THE BATTLE OF THE MOSQUITO AGAINST THE ELEPHANT: COMPARING THE LIVES OF THE POOR WITH PRICES

According to the latest data published by the Eurasian Economic Commission, the average salary in Tajikistan in 2021 increased by 13.7% to 1,747 somoni ($155). This means that, on average, a person earns 1,747 somoni per month.

We will now try to compare this average monthly salary with current prices and calculate the monthly expenses of an individual to see what this salary can cover.

We won't rely on the consumer basket of developed countries, as the salary in Tajikistan is only 10% of the consumer basket set by European countries. Although some officials in our country like to compare the prices of electricity, water, and services with global standards, when calculating the consumer basket, our country might be more comparable to African nations.

For example, in most developed countries, the consumer basket includes a wide range of food, non-food items, and services. In the United States, the consumer basket includes 300 items, in France over 250, in Germany 475, and in England 499 items of food, non-food goods, and services. However, we have limited our analysis to less than 30 basic necessities required for minimum subsistence or, as commonly said, "to eat and not die." Below, you will see what this $155 or 1,747 somoni (average monthly salary) can be spent on.

Essential goods and services or the consumer basket for one person per month:

Food items
1. Bread – 60 pieces, each at 2 somoni, totaling 120 somoni.
2. Oil – 1 liter at 30 somoni.
3. Sugar – 2 kg at 25 somoni.
4. Milk – 4 liters at 24 somoni.
5. Dairy products (curd, yogurt, cream) – 50 somoni.
6. Meat – 1.5 kg at 100 somoni.
7. Fish – 1 kg at 35 somoni.
8. Rice – 6 kg, each kg at 10 somoni, totaling 60 somoni.
9. Pasta – 4 kg at 50 somoni.
10. Peas – 1 kg at 15 somoni.
11. Tea and spices – 15 somoni.
12. Potatoes – 5 kg at 4 somoni, totaling 20 somoni.
13. Carrots – 4 kg at 3 somoni, totaling 12 somoni.
14. Vegetables – totaling 30 somoni per month.
15. Onions – 4 kg at 3.5 somoni, totaling 14 somoni.
16. Fruits – various types, averaging 150 somoni per month.
17. Eggs – 15 pieces: 15 somoni per month.

**Clothing and other non-food necessities:**
18. Socks – 5 somoni.
19. Underwear – 15 somoni.
20. Stationery (notebooks and pens) – 10 somoni.
21. Paper napkins and toilet paper – 20 somoni.
22. Soap and shampoo – 20 somoni.
23. Toothpaste and toothbrush, shaving supplies – 20 somoni.
24. Medicines and hygiene products – 30 somoni.

Services:
25. Rent – 1,000 somoni per month.
26. Electricity, water, and utility services – 200 somoni per month.
27. Transportation – 150 somoni per month.

The total minimum monthly expenses for one person in Tajikistan amount to 2,200 somoni.
This calculation only includes basic necessities for one person and does not account for any additional expenses. This basket does not include costs for leisure activities, socializing with family and friends, hosting guests, and other additional expenses, which are common in Tajik households. While the average monthly salary in Tajikistan is 1,747 somoni, the minimum monthly expenses for one person exceed this amount by 453 somoni. Now imagine how pensioners and people living on the minimum wage or pension, set at around 600 somoni, survive.

Have you ever asked yourself how they manage to get through the month, when they are hungry or semi-hungry, or as they say, "they cut back on their food" to make their salary last until the next month, or how many debts they accumulate in various shops, with these debts increasing and piling up every month? If not for the help of charitable people like Rahim from Garm and his family, the debt burden on the poorest people would seem more crushing than Tajikistan's foreign debt, and it would remind us of the battle between a mosquito (salary and pension) and an elephant (prices).

According to statistics from the Eurasian Economic Commission, the increase in wages compared to the same period in 2021 in Central Asian countries is as follows:
- In Russia — 15%, to 60,101 Russian rubles ($709);
- In Kazakhstan — 23.7%, to 285,433 tenge ($627);
- In Belarus — 17.1%, to 1,554 Belarusian rubles ($551);
- In Armenia — 9.6%, to 212,767 dram ($437);
- In Kyrgyzstan – 11.4%, to 20,943 som ($234);
- In Uzbekistan — 19.1%, to 3.426 million soums ($305).

In Tajikistan, the average salary increased by 13.7% and reached 1,747 somoni ($155).

No information is available regarding the average salary and its growth rate in Turkmenistan.