The average salary in Belarus is around 1,684.90 BYN (Belarusian Ruble) per month (as of January 2023), published by the National Statistical Committee. This amount is approximately USD 667 per month, as per April 2023 exchange rates.
In order to know if you can outsource your business to this eastern Europe country, you’d need to know much more about the average salary in Belarus and its overall economy.
In this article, we’ll discuss the average salary in Belarus, including statistics, factors influencing salaries, and the cost of living there. We’ll also cover the average salaries of other countries for comparison and benefits of outsourcing to Belarus.
Table of Contents
- Average salary in Belarus: Statistics and trends
- 3 factors influencing salaries in Belarus
- The cost of living in Belarus
- Average salaries in other countries
- 3 key benefits of outsourcing to Belarus
Let’s get started!
Average salary in Belarus: Statistics and trends
According to the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus, a Belarusian employee earns approximately 1,684.90 BYN (previously named BYR) per month. This is roughly USD 667 per month.
The amount is less than the average salary of the United States (USD 7,900/month) and other European countries — making it an excellent outsourcing location.
Note: All salary estimates in this article are solely guidelines. Individual salaries can differ based on location, years of experience, education, job title, and other factors.
However, to better understand the average salary and determine if Belarus is ideal for your business, let’s go over some statistics:
A. Salary range
According to Salary Explorer, Salaries in Belarus can range anywhere from 740 BYN/month or USD 293/month (minimum average salary) to around 13,100 BYN/month or USD 5,188/month (maximum average salary).
Note: The actual maximum salary and minimum salary (real wages) can be higher or lower, respectively.
B. Median salary
The median salary of Belarus is 2,530 BYN/month.
It represents the middle salary value. This means half of the population’s income is less than 2,530 BYN while the other half’s income is more than 2,530 BYN.
C. Annual salary increment rate
An employee in Belarus can expect a salary increase of roughly 8% every 19 months. However, this is influenced by industry type and work experience level.
1. Annual increment rate by industry
Here’s how the increment can differ based on industry:
Industry | Annual Increment (in percentage) |
Travel | 1% |
Education | 5% |
Banking | 2% |
Construction | 3% |
Information Technology | 6% |
Health Care | 8% |
Energy | 4% |
Source: salaryexplorer.com (salary survey data 2023)
2. Average salary increment rate by experience level
Here’s how an employee’s work experience level impacts the average wage or salary increment rate:
Work Experience Level | Average Annual Salary Increment |
Junior Level | 3% – 5% |
Mid-Career | 6% – 9% |
Senior Level | 10% – 15% |
Top Management | 15% – 20% |
Source: salaryexplorer.com (salary survey data 2023)
D. Minimum wage
According to WageIndicator.org, the national minimum wage in Belarus is approximately 554 BYN/month (USD 122.44) as of January 2023. This minimum wage is determined by the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus.
Now, let’s check out some major factors that influence the salaries in Belarus.
3 factors influencing salaries in Belarus
Here are two main determinants of salaries in Belarus:
1. Experience
In general, work experience is known to bump one’s salary or wage. The more experience you have, the better salary increment you get.
Work Experience Level (in years) | Salary Increase (in percentage) |
2 to 5 | 32% |
5 to 10 | 36% |
10 to 15 | 21% |
15 to 20 | 14% |
20+ | 9% |
Source: salaryexplorer.com (salary survey data 2023)
2. Education
Education plays a major role in deciding one’s income worldwide. The same goes for a Belarusian worker.
- An employee with a certificate or diploma earns 17% more than those with high school education.
- Employees holding a Bachelor’s degree can get 24% more than those with diplomas.
- An employee with a Master’s degree can make 29% more than an employee with a Bachelor’s degree.
- Someone with a Ph.D. degree can expect an increase of 23% more than an employee holding a Master’s degree.
3. Profession
Depending on the profession, the monthly salaries can vary.
Here is the average monthly salary of some jobs in Belarus. Some of these are the highest salary paying job in the country:
Job Title | Average Monthly Salary (approx) |
Bank Manager | 3,700-10,600 BYN |
Architect | 522-1,733 BYN |
IT Auditor | 662-1,982 BYN |
Help Desk Operator | 605-1,146 BYN |
Human Resources Officer | 587-1,599 BYN |
Software Engineer | 736-3,828 BYN |
Doctor/Surgeon | 5,780-16,600 BYN |
Project Manager | 810-2,638 BYN |
Call Center Supervisor | 575-1,803 BYN |
Source: paylab.com and salaryexplorer.com (salary survey data)
Note: In case you’re wondering, public sector employees in Belarus earn between 1,700 BYN (lowest average salary) to 5,020 BYN (highest average salary). The actual maximum salary can be higher).
The cost of living in Belarus
The cost of living in Belarus is fairly low compared to many other European countries.
Let’s take a look at some important living expenses:
1. Accommodation
For example, in Minsk (the capital and largest city of Belarus), the cost of living for a family of four without rent is around 4,403.08 BYN (USD 1,744). If the family moves to any of the rural areas around Minsk, the overall cost of living can drop significantly.
2. Food
The food prices in Belarus are quite reasonable too.
For example, 1L of milk costs roughly 1.79 BYN (USD 0.71) and a 500g loaf of fresh white bread costs 1.43 BYN (USD 0.57).
3. Transport
Belarus has a very affordable public transportation system. A local transport one-way ticket costs just about 0.80 BYN (USD 0.32) and taxi tariffs start as low as 3.90 BYN (USD 1.54).
Wonder how Belarus compares to other countries?
Let’s find out!
Average salaries in other countries
Here’s the average salary of other European countries and some major economies of the world for a better comparison with Belarus:
Country | Average Yearly Salaries (USD) |
Belarus | 10,774.73 |
Estonia | 36,114.60 |
The United States | 94,700 |
Finland | 40,002.24 |
The United Kingdom | 93,641.54 |
Bulgaria | 22,309.60 |
The Middle East | 63,980.04 |
The Czech Republic | 3,2720.29 |
Source: salaryexplorer.com (salary survey data)
Still not quite sure if Belarus is the right business destination for you?
Let’s check out some benefits of outsourcing to Belarus!
3 key benefits of outsourcing to Belarus
Here are some advantages of choosing Belarus as your outsourcing location:
1. No language barrier
Companies outsourcing to other countries worry about miscommunication due to language barriers.
However, the Belarusian population has higher English proficiency than its neighboring countries like Ukraine or Russia.
Moreover, many Belarusians make a conscious effort to learn English.
Simultaneously, you get the advantage of working with employees fluent in Belarusian and Russian.
2. Hiring cost-benefit
It’s way cheaper for an employer to hire employees in a country like Belarus (Eastern Europe) than in the Western European countries or America.
For example, one hour of software development in Belarus will cost you around 2-3 times less than in Western Europe and 3-4 times less than in the United States.
3. Vast talent pool
Belarus continues to focus on providing the highest level of education to its population. The country takes pride in its superior literacy rate of above 99%. As a result, the country produces thousands of talented, quality professionals every year.
The Belarusian workforce can handle anything, including R&D, science, IT, humanities, etc.
Final thoughts
Belarus is fast becoming a preferred outsourcing destination. It offers advantages like low average salary, high literacy rate, affordable hires, and fluency in English, Belarusian, and Russian.
Moreover, the low cost of living makes it very comfortable for Belarusian employees.
So if you plan to outsource your business to Belarus, use that data in this article to conduct thorough research before outsourcing to the country.