Unfortunately, people who determine the threshold of a living wage, and those who are forced to strictly save on every penny, seem to be on opposite sides of the barricades. The government annually and quarterly provides statistics, data claiming that the amounts determined by it will well be able to provide an acceptable standard of living for the population.
What is the cost of living
In the era of the Soviet Union, the concept of a living wage did not exist at all . No data were given to people, no boundaries were established with which they could evaluate their standard of living. Living richly was considered almost a disgrace, so people did not realize whether they lived beyond poverty or even poverty - it lived as the means could afford. They talked about the concepts of "consumer basket", "cost of living" in the early 1990s. And some Russians found that they were almost destitute, and the contents of their wallet would be enough only for physical survival.
Since then, specialists and statistics have appeared, regular analysis and numbers. All in order to be able to find out how many and what products, services, things a person needs for life. In other words, to determine the cost of living. In St. Petersburg, as in a separate region, this figure differs from the general federal one, and data are periodically provided on the website of the city administration.
Why do we need to know the cost of living
All analytics and calculations are carried out in order to determine the welfare of the population, as well as in order to establish the amounts for pensions, social benefits, minimum wages, scholarships. This is a necessary part of the socio-economic policy of the state, since not all citizens have the opportunity to receive income above the average or even work.
St. Petersburg: how are you in the northern capital?
What is the cost of living in St. Petersburg? Is it possible to really live on it, or is this the wrong word and is it more correct to use "survive"? Take a look at the numbers.
The official website of the St. Petersburg Administration provides a lot of reporting data, including the cost of living. St. Petersburg, 2013 for which it was economically saturated, cannot boast of a large increase in this indicator. In the fourth quarter of the year, the able-bodied population had to live in the amount of 7874.40 rubles, pensioners were supposed to meet the amount of 5455.70 rubles, and children - 6199.00 rubles. (Decree No. 137 of March 13, 2014, of the Government of St. Petersburg). If we take the numbers on average, then we get 7072.50 rubles.
It is worth recalling that this figure takes into account the consumer basket (the minimum set of products is bread, meat, fish, fruits, vegetables), necessary payments and fees. The cost of living in St. Petersburg for the indicated period is slightly less than in the country as a whole; the federal average is 7326 rubles.
What the year 2014 has prepared for us
The latest data on what is the cost of living-2014, St. Petersburg learned recently, May 29 (Decree of the Government of St. Petersburg at number 439). The able-bodied population was entitled to 8,449.60 rubles., Pensioners were supposed to live on 6,110.40 rubles., The minimum for children was estimated at 7411.10 rubles. The average value is 7694.40 rubles.
One cannot but agree that the figure has grown. The authorities attributed this increase to the increase in production costs and the economic situation in Russia. There were no comments on the increase in wages; the point is to prevent a sharp price jump. About what will be the cost of living in St. Petersburg in the next quarter, it will become known only after a few months.
Let's hope that citizens will still begin to live better, and a better quality of life will become the norm when more expensive products appear in the grocery basket . This will increase the cost of living indicator itself, which will affect other social benefits - benefits, minimum wages, pensions.