Citizens' budget is alarming: Daily food costs 862 TL

The DİSK/Birleşik Metal-İş Class Research Center (BİSAM) released its June 2025 report. According to the report, a family of four would need to spend 25,811 TL per month to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. This translates to 862 TL per day for food .

While this amount only covers food expenses, the poverty line , which includes basic needs such as education, housing and transportation, reached 89,282 TL.

The data was calculated based on TÜİK (Turkish Statistical Institute) expenditure groups, Istanbul Halk Ekmek and chain supermarket prices, and the BİSAM Nutritional Pattern. The monthly food expenditure for an adult male is 7,265 TL, for an adult female 6,923 TL, for a young person aged 15-18 7,161 TL, and for a child aged 4-6 4,462 TL.

POVERTY LINE FOR A SINGLE-PERSON HOUSEHOLD EXCEEDS 41,000 TL

The total monthly expenditure required for a single person to maintain a healthy diet and meet their basic needs is calculated as 41,857 TL. This figure includes not only food but also shelter, transportation, healthcare, and other essential expenses.

THE HIGHEST SLICES IN FOOD ARE FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

In June 2025, the highest daily expenditure was allocated to fruits and vegetables, at 288.4 TL. Milk and dairy products required 207.79 TL, meat, chicken, and fish 161.83 TL, and bread 71.43 TL. A daily expenditure of 41.02 TL is required for solid and liquid oils, 13.12 TL for eggs, and 19.42 TL for sugar and its derivatives.

The proportion of food groups within the total is also striking. Fruits and vegetables are in first place with 33.5 percent, followed by meat, eggs, and legumes at 24.9 percent, and milk and dairy products at 24.2 percent. Bread and grains account for 10.43 percent, and other food expenditures at 7 percent.

NUTRITION COSTS BY AGE AND GENDER

Calorie and nutrient requirements vary depending on individual gender and age group. This is also reflected in food expenditures. For example, dairy product consumption is higher in the 10-18 age group, while egg consumption is considered more critical for the 4-6 age group.

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HOW WERE THE CALCULATIONS MADE?

Hunger and poverty line calculations were based on the Türkiye-Specific Nutritional Pattern developed by BİSAM, the Ministry of Health, and Hacettepe University. While food prices were based on TÜİK's 2003 food prices, Istanbul Halk Ekmek (Public Bread) prices were used for bread, and online prices from chain markets were used for fruit and vegetables.

Furthermore, the hunger threshold for a family of four is determined solely based on food expenditures. The poverty line is calculated by calculating this data based on the consumption patterns of the lowest-income group, as determined by TÜİK (Turkish Statistical Institute). For single-person households, TÜİK's single-person expenditure data is used as the basis.

Odatv.com