How comes that Poland is the richest country in the Eastern Europe when it comes to Purchasing power of the minimum wage? Richer than Estonia, Greece Portugal, Could Someone explain please? 🇪🇺

37 comments

  4. Our prices are low compared to wages. Mind you this was one year ago, before inflation

  5. Euro does that to smaller, weaker countries. EURO is great currency if You have strong, highly developed economy. Otherwise avoid it.

  7. You should use past tense, this is no longer the case, there was a record inflation between January 2022 and March 2023…

  8. Minimum wages are very specific thing and it does not make you “richer”. As for why. It is simple, Poland Is incredibly cheap to live in compares to others you mentioned. It has advantage of location next to other rich countries like Germany so it profits off of growth of businesses and trade the most and it has big population so it can justify smaller prices.

  9. Well, minimum wage don’t really mean shit. In Belgium, the minimum and average wage are like only 20% appart. While in Czechia for example, the minimum wage and average wage differ at like 100+%

  10. Interessting fact: On a ranking of all european cities done some time ago, Berlin and Warsawa are directly next to each other!

  12. Biggest population of the bunch plus we’re neighbors with Germany. We export a lot to them.

  13. As a person from Slovakia who lives in Poland and previously also lived in Czech Republic and Hungary

    Stuff in Poland is cheap. Groceries, services, rents, car repairs, furniture, construction material, fuel/energies, even residential properties. Cheaper than in SVK, CZ and HU, while the salaries are relatively speaking simillar. Yeah, everything got shit ton more expensive lately, but you should see how much are groceries or properties in Slovakia and Czechia these days and you would be glad for the prices we have here right now. One thing thats considerably more expensive here in PL are mortgages.

  15. The problem is not inflation per se, but: (1) high inflation on food products with lower inflation on other products – you have to buy food, and you can do without better washing liquid; (2) the increase in wages, which, yes, is there, but is reflected in the prices of products because, after all, you have to pay the employee more (this will soon lead to an inflationary spiral in Poland); (3) increasing interest rates not only for loans not yet taken out, but also for those already taken out, which leads to impoverishment of people (whereas previously one used to give up to 1/4 of one’s salary to the bank, now one gives up to 1/2. ..). Well, and you should also bear in mind that some professions are subject to other regulations and do not have a top-down salary increase, and thus their salary increases do not keep up with inflation.

    So, yes, we have pretty high salaries, but so what if they are not enough….

  16. Low quality of products and services, everything is done in non-eco way, low requirements. Lack of public benefits

  17. *Slovenia

    It’s even on the Graph… Slovenia ranks above Poland

    They were in Yugoslavia, which was in the eastern block

  18. The minimum wage does not equal the median wage. For Estonia for example the median wage and minimum wage have a huge difference. Also, the minimum wage is just a minor factor in defining how rich a country is.

  19. As a Serb living in Poland and who used to live in the USA i can tell you its because the prices are actually lower than in both Serbia and most of US.

  20. How to easily offend a Polish person? Call them Eastern European. We have our reasons though, so IMHO being offended is the way to go. There’s no reason NOT to be placed in Central Europe, apart from HISTORICALLY being a incorporated to the Eastern Side of the Iron Curtain and being a puppet state of Russia/USSR. That’s a thing of the past though and now we are truly independent to be evolving the way we want to.

  21. Despite what Polish people say on the internet it’s a pretty good and comfortable country to live in (on average). No surprise here tbf

  24. It has high minimum wages, not the overall wealth.

  25. Things are way too expensive in the USA. Especially if it’s made by hand because no one wants to do that anymore. In Poland i could buy nice solid wood furniture for 1/10 what you pay in there USA. To find the same stuff here you have to find it at luxury stores for the ultra wealthy.

  27. Minimum wage is created. It doesn’t reflect absolutely anything in economy. It’s a tool for politics

  29. this means nothing lol, Polish people overall are way poorer than basically every other country in Europe and living conditions are way worse

  30. The answer is very simple: Umowa Zlecenia and “praca na czarno” is rampant.

    The fact that a leftist government like PiS (because they are essentially socialists) increases the minimum salary by 163718263% and sends it TO THE MOON doesnt mean that most people will get better salaries instantly.

    It just pumps informality on the short/medium term and automatiom in the long term.

    Plus, of course, skyrocketing inflation. Higher minimum salary means higher pensions for emeryt, what means printing money.

    Prices go higher.

  31. Your title is incorrect considering Slovenia is actually the richest.

  32. Because we didn’t adopt EURO, which hinders small and inefficient economies.

  33. Because of the high ratio minimum wage Vs median wage? Just guessing though

  35. Minimum wage is just a number set by law snd can be basicslly snything. Couple of years ago Germany’s minimum wsge was 0. Would you ask thrn how Germany is richer than Plland?

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