Thursday March 16, 2023 | 7:42 p.m.
The basic food basket jumped 11.7% in February, while a family needed $177,062.87 to not be poor, the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (Indec) reported today. In both measurements they were well above last month’s inflation, which was 6.6%.
Thus, the total basic basket – which includes the Basic Food Basket (CBA) plus non-food goods and services such as clothing, transportation, education, health, among others – rose 8.3% in February and was located at $177,063 for a family type of four members (two adults and two minors).
In the case of three members, these values were located at $140,963 and if there were five members, $186,231. These measurements increased 111.3% annually. This index measures the poverty threshold, therefore an adult needed $57,302 in February to not be considered poor.
For its part, the Basic Food Basket (CBA), which determines the threshold of indigence, increased 11.7% per month, above the CBA. An adult needs at least $26,046 in February to not be homeless. In the case of a typical family (four members), the figure was $80,483. In the case of three members ($64,074) and five, $84,651.
This happened in line with the inflation data, since last month it accelerated strongly for the third consecutive month. In February it stood at 6.6%, the highest level since August 2022 when the CPI climbed to 7% and well above what was projected by the market (+6.1%).
The item that rose the most last month was Food and non-alcoholic beverages, which shot up 9.8%, mainly affected by the sharp rise in prices of cuts of meat and dairy products.