660k Syrian Pounds are the Living Expenses of a Family of 5 in September 2020

However, during the previous last months, food prices decreased slightly, while the prices of transportation increased, which reflected in a relative decrease in living expenses by 5000 Syrian pounds a month, and therefore a negligible proportion.

311500 Syrian Pounds for Basic Food and Beverages

Costs of food essentials, based on an average of 2400 calories for each person a day, practically requires 275 thousand Syrian pounds for a family. With the addition of oils and basic beverages, the cost reaches 311 thousand. The prices of bread have been raised in the basket, in addition to the prices of eggs, but generally, food prices have decreased in comparison to June by a very small rate with the decrease of the prices of some imported goods.

        130000 Syrian Pounds for Housing         

Housing costs have increased by 25% for rents during the previous six months. It increased from an average of 90 thousand to 125 thousand Syrian pounds for an apartment less than 100 square meters in Damascus and its suburbs and countryside centers. As for maintenance and heating costs, they are approximately 65 thousand on average distributed among the months of the year.

36900 Syrian Pounds for Household Furniture

These costs are calculated based on a family’s purchase of its basic household furniture and electronics at this time, and distributed among ten years. The basic furniture’s cost is 5600 Syrian pounds a month, exclusively with the prices of the consumer market. As for the electronics, they reach 20 thousand a month: for a refrigerator, a washing machine, a gas oven, two cellphones and a television, some of them used and some with the price of new items, to reach a cost of 2.4 million distributed among ten years. In addition to the costs of kitchen utensils distributed among 5 years and for basics only, and they approximate 1400 Syrian pounds a month. The second huge burden after electronics is cleaning supplies, which approximate 9900 Syrian pounds a month, from dish liquid soap, laundry detergent, toothpaste, tissues of all kind, chloride and soap only.    

33500 Syrian Pounds for Healthcare

The costs of healthcare that include medicine, inspection, medical tests, x-ray images and all that, increased at record rates during the last nine months of this year. These costs are calculated based on doctor inspection twice a year for each person, and the costs of a medical test and a simple x-ray image once a year for two members of the family only. Also, the costs of only one chronic patient with diabetes and hypertension are calculated, and the costs of his/her main monthly medication approximate 16 thousand Syrian pounds. Finally, the costs of medical emergencies are calculated with the cost of a C-section from the average price of public and private hospitals, and are distributed among two years, which amount 10 thousand Syrian pounds a month for a family

32600 Syrian Pounds for Transportation

The costs of transportation are calculated based on the transportation of 3 members a day for 5 days a week, with a transportation fare of 100 Syrian pounds and the need for 4 rides for each person a day. The monthly cost for this is 24 thousand Syrian pounds, in addition to calculating a margin for emergency taxis of 6000 Syrian pounds a month, and traveling to governorates an average of 3 times a month for one member of the family with a fare of 4000 Syrian pounds a month. The costs of transportation have increased between the months of June and September by a rate of approximately 100%.

30000 Syrian Pounds for Education

The costs of education are calculated for 2 children at the stage between elementary and high school. The costs of the requirements for the opening of school year at the minimum consist of: school backpacks distributed among two years, which amount 1500 Syrian pounds a month - stationary, daily requirements, and textbooks for 5000 Syrian pounds a month - uniform for 2 children that consist only of pants and a shirt distributed among two years for 1600 Syrian pounds a month. The biggest burden lies upon private lessons with an average cost of 22 thousand Syrian pounds a month, consisting only of a weekly lesson for a student in a transitional stage (neither baccalaureate nor 9^th grade), two lessons a week for a baccalaureate or 9^th grade student, and a cost of a pre-exam course.

23000 Syrian Pounds for Clothing

The prices of clothing increased on the Syrian market at huge rates, but the calculation here was based on austerity in family clothing costs, and taking average prices between the used items and the new ones. Despite all that, the average cost for family clothing approximates 23 thousand Syrian pounds a month. It is distributed among: winter jackets with the price of used items for each person, and their use is distributed over 3 years - two pairs of pants for each person a year -two summer/winter sweaters and a pair of shoes for each person a year, in addition to one pair of women’s summer shoes and one for  kids’ sport shoes, all of which are at the minimum and the average of used items’ price, in addition to other miscellaneous items.

11000 Syrian Pounds for Telecommunication

The main cellphone and local telecommunication costs did not change, and the change in ADSL service for home internet was not calculated, given that most families have adapted to the poor internet service and did not increase the speed. So, it is the minimum consumption for only 3 cellphones in a family. 

 660 Thousand for the 8 Basic Needs

The total costs of the 8 basic needs amount to 608 thousand Syrian pounds a month, in addition to 8% for costs of other needs and emergencies, bringing the total costs of the consumer basket to 660 thousand Syrian pounds a month. 

For each person a month: 55100 Syrian pounds.

For a family a month: 275500 Syria pounds.

311500 Syrian pounds are the total costs of basic food and beverages for a family of 5 in Damascus!