According to the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INDEC), a typical family of four needed a total of $1,213,798.81 to break above the poverty line in October. Compared to September, both the Basic Food Basket (CBA) and the Total Basket (CBT) rose by 3.1%.
Thus, both baskets exceeded the inflation rate of 2.3% in the ninth month of this year. From January to October, CBA and CBT accumulated increases of 21.1% and 18.5%, respectively.
The organization said an increase of 25.2% in CBA and 23% in CBT was recorded compared to the 10 months of 2024.
For a three-person household, the CBA is $433,330 and the CBT is $966,325, for a total of $1,399,655.
The numbers increased even more when it came to regular housing, with CBA at $544,304 and CBT at $1,213,799, bringing the October total to $1,758,103.
Meanwhile, a family of five would need $572,488 from CBA and $1,276,649 from CBT, for a total of $1,849,137.
The report also includes a table showing the monthly development of the basket. For CBA, the adult equivalent amount increased from $170,788 in September to $176,150 in October, while CBT increased from $380,858 to $392,815 over the same period. In both cases, the increase was 3.1%.
Monthly fluctuations showed a moderate trend over the year, with increases ranging from 0.9% to 5.9% for CBA and from 0.1% to 4% for CBT.
Year-on-year, food basket growth was slightly higher than overall basket growth.
Reference value
Basket values constitute a central criterion for measuring poverty and deprivation. Households whose total income is less than the total cost of the basic food basket are considered poor, while households that cannot cover the basic food basket are classified as poor.
This technical report is part of the “Living Conditions” series published monthly by the agency. Its distribution corresponds to the reporting schedule provided by Indec and refers to the Buenos Aires metropolitan area, but the data is usually used as a national reference to assess the purchasing power of the population and the evolution of the socio-economic situation.
Finally, the document reiterates that “CBA is assessed monthly based on prices surveyed by the Consumer Price Index for the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area” and that CBT is determined “by applying Engel’s coefficient” taking into account both food and non-food items included in the observed consumption pattern.
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