Unfortunately, the people who determine the minimum subsistence level 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 cites statistics, data stating that the amounts determined by it will be quite able to provide an acceptable standard of living for the population.
What is the cost of living
In the era of the Soviet Union, there was no concept of a living wage at all. People were not given any data, no boundaries were set by which they could assess their standard of living. Living richly was considered almost a shame, so people did not realize whether they were living below the poverty line or even poverty - they lived as they could afford. They started talking about the concepts of "consumer basket", "living wage" in the early 1990s. And some Russians have found that they are almost destitute, and the contents of their wallets are only enough for physical survival.
Since then specialists and statistics, regular analysis and figures have appeared. Allin order to be able to find out how much and what kind of products, services, things a person needs for life. In other words, to determine the living wage. In St. Petersburg, as in a separate region, this figure differs from the general federal figure, 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 to determine the well-being of the population, as well as to set the amount 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 an income above the average or work at all.
St. Petersburg: how are things in the northern capital?
What is the cost of living in St. Petersburg? Is it really possible to live on it, or is this the wrong word and is it more correct to use “survive”? Let's 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, for which 2013 was an economically saturated year, cannot boast of a large increase in this indicator. In the fourth quarter of the year, the able-bodied population had to live on the amount of 7874.40 rubles, pensioners were supposed to meet the amount of 5455.70 rubles, children - 6199.00 rubles. (Resolution No. 137 of March 13, 2014 of the Government of St. Petersburg). If we take the numbers on average, then it turned out to be 7072.50 rubles.
It is worth recalling that this figuretakes into account the consumer basket (the minimum set of products - bread, meat, fish, fruits, vegetables), necessary payments and contributions. The cost of living in St. Petersburg for the specified period is slightly less than in the whole country, the average figure for the federation is 7326 rubles.
What the year 2014 has in store for us
The most recent data on the cost of living in 2014, St. Petersburg learned quite recently, on May 29 (Decree of the Government of St. Petersburg under the number 439). The able-bodied population was supposed to be 8449.60 rubles, pensioners had to live on 6110.40 rubles, the children's minimum 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 rising 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. What will be the cost of living in St. Petersburg in the next quarter, it will be known only in a few months.
Let's hope that citizens still start to live better, and a better standard of living will become the norm when more expensive products appear in the grocery basket. This will increase the living wage itself, which will affect other social benefits - benefits, minimum wages, pensions.
