Disproportion between costs and salaries in Almaty
Kazakhstan, Politics and Society2 Comments
The disproportion between costs and incomes is becoming a real issue in Almaty. Paying $500USD as month for a flat in the city is no longer pricy. I recently heard of someone renting out their one room flat with separate washroom and kitchen for a $1000USD per month next to ramstor.
In proportion $1000 a month is a solid salary in Almaty, even if this is decreasingly the case as salaries rise. One response by companies in need of skilled personnel is to pay the rent as part of an employee’s contract.
All the services and products are available in Almaty but you often pay more than you would in a Western city. My theory is that the market is still finding its equilibrium, but with the widespread corruption that hinders people from starting small businesses I worry that this could take a long time.
Some people are making a lot of money as part of oligarchies, such as the one in the restaurant area, and they have the financial clout and political connections to hold the line.
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[...] traffic, saftey and cars as economic indicators. Coupled with the previous post on neweurasia about income versus rising costs, it makes for a good indication of the situation. What percent of already too-small incomes are [...]