A typical family living in the city of Buenos Aires spends around $ 230,000 a month

Recent announcements on the removal of tariff subsidies that will increase electricity, gas and water bills will add more strain to the family budget starting in September. Taking into account the evolution of inflation over the last month, a typical family living in the city of Buenos Aires already needed $ 229,859.24 to cover all their monthly expenses, according to the survey conducted by the Center for Consumer Education, Services and Counseling (CESyAC).

Of this amount, $ 64,526.16 (28%) was needed to purchase mass consumer products and $ 165,333.08 (72%) to contract basic household services.

This ratio reflects the consumption that a typical family can have: a married couple with two children of school age living in the Buenos Aires area. The survey includes, among other items, house rent, car expenses 10 years, the payment of prepaid medicinethe fee for a private school of two children and the family subscription in a club.

This higher share of spending on services is due to the fact that in recent months, increases in taxes for private schools, prepaid medicines, medicines and even expenses above the general level of inflation e hit middle-class consumers hardest.

In July, headline inflation, according to INDEC, was on average 7.4%, the highest in the last 20 years, with a change that reached 71% year on year. However, in the measurement of the products and services of this private survey, the inflation of the month was in the order of 3.23% and the year-over-year price change was 55.10%.

The most significant increases in the category of consumer products are recorded fruit and vegetables (16.63%) and packaged foods (10.60%). In the latter case, enhanced by a major request of people during storage as a strategy to beat inflation.

As far as basic services are concerned, the most sensational increases were recorded in the rate of water (20%), expenses (12%), medicines (5.44%) and prepaid medicines (4%).

From these elements surveyed it can be deduced that a family was in need in the month of July $ 7,661.97 per day to cover monthly expenses: $ 2,150.87 to purchase mass consumer products and $ 5,511.10 to hire basic household services.

According to Fernando Barrera, leader of CECyAC, “in a year-over-year comparison, they also noted sidereal climbs in the same product, ”he stressed. This was the case with the kilo of white onion which has become 306.65% more expensive (in August 2021 it cost $ 49.48 and is currently worth $ 201.22) or the Plusbelle Liter Shampoo which went from $ 143, 03 at $ 425.72, which represents a 197.64% change in one year. Toilet paper (4-unit Higienol brand), on the other hand, was worth $ 135.62 a year ago, while it now costs $ 304.85 (124.77% more).

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