Many of us rightfully consider Belarus a fraternal RF state. Therefore, the Russians want to be aware of how the social, political, economic affairs of their neighbors are, and at the same time to compare their situation with their own. In this article we will consider a very important characteristic of the quality of life in Belarus - a living wage. Let's start by defining the concept itself.
What is the cost of living?
The subsistence minimum budget is the minimum amount of money that a citizen needs every month to meet his needs and maintain a decent standard of living. Each state has its own size. Therefore, the minimum cost of living in Belarus will differ from French, Russian, Chilean and so on.
I must say that an attempt to establish such an international size has already been undertaken by the international community. However, the idea of developing a living wage common to the entire planet was considered unsuccessful: in southern countries, for example, residents practically do not spend money on heating and warming their homes, while citizens existing in more severe climates invest a considerable part of their capital.
Cost of living in Belarus in 2017
We now pass close to the fraternal state. Note that at today's exchange rate 1 Belarusian ruble is equal to 29.08 Russian rubles.
If we look at the beginning of 2017, we will see that, compared with previous years, the cost of living in Belarus has slightly decreased - 174.52 rubles per citizen per month (November 2016 - January 2017). In the previous period (August-October 2016), this value was 175.5 rubles.
We will follow the further history of the cost of living in Belarus this year:
- From February to April, the average minimum per capita budget was already equal to 180.1 Belarusian rubles.
- From May to July, the cost of living increased slightly - it reached the level of 183.82 rubles.
- In the period from August to October 2017, the average figures of this value amounted to 197.57 Belarusian rubles.
The cost of living today
On October 23, 2017, the Ministry of Labor of the neighboring republic, by Decree No. 60, established new subsistence levels for the population. These are both average indicators for all citizens, and specific for the main social groups.
Cost of living in Belarus - how much for today? Here are its sizes:
- The average per capita is 197.81 Belarusian rubles. If we translate into the Russian equivalent at today's exchange rate, this will be 5,752.3 rubles.
- For able-bodied citizens - 217.74 Belarusian rubles.
- For students of secondary and higher professional educational institutions - 192.34 Belarusian rubles.
- For persons of retirement age - 151.97 Belarusian rubles.
- For children 6-16 years old - 216.85 Belarusian rubles.
- For children 3-6 years old - 177.4 Belarusian rubles.
- For babies from birth to 3 years - 128.32 Belarusian rubles.
The change in the cost of living is explained by the following factors:
- Rising prices for bakery products, meat and products from it, dairy products, fish.
- Reduced prices for fruits and vegetables.
How about us?
As for the Russian Federation, in the second quarter of 2017, the average cost of living was 10 329 rubles. (at today's exchange rate, this is 355.14 Belarusian rubles). Consider the particulars:
- The able-bodied population is 11,163 rubles.
- Children - 10 160 rubles.
- People of retirement age - 8 506 rubles.
And, for example, in the capital, the average cost of living in the third quarter of 2017 is 16 160 Russian rubles per month. By population categories:
- Able-bodied citizens - 18,453 rubles.
- Pensioners - 11 420 rubles.
- Children - 13 938 rubles.
Now you are aware of what the cost of living in neighboring Belarus is today. Of course, comparing its value with the Russian one, we cannot evaluate the quality of life available at monthly costs for this amount in two different states. After all, other prices for products, utilities, household items, gasoline, etc. are observed.