The decision to have a child also involves “doing the math” on your wallet, because there are many expenses to consider when a baby is born. A study conducted by Picodi concluded that the cost of necessary purchases during pregnancy and the baby's first year of life is €3,470, which is a basic kit. In Portugal, it takes 3.7 average salaries to buy this basic kit, which is more than in Spain (3.2) and Italy (2.6), for example.
"According to the National Statistics Institute (INE), the average salary in the first quarter of 2020 in Portugal was €929. This means that to buy the basic kit of products for mother and baby, 3.7 times the average salary was needed," the study concludes.
The US and Australia are the countries where parents have the lowest costs for this basic kit, requiring only one average salary. At the other end of the scale are Belarus and Ukraine, where the basic cost is 8 and 9.1 times the average salary, respectively.
It should be noted that there are seven categories included in the basic kit, such as maternity clothes and accessories, maternity bag, baby food, and baby transport.
For more demanding parents who decide to buy more advanced and additional products, the study included a second (complete) kit, valued at €5,260.
Source: idealistanews