1,069 GEL is average monthly salary in Georgia:
But men earn more than women

National Bank of Georgia and other central banks from the Eurozone shared their experience using the portfolio management system. Photo by N.Alavidze/Agenda.ge
Agenda.ge, 15 Dec 2017 - 13:37, Tbilisi,Georgia

The average monthly salary in Georgia was 1,069.1 GEL (about $418.40/€355.01*) in the third quarter (Q3) of 2017, shows the latest data published by the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat).

In Q3 of 2017, Georgia’s top three highest-paying occupations were in the fields of financial intermediation (1,405 GEL), mining and quarrying (1,310.2 GEL) and production and distribution of electricity, gas, and water (1,295 GEL).

The figures show that men earned almost 485 GEL more than women each month in Q3 of 2017. Female workers earned an average salary of 809.4 GEL (about $316.79/€268.80*) per month, while male workers earned 1,293.8 GEL (about $506.38/€429.66*), said Geostat.

Meanwhile, the latest study by the United Nations Development Programme and Union Sapari revealed that more than 40 percent of women in Georgia are economically inactive, while employed women receive 35 percent smaller salaries than men.

Deputy Resident Representative at UNDP, Shombi Sharp, who presented the research in Tbilisi said that "paradoxically, women are often more qualified than men” in Georgia. He said that there is a large number of "unused” resources - women – in Georgia and the Georgian economy lacks this resource.

What is the minimum cost of living in Georgia?

The minimum subsistence level for a working age male in November 2017 was 175.7 GEL (about $68.77/€58.35*), said Geostat in its latest data also published today.

The minimum subsistence level is calculated based on the minimum cost of items in the food basket, defined by Georgian law since 2004. The indicator did not include monthly mortgage or rent costs, or utility bills.

For the average consumer, the minimum subsistence level was 155.7 GEL in November, while an average family needed at least 294.8 GEL to survive.

The minimum amount of money a person needs to survive in Georgia has increased slightly over the past three months of 2017.

Meanwhile, last month prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages increased 0.8 percent.

The prices were higher for the following subgroups:

  • Vegetables (6.5 percent)
  • Sugar, jam, honey, chocolate and confectionery (1.4 percent)
  • Milk, cheese and eggs (1.2 percent)
  • Oils and fats (0.7 percent)

Prices for fruit and grapes went down (-9.2 percent) in November 2017, said Geostat.

As for transport related costs, they increased by 2.8 percent.

*Currency conversions reflect the National Bank of Georgia values as of today.