Moments ago, Minister Vedat Işıkhan announced that next year’s minimum wage will increase by 27%. Like every year, we will look at how much cryptocurrency can be purchased with this new minimum wage.
Minimum Wage Announcement
Although we have constantly seen inflation above 30% this year, the minimum wage increase for the new year is capped at 27%. Even though December’s inflation figures have not yet been revealed, November’s inflation was over 31%. Despite last year’s inflation rate being 47%, a wage increase of only 30% was applied. This situation indicates that the wage base in Turkey is being eroded by inflation year after year. Anticipated future inflation and missed targets have caused the erosion of the fundamental wage.
In the 2024 negotiation process, Türk-İş demanded a wage of 29,583 TL, but 22,104 TL was announced. Interestingly, the minimum wage for 2026 will be 28,075 TL, meaning that the 2026 figure is still below last year’s demanded figure. According to Türk-İş calculations, in November, the hunger threshold increased to 29,828 TL, and the poverty line rose to 97,159 TL.
Cryptocurrency Purchases in 2026
In 2024, with a minimum wage of 17,002 TL, investors could buy 0.01347 BTC, 0.2519 ETH, and 919 XRP. When the 2025 minimum wage was announced, equivalent amounts were 0.006357 BTC, 0.1784 ETH, and 267.6 XRP. Today, the situation is as follows.
- 0.007510 BTC
- 2.241 ETH
- 67 XRP
In 2024, someone who purchased XRP Coin with one minimum wage would have around 73,000 TL today. The quantity of ETH and BTC that can be bought has increased according to current prices. The surge at the end of last year saw BTC and altcoins achieving significant gains, and those calculations were based on peak prices. If the 2025 low levels are considered, more purchases could be made with a minimum wage, but as we compare the end-of-year prices, we did the same this year.
Considering that average rents in Istanbul are nearing the minimum wage level, individuals earning a minimum wage hardly have any budget to set aside for investments. Let’s hope that in the future, there will be days where earnings are better, enabling everyone to invest.
