Cost of living slightly increases in Georgia, statistics show

The amount of money a person needs to support themselves in Georgia is slowly increasing every month.

Figures from Geostat, the National Statistics Office of Georgia, revealed that the country’s minimum subsistence level has slightly increased in the past 30 days.

Figures showed the minimum subsistence level for an able-bodied male in October 2015 was 163.3 GEL. This was 1.4 GEL more than in September 2015 where the minimum subsistence level was 161.9 GEL.

For the average consumer, the minimum subsistence level in September was 143.4 GEL but this increased to 144.7 GEL in October. In comparison, in October 2014 the average consumer needed 142.3 GEL to survive.

For the average family, the minimum subsistence level in September was 271.6 GEL but this increased to 274 GEL in October. However in October 2014 the average family needed 269.5 GEL to afford the basics.

As for households, the minimum amount of money needed to survive in July 2015 was:

• For a one-person household – 144.7 GEL;

• For a two-person household – 231.5 GEL;

• For a three-person household – 260.4 GEL;

• For a four-person household – 289.4 GEL;

• For a five-person household – 325.5 GEL and

• For a six or more person household – 384.8 GEL

Geostat calculated the average subsistence rate based on the 2015 consumer basket. The composition of the 2015 consumer basket was identical to the consumer basket of 2014, which contained 295 items. Each year the weight of the products and services were updated to reflect any price changes. (Agenda.ge)