Salaries Are Rising, But Everything Else Is Rising Faster – Check Out the Numbers

You may have noticed that salaries are slowly increasing. A few years ago, the average salary in our country was around 800 BAM, and today it’s approximately 1,000 BAM – a nominal increase of +20%. Sounds good, but when we look at everyday expenses… the picture looks different. Here are a few examples: Item Before Now Increase Electricity (monthly) 80 BAM 120 BAM +50% Milk (per liter) 2 BAM 3 BAM +50% Bread (1 kg) 2.5 BAM 3.5 BAM +40% Meat (1 kg) 12 BAM 16 BAM +33% Fuel (per liter) 2.1 BAM 2.8 BAM +33% Utilities (water, heating, internet) 200 BAM 260 BAM +30% When we add all this up, the extra 200 BAM from a salary increase almost disappears after paying the first bills and buying food. Conclusion: Salaries are rising nominally, but real purchasing power is stagnating or even declining. For the average person, the month is tough – even though the numbers on paper show we earn more, daily life tells a different story.