" titled, Gökce compared the current cost of living in Istanbul for a minimum wage earner with that of 4 years ago. Gökce stated, "While the cost of living in Istanbul could be met with 3 minimum wages, today it can only be met with 4.5 minimum wages" he said.

Gökce used the following expressions: 

"A painful picture: The story of 4 years

While the cost of living in Istanbul could be met with 3 minimum wages in November 2020, today it can only be met with 4.5 minimum wages.

The gap between the cost of living and wages has widened. Nearly half of the minimum wage earner's salary has evaporated!

In other words, the minimum wage earner has worked, struggled, put in effort, and sweated for 4 years, but they cannot buy as much bread, meat, or vegetables as they could 4 years ago; today, they are living in a worse condition than they were 4 years ago."