70% of workers in Argentina were earning under 550,000 pesos a month in June

[Larry]

Just deplorable that so many are earning so little. 70% earning less than 550,000 pesos per month. Less than $500 dollars a month.

70% of workers in Argentina were earning under 550,000 pesos a month in June

Seven out of every 10 households were earning less than a million pesos a month in June, according to INDEC data.

www.batimes.com.ar

 

[MikeRoss]

70%? How accurate are these types of numbers? Do they take in account all of the people working under the table? Is this somehow counted in the statistics? I always wondered because I have some friends that are getting paid as a waiter/waitress and they say they are all under the table. How do they account for people like this?

If true, these numbers are shocking. So 70% of the country are making less than $500 USD per month? And it says another 70% are making less than 950,000 pesos a month? That's only around $865 USD.

I never know what to believe in these surveys. It says the basic food basket marking destitution is 393,319 pesos for 2 adults and 2 children. I don't know how they calculate it so low because when I go to the store for just me I find the supermarkets there aren't cheap. What is in this basket basic of food?

 

[Vince]

70%? How accurate are these types of numbers? Do they take in account all of the people working under the table? Is this somehow counted in the statistics? I always wondered because I have some friends that are getting paid as a waiter/waitress and they say they are all under the table. How do they account for people like this?

If true, these numbers are shocking. So 70% of the country are making less than $500 USD per month? And it says another 70% are making less than 950,000 pesos a month? That's only around $865 USD.

I never know what to believe in these surveys. It says the basic food basket marking destitution is 393,319 pesos for 2 adults and 2 children. I don't know how they calculate it so low because when I go to the store for just me I find the supermarkets there aren't cheap. What is in this basket basic of food?

The salaries here are very low. Their numbers may be off a little but salaries here are low.

 

[Vero]

70%? How accurate are these types of numbers? Do they take in account all of the people working under the table? Is this somehow counted in the statistics? I always wondered because I have some friends that are getting paid as a waiter/waitress and they say they are all under the table. How do they account for people like this?

If true, these numbers are shocking. So 70% of the country are making less than $500 USD per month? And it says another 70% are making less than 950,000 pesos a month? That's only around $865 USD.

I never know what to believe in these surveys. It says the basic food basket marking destitution is 393,319 pesos for 2 adults and 2 children. I don't know how they calculate it so low because when I go to the store for just me I find the supermarkets there aren't cheap. What is in this basket basic of food?

They should be fairly accurate. I don't have exactly what is on the basket of basics but it should be here somewhere.It typically includes these things.

• Food Items: The canasta básica alimentaria (basic food basket) includes staple foods which traditionally might encompass:
  • Bread and bakery products
  • Meats (beef being prevalent, but also chicken or pork)
  • Dairy products like milk, cheese, and eggs
  • Vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, onions, etc.)
  • Fruits
  • Legumes (like beans, lentils)
  • Rice, pasta
  • Cooking oils
  • Sugar
  • Yerba mate, which is culturally significant in Argentina

INDEC: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos de la República Argentina

El Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos de la República Argentina INDEC es el organismo que unifica y ejerce todas las actividades estadísticas oficiales

www.indec.gob.ar

 

[Uncle Wong]

The salaries there are low and lots of people are out of a job. I had a friend that I met there in CABA that worked for the government and she got laid off 3 months ago and still can't find a job. I think just having a job now is also tough. It sounds like even more government jobs are going to end soon too.

 

[Finance Prof]

The salaries there are low and lots of people are out of a job. I had a friend that I met there in CABA that worked for the government and she got laid off 3 months ago and still can't find a job. I think just having a job now is also tough. It sounds like even more government jobs are going to end soon too.

I also know people that lost jobs and still trying to find another one. There is more information in this link below.

El 70% de los trabajadores gana menos de $550.000, según el INDEC

La brecha de ingresos entre el decil más rico de la población y el más pobre es de 14 veces. Los estratos más bajos percibieron en promedio $ 156.476.

www.perfil.com

 

[brandon]

So 70% earn less than $500 USD per month? The cost in dollars there has skyrocketed and the salaries have not gone up much if you have a job at all. I wonder how the government is expecting private sector to increase wages if they aren't doing the same thing with the excuse of no hay plata. Sounds like a devaluation is coming soon which I guess will push up prices even more. Tough situation.

