An official in charges of setting wages in Iran says that the monthly living basket for a family has risen to more than double the income of an average worker.

The head of the supreme labor committee said on Thursday that a basket of essential supplies for a family of 3 has reached 115 million rials. Although in today’s exchange rate that amounts to just $425, but a typical worker in Iran receives much less than $200 a month.

Faramarx Tofighi told the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA) that a worker’s wages would just be enough for buying the minimum amount of food for a family while rent and other expenses would go unpaid.

Iran’s overall inflation rate has reached nearly 50 percent, while food prices have risen much faster. ILNA said that on average food prices have gone up by 66 percent. Half of all families have stopped buying meat and fruits.

With US sanctions since 2018, the national currency has dropped almost ninefold, dropping to 270,000 rials for a US dollar.