Life In Belarus Is Much More Expensive Than in the EU

How much food a Belarusian, a Lithuanian, and an Italian can buy on wage.

If there is a necessity to visit a few countries, the return to Belarus does not look so bright - high prices is the reason.
You pay 40-60 eurocents for a jar of yogurt in the northern part of Italy and in Belarus it costs 30 cents. Mozzarella costs 75 cents there and here the price equals to Br21 thousand (nearly 1 euro). And a cup of coffee 3-4 times less expensive than in Belarus. There is a question arise: how do we survive with such prices and our salaries?
To understand the difference Zautra Tvaye Krainy compared average prices of certain products this March provided by official statistics of Belarus, Lithuania, and Italy.

Basket purchase sum of Belarus may look attractive.
Price analysis of Gooper.ru also confirms it is more profitable to purchase products in Belarus. For example, the kilogram of chicken breast in Belarus costs 1.89 euro, in Lithuania – 4.83, in Italy – 18.25. Lunch in McDonald's, which has become an index of purchasing power in the world, in Belarus is available at €3.32, in Lithuania and Italy €4.67 and €4.17 respectively.
However, it is wrong to say that it is cheaper to live in Belarus, economist and project manager Kosht Urada Uladzimir Kavalkin believes. Many goods in Belarus cost less than in neighboring countries, especially in the EU's countries. That same kilogram of rice or meat is more expensive in European countries, but the quality noticeably differs.
- Rise in Belarus and in Italy is completely of different quality. It is possible that "our" rice can be prohibited there or does not fully comply with quality standards of the European Union," an expert explains.
If quality is also taken into consideration, the Belarusians find themselves not on the winning side: we consume the cheapest food.
A Belarusian has to work five months to have a salary of a person from Italy
It is worth looking at average wage. In Belarus it is noticeably lower than in compared countries. Gooper.ru reports an average wage of the Belarusians is €313 versus €727 in Lithuania and €1 600 Italy.
It turns out that it is possible to buy 30 sets of a consumer basket made up by journalists. Thus a Lithuanian can buy 45 sets and an Italian - 77.
According to statistics, it is cheaper to rent an apartment in Belarus. An average price of rent of one-room apartment is €158 (Italy - €553 ones, €183 – Lithuania). But it turns out in Belarus the rent of a one-room apartment without utility payments takes 50.5% of an average wage, in Lithuania – 25%, Italy – 34.5%.
An average cost of utility services for residents of Apennines seem to be enormous (according to us) and equals to €160 a month: electricity costs approximately €40-50, gas - €60, central heating - €10, water and condominium service - €53. However, it makes up 6-10% of their monthly wage.
According to Belstat, last year housing and utility services made up 6.1% of total expenditures of a Belarusian. This year figures have noticeably increased.

Can the Belarusian afford a dinner in a restaurant and a trip to the theater?
It is not enough to compare only prices in Belarus, Lithuania and Italians, Uladzimir Kavalkin believes. It is much more important to compare the amount of spare cash when all vital needs are satisfied, such as food, rent, and utilities services.
In accordance with Istata data, the Italian family spends 28% of its salary (around €460 a month) on food. Italians, according to statistics, spend about €94 a month on cultural events and a pastime, €27 for hairdresser and beauty salon services, €77 are spend on food in public places.
Over past years costs of Belarusians for food were fluctuating within 40-60% of their income. Domestic statistics does not mention how much money Belarusians spend for cultural events, food in cafes, or dinners in restaurants, as well as how many Belarusians can afford food in public places on regular basis.
Relative ratios for low food prices may be a plus for the Belarusians. However, if to compare the cost of life in Belarus and neighboring countries in absolute figures, it will turn out that the life in Belarus is much more expensive, Uladzimir Kavalkin sums up.

Kilde:  https://charter97.org/en/news/2016/5/17/204587/