People in rural areas need to take home up to 20% more than those in urban areas in order to reach an acceptable living standard, according to a report.
The Commission for Rural Communities said someone in a remote village needed £18,600 a year to get by, compared with £14,400 for an urban dweller.It means a villager must earn about 50% above the minimum wage of £5.93 an hour to reach a minimum living standard.The report found that, with low pay more common in rural areas, many rural workers fall well short of being able to afford their essential needs.
The report's author, Dr Noel Smith, said "Workers in the most basic rural jobs can work very hard yet still fall well short of what they need for an acceptable standard of living."
It is now widely recognised that one in five rural households experience poverty.
Nicola Lloyd, executive director at the CRC, said "The rural minimum income standard clearly shows that many ordinary families living in rural areas will struggle to afford the everyday essentials; for some this will make rural life unsustainable."
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