According to polls conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation, material needs of Russians have grown by some 30 percent in the past year. So, the poll revealed that some 30,000 rubles are enough for an average Russian to live a normal life, although a prodigal life will require at least 107,000 rubles. According to employers, Russians are not very much greedy in their expectations from a normal life.
The Novye Izvestia carries a feature untitled “Is it real money?” When asked “What are the things you need most but cannot afford,” as many as 30 percent of the polled said “real estate.” Fifteen percent cannot buy a motor car, twelve percent want to overhaul their apartments but cannot afford it. A total of eight percent said they need money for medical treatment, and another eight percent – to buy garments and footwear. Seven percent of Russians have to save on travels. Six percent said they lack money to buy household appliances, and three percent – to buy furniture. A thing of lesser concern for Russians is repayment of bank credits and support to their near and dear. Only one percent of the polled said they were ready to spend money on that. Six percent however said they have “everything they want.”
“People see that prices on gasoline, foods, real estate, housing and utility services are surging. This is what underlies the idea of the norm,” the Nezavisimaya Gazeta cites Margarita Avdeyeva, the general director of Ronova. However many employers said that popular concept of normal incomes is quite adequate. “Such expectations cannot be called underestimated. Taking into account taxation specifics for individuals, incomes, at least in big cities, are on a par with those in Europe,” said Pavel Yaroshevsky, the director general of Beta Production. Experts also noted that the gap between wages in Russian regions and in Moscow is rapidly narrowing.