Minimal Consumer Budget (Subsistence Minimum) The minimal consumer budget is necessary to solve two sets of issues. Firstly, it serves as an indicator of the living standards of the population as a whole and of different socio-demographic groups. Differentiated territorially, this index allows one to compare the living standards of different regions.

On the other hand, the value assessment of the minimal consumer budget can be regarded as an instrument of regional social policy, as it should serve as a guideline for establishing minimum wages and other payments to the population, with due account taken of the territorial characteristics of the existing social security systems. This index allows us to reveal priority lines in the system of measures to raise or maintain people's living standards and substantiate regional social programmes.

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