It is possible to live in Egypt on a local minimum wage of 8,000 rubles, but even with the support of the state in the form of a “gentleman's set” of cheap products, we will talk about constant deprivation and the struggle for existence. A Russian tourist living in the country of the pyramids suddenly wondered how Egyptians with extremely low incomes survive in the country. She shared her thoughts on the Yandex.Zen blog.
“If you convert the Egyptian minimum wage into rubles at the new “magic” rate, even after the increase in the minimum wage, it is about 8,000 rubles (3,000 Egyptian pounds). 1 Egyptian pound now costs about 2.65 rubles, although a year ago it cost 5 rubles, and a week ago – 3 rubles with a little. Therefore, the conversion into rubles, of course, is rather conditional. As for prices, at the current rate for people with ruble incomes, everything is not so bad here now. The problem is only in the ratio of prices and local salaries,” the author said, adding that until recently the minimum wage was about 6,200 rubles (2,400 pounds).
The Russian woman noted that the Egyptian authorities raised pensions and benefits by 800 rubles (£300) and raised the minimum wage by 1,600 rubles (£600). “It’s not clear what they should do with such an abyss of money now,” she was indignant.
What can you buy with this money?
In Egypt, as in many countries, people live differently. At the same time, the proportion of local residents who are near the poverty line and have already crossed it is very large. Low wages do not cover the prices of goods and services. “The prices here are not that low even in terms of rubles and ruble/dollar incomes. If we talk about the usual set of products (including meat, chicken, fish, dairy products, fruits, etc.), then they can probably be afforded on the average Russian salary, but on the average by local standards – already with difficulty. Add to this the fact that there are a lot of additional expenses in Egypt – if we are talking about the middle class or aspiring to the middle class, and even if there are children, we have to add serious expenses for education, medicine, and entertainment for children. Even in Egypt, expensive communications and the Internet, ”the Russian woman shared.
The survival of the poor stratum of the population is due to state aid. According to the compatriot, the authorities allocate a “gentleman's set” of cheap products for them. “Firstly, there are government subsidies that can be used to buy basic products for next to nothing. Secondly, there are some initially cheap foods and dishes that almost everyone can afford. These are ful, falafel, bread, rice, pasta, as well as koshari, mahshi and other meat-free dishes that you can quickly fill up with,” she clarified. However, all of them have been deprived of meat for months and save on everything they can.
Poverty is on the rise
The author noted that despite programs to combat poverty, the poorest stratum in Egypt is growing the fastest. “It turns out that the concern of the state is to somehow feed these hungry mouths until they grow up and can not provide for themselves. And when this happens, they, most likely, will themselves begin to give birth to children, who, again, will have to be fed not without the help of the state – a vicious circle. The government has long recommended that people limit themselves to 2 children, but these recommendations are most often not heeded by those to whom they are primarily addressed, ”she concluded.
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