A few days before the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC) published its official inflation index for October, a special study of price variation in supermarkets produced data indicating a clear regional dispersion: Patagonia has cemented itself as the region with the highest monthly increases in food and beverages, far surpassing the northern provinces.
The report you prepared Consulting firm Analytica, through its measure of “Changuito Federal,” Compare the variation in prices of a basket representing the consumption of a typical middle-class household in different regions of the country. The results show not only the gap in increases, but also the relationship between rising prices and rising wages.
The disparity in price increases reflects the different logistical cost structures and income levels that drive demand in each region, highlighting the complexity of anti-inflation policy in a country with marked geographic and economic asymmetry.
Inflation in Argentina: Patagonia leads price rise
According to the Analytica survey, the provinces of Patagonia recorded Larger monthly increases in supermarket basket prices.
Tierra del Fuego was at the top of the increases, With a monthly variation of +5.3%. They followed closely Chubut An increase of +4.3%, and a three-way tie between them Rio Negro (+3.8%), Neuquén (+3.7%) and Santa Cruz (+3.7%).
In contrast, the provinces with The most moderate increases were concentrated in the north and the coast. Missions Recording the lowest rate of increase by +1.1%, followed by Formosa (+1.4%) and Peachy (+1.7%). The difference between the region with the highest inflation rate (Tierra del Fuego) and the region with the lowest inflation rate (Misiones) was 4.2 percentage points in October alone.
In absolute terms, the largest increases in the peso were also concentrated in the south: where Tierra del Fuego had an increase of $45,544, followed by La Pampa (+$42,392) and Chubut (+$39,373).
Where is filling a bag more expensive?
Beyond the monthly change, the consultant also measured the total cost of a food and beverage basket, and found a clear regional trend: Patagonia is focusing on the most expensive baskets in the country.
The highest monthly cost was recorded in Santa Cruz, where the basket is valued at $834,177. Followed by Chubut ($829,597) and Tierra del Fuego ($822,066).
On the other hand, the provinces of the Near East were consolidated as the most economical to fill the shangito, although they had relatively greater influence on the enclaves of their population. The lowest values showed Misiones ($748,815), Formosa ($749,929), and Chaco ($755,224).
Analytica explains that the greater dispersion in prices and higher values in the south is due to a combination of factors. Although Patagonia’s provinces have higher logistics costs, they also record the highest private salaries in the country, with Neuquén and Santa Cruz taking the lead, driven by the energy, mining and fishing industries. In this area, The cost of the basket is equivalent to, on average, 15.7% of the monthly income of two registered salaries.
The situation is the opposite in NEA: despite having the cheapest baskets, Low labor income means that the cost of the same basket represents 29.5% of the average of two salaries, Nearly double that in the south of the country.
Products that increased the most
Within the basket included in the study, two main items of overall consumption showed general and significant increases during the month of October:
- Sunflower oil: This product was again one of the driving factors for price increases, increasing by between 4% and 6% in all jurisdictions. The peak was recorded in San Luis (+6.6%), Entre Ríos (+6.4%) and City of Buenos Aires (CABA) (+6.3%).
- Dairy: It also showed increases across almost all parts of the country. Cream cheese prices rose between 2% and 4%, with a bigger jump in Santa Cruz (+5.2%). Drinkable yogurt progresses in a similar range, with slight increases in the north.
- egg: They showed a stable behavior, with few variations, with the exception of Tucuman and Santiago del Estero, where increases of about 1% were recorded.
About The Author
