Twenty Years Ago Average Pay Could Buy Less
The Statistics Office has calculated that the average monthly pay could buy 359 kilos of white bread in 1991 as Slovenia broke independent, while today it can buy 555 kilos.
Comparing average salary to petrol prices, the statisticians have established that unleaded petrol was the most affordable in 2001, when Slovenians could get 804 litres for average pay.
Last year, they could afford a little bit less of petrol (765 litres), but still 60% much more than in 1991 when average pay would only get them 479 litres.
Coffee lovers too were best off ten years ago when average monthly pay would buy them 954 cups of coffee at a cafe. This is 93 cups more than in 1991 and 103 cups more than in 2011.
Slovenians had to work nearly 29 minutes for a kilo of bread in 1991, but only 18 minutes 20 years later. It took twenty-two minutes of work to buy a litre of regular unleaded petrol in 1991 and only 13 minutes in 2011. A cup of coffee was equal to twelve minutes' worth of work both in 1991 and 2011.
Bread was the most affordable in 2011 and the least in 1991, while petrol was most affordable in 1996 when average pay would buy 1,177 litres and a litre was worth less than nine minutes of paid work.