The cost of living (for basic needs only) in Damascus is 660,000 Syrian pounds per month for the third quarter of 2020 (22,000 pounds per day), for a family of five, according to a report prepared by local newspaper, Qasiyon.
The cost of living was divided into eight basic needs, which are basic food and beverages, housing, health, transportation, education, clothes, furniture, and communications, in addition to an additional eight percent for other miscellaneous needs, according to the report.
The newspaper stated that a family needs 311,500 pounds per month for food, 130,000 pounds for housing, 36,900 pounds for household furniture, 33,500 pounds for healthcare, 32,600 pounds for transportation, 30,000 pounds for education, 23,000 pounds for clothes, and 11,000 pounds for communications.
According to the report, the cost of living in Damascus increased month on month during the third quarter of 2020, an almost 85 percent increase compared to last year, when the cost of living was 359,000 pounds per month.
The third quarter of 2019 saw the cost of living per family hit a record number, reaching 359,000 pounds per month, an increase from the second quarter (332,000 pounds) and 325,000 pounds in the first quarter, according to the newspaper.
The cost of living in Damascus reached a new record during the first quarter of 2020, reaching an average of 430,000 Syrian pounds per month for a family of five, an increase of nearly 45,000 pounds compared to the first quarter of 2019.
According to a 2018 study by the Central Bureau of Statistics, a Syrian family needed 325,000 pounds a month to survive. It is worth noting that salaries average between 50,000 and 80,000 pounds for the public and private sectors.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
