Equally significant is the country’s persistently low wage level, which has failed to keep pace with the real increase in living costs. In practice, much of the affordability crisis stems from the fact that nominal wage increases have lagged well behind inflation and the rising cost of everyday life. The government has highlighted its increase to 920 euros per month, placing the country in the middle tier of European countries based on nominal minimum wages, according to Eurostat. While this could, in theory, suggest a relatively strong minimum wage, it instead reflects a compressed wage structure. A large share of workers earn low or middle incomes, keeping the median wage low and narrowing the gap between median and minimum pay.