Lifestyle inflation traps Poland's middle class in hidden poverty

Poland's middle class is falling into the trap of lifestyle inflation — wanting a premium car, an expensive smartphone, a luxury flat, regular restaurant meals and two foreign holidays a year while still building savings. When that combination proves unaffordable, the result is a sense of deprivation despite relatively high incomes, a phenomenon economists call "hidden poverty." The trend reflects how rising aspirations are outpacing wage growth.

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