There is a level of wages when it becomes pointless going to work because you are spending more money to do it than the pay check. Think expenses like transportation, food (because you spend more calories working than lying on a sofa at home), as well as the clothing to look appropriate for the job.

The minimum monthly wage in Russia is set at 11,280 RUB (USD 175). But do Russian women earn more than they need to spend to get to work, if they are on this minimum wage?

Some women living in regional towns can only get jobs that pay this much. Teachers in small towns, for instance, are often earning just the minimum wage.

In Russia you need 8,000 RUB monthly just to go to work

The astounding calculations circulating online list the necessary expenses to go to work in Russia 5 days a week at 8,000 RUB (USD 125) monthly.

This is how much a person has to spend to show up for the job, work for 8 hours Monday to Friday, and look presentable while performing the duties.

In other words, a lady on the minimum salary makes only about USD 50 per month in addition to the money she spends just to go to work!

This is how the calculations look like.

Could you be losing money going to work?

Yes, it’s totally possible! The money you earn should be covering the transport expenses to get to the office, the water and electricity to wash the work uniform or clothes (plus you need to purchase new outfits from time to time). In addition, sitting on the couch watching Netflix requires less energy than standing at the counter, so you need more food to feed yourself.

Because of low wages in Russia (half of Russians earn less than USD 540 per month) and even lower minimum salary requirements, this is not a meaningless question.

Let’s see how much one needs to earn to be sure they aren’t losing money on going to work 5 days a week.

Not many people think about it, but one needs to spend money to simply arrive at the office in the morning and spend there 8 hours 5 days a week.

1. Food

A person watching TV at home spends about 1,200-1,500 calories daily. Compare it with 2,500-3,800 calories required to replenish the energy spent by someone laboring physically.

A person that doesn’t work may be able to spend economically 100 RUB (USD 1.60) daily on food. Yes, in today’s Russian prices it is possible to survive on under $2 daily in food — if all you do is watching TV at home.

But if you are active, even getting to work by public transport and then doing something for 8 hours will require double the energy, at least. Let’s take this most reasonable budget for extra groceries at 100 RUB daily, then it’s 3,000 monthly.

2. Clothing

Lounging at home in your old tracksuit is fine, but if you are going to work, this won’t cut it. So, you have to buy clothes. Even if your workplace provides uniforms, you still have to pay for it.

Clothes wear out, and need to be purchased fairly often. If you are a female, you also are expected to look the part in terms of fashion, which means the wardrobe needs to be updated even more often than the clothes wear off.

Russia is a cold country, so to get to work ladies also need warm coats, hats, and boots. These things wear out quickly, too.

If you are very economical (and probably a male), then you need to buy one full set of clothes every 6 months. It’s 2,000 RUB (USD 30) monthly as a minimum if you shop at the cheap stores.

A woman needs to look acceptable in terms of fashion, which means that the wardrobe needs to be updated even more often than the clothes wear out.

3. Transportation

Even if you are walking to the office, which is only 10 minutes away, you still spend energy (which means more food) and wear off shoes faster. You will be sweating, so washing the clothes will be required more often, and this takes electricity, water, and the washing powder. The clothes will also need to be updated more frequently. There is nothing free in our life!

Seriously, it may be cheaper to get to work by bus and pay the fare than walk to the office, if you look at all the expenses.

But even if you use the cheapest form of public transport (trams), it’s 20 RUB one way (USD 0.31), which means 1,000 RUB per month ($16). That’s the lowest amount you could possibly spend.

If you are driving your car to the office, then your expenses skyrocket! Gas, oil, window cleaning liquid, servicing the vehicle, and so on. If you aren’t careful, these expenses can easily exceed your wage!

Let’s set the amount for transportation at more realistic 3,000 RUB monthly ($47), which is probably closer to the average what women spend to get to work.

8,000 RUB monthly is the lowest wage one should earn to don’t lose money as an employee

Just these 3 factors give us 8,000 RUB ($125) in total, which is how much one needs to earn just to break even, if they are going to an office to perform duties for 8 hours a day.

We didn’t even look at the usual expenses of employees such as takeaway food, which means much larger food bills.

The further a person lives away from the office, the more expensive it becomes going to work. Realistically, any position paying less than 10,000 RUB a month (USD 156) will cost her money.

If you earn less than $125 (or 8,000 RUB) in Russia, it’s pointless to go to work.

Conclusions

These calculations remind the parabola, why wolfs don’t hunt mice. It’s not because a mouse isn’t tasty. It’s simply too small to justify the expenditure of energy.

People working for the minimum wage in Russia are barely surviving. Find out from your online girlfriends how much do they earn! It will be an eye opener.

In capitals like Moscow or St. Petersburg women earn higher wages, even if they are in teaching or nursing. If they are in a beauty industry and doing permanent makeup (tattooing eyebrows, eyeliner, etc) or hair extensions, they will be earning top dollars for her locations. This is the reason why many lawyers or economists with degrees move to the beauty industry and work as self-employed instead of an office. The wages of office workers aren’t enough to live and enjoy life!

This is something you need to consider when deciding about meeting ladies from the dating site in person. She probably will be too shy to tell you, but it’s unlikely she is able to afford to buy her own tickets to meet you in Thailand or Bali, or even Moscow, if she lives in Siberia. It’s up to you to start the conversation about covering her expenses, so it doesn’t affect her already tightly strapped purse.

Read also:

• What is the average hourly wage in Russia?
• What is the minimum wage in Russia?
• Russia: Wages are up but income is down, how is it possible?
• A Russian woman’s opinion: Why Western men are better