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The monthly cost of meeting basic food needs in Türkiye continued to edge higher in June, with the subsistence threshold for a family of four rising to ₺35,758.88 ($766.4), even as the pace of food price increases slowed, according to the country's largest labor union.
Turk-Is' monthly study found that a four-member household in Ankara needed to spend ₺35,758.88 during the month on food alone to maintain a healthy, balanced and adequate diet. While the amount largely remained flat in U.S. dollar terms from the previous month, it rose 1.7%, or ₺584.88, from May's ₺35,174.
Broader monthly living costs, which include housing, transportation, clothing, education and healthcare, climbed to ₺116,478.40, while the estimated monthly living cost for a single worker reached ₺46,248.50.
Across food categories, dairy prices were largely unchanged, while beef prices eased after rising in the previous month. Lamb prices increased, chicken and farmed fish prices remained stable, and egg prices declined.
In the fruit and vegetable category, seasonal harvests pushed down prices for some products, while newly available early-season produce drove prices higher for others.
The survey also showed that the average price of vegetables reached ₺101.44 per kilogram, while fruit averaged ₺139.2 per kilogram. Combined, the average fruit and vegetable price stood at ₺108.8 per kilogram, based on a basket of 23 vegetables and 13 fruits included in the calculation.
According to the survey, the annual increase in kitchen prices stood at 36.9%, while prices rose 18.6% over the first six months of the year.
Although supermarket prices for staple food products increased at a slower pace than in previous months, Turk-Is argued that households are seeing little benefit because prices remain historically high.
"The issue is no longer only how much prices increase, but the high level they have already reached," the union said. "The decision not to raise the minimum wage in the second half of the year has further weakened the purchasing power of millions of workers."
As the Turkish government has set the monthly minimum wage at ₺28,075 for 2026 and has not introduced a midyear increase, the gap between the minimum wage and the monthly food budget required for a family of four widened to 21.5% in June.
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