 

[earlyretirement]

70%? How accurate are these types of numbers? Do they take in account all of the people working under the table? Is this somehow counted in the statistics? I always wondered because I have some friends that are getting paid as a waiter/waitress and they say they are all under the table. How do they account for people like this?

If true, these numbers are shocking. So 70% of the country are making less than $500 USD per month? And it says another 70% are making less than 950,000 pesos a month? That's only around $865 USD.

I never know what to believe in these surveys. It says the basic food basket marking destitution is 393,319 pesos for 2 adults and 2 children. I don't know how they calculate it so low because when I go to the store for just me I find the supermarkets there aren't cheap. What is in this basket basic of food?

I believe the figures are probably a bit low as it is impossible to account for all income but it is a good gauge of what people are making. Salaries are low. People complain about the higher cost of living in Argentina with inflation but this basket also goes to show you how far a US dollar income or savings will go in Argentina.

As of current exchange rate a family of 3 can live on $668 USD. A family of 4 for $839 USD. A family of 5 for $882 USD for the essentials. It would be important to point out that I don't believe most expats could live at the basic level that is measured by this basic total. But still a good indicator of cost of living compared to other countries where you couldn't come anywhere close to this.

 

[Spend Thrift]

I believe the figures are probably a bit low as it is impossible to account for all income but it is a good gauge of what people are making. Salaries are low. People complain about the higher cost of living in Argentina with inflation but this basket also goes to show you how far a US dollar income or savings will go in Argentina.

As of current exchange rate a family of 3 can live on $668 USD. A family of 4 for $839 USD. A family of 5 for $882 USD for the essentials. It would be important to point out that I don't believe most expats could live at the basic level that is measured by this basic total. But still a good indicator of cost of living compared to other countries where you couldn't come anywhere close to this.





View attachment 7726

Yes a good barometer of how cheap it is here compared to the US. But I don't think most people used to the good life in USA can get by at minimum levels of these #'s. Most moving would get stuck paying higher rental prices than locals pay. I don't think a family of 5 people can live even close to what this is saying they can live for. I am told the public schools are very bad there so at a minimum you would need to budget private schools. BA isn't the bargain it was last year on many things. But still much cheaper than back home.

 

[Vero]

So I found exactly what goes into the basket.

https://www.indec.gob.ar/uploads/informesdeprensa/canasta_10_24CF2527DF47.pdf

 

[Pink Panther]

Thanks for posting this detailed info. I always read about the canasta basica but didn't know what exactly was in it.

 

[import export]

Here are the canasta basics numbers from November.

 

[earlyretirement]

Cross posting this here too.

🇦🇷In January 2025, in Buenos Aires (CABA), a typical family needed specific income levels to avoid situations of indigence, poverty, and to be considered middle class.

Below are the required amounts and changes in the lines of indigence and poverty:

➡️Indigence: To avoid being considered indigent, a family needed $564,757 ($475 USD). The indigence line increased by 1.4% in January compared to the previous month.

➡️Poverty: To avoid falling into poverty, a family required income of at least $1,064,819 ($895 USD). The poverty line rose by 1.6% during the same period.

➡️Middle Class: To be considered middle class, a family needed income exceeding $1,670,000 ($1,403 USD). The threshold for being middle class grew by 1.7% in January.

These values reflect the ongoing increase in the cost of living in CABA, where the lines of indigence and poverty continue to rise due to inflation and the increase in prices of goods and services.

 

[Uncle Wong]

Interesting to see the food prices keep continuing to go up. But also salaries as well. I would think these numbers are very low compared to how expensive things are there. Are these accurate? Everything seemed so expensive while I was there and it is worse now.

 

[BuySellBA]

In January 2025, the Basic Food Basket (CBA) and the Total Basic Basket (CBT) in Argentina experienced an increase of just 0.9% compared to the previous month, which is significantly lower than the overall inflation rate for the month, which was 2.2%.

Despite this relatively low increase, the cost of these baskets remains high due to substantial year-over-year increases. The CBA rose by 58.8% and the CBT by 73.2% since January 2024.

To avoid being considered poor in January 2025, a family of four needed income exceeding $1,033,716 ($940 USD) per month, while to avoid indigence, they required at least $453,384 ($412 USD). These values reflect the ongoing economic pressure on Argentine households, where the cost of living remains a significant challenge.

Additionally, the reduction in consumption of basic foods like milk, meat, and yerba mate during 2024 indicates a decrease in purchasing power among the population.

 

[FuturoBA]

Is this right? For all the talk of rising costs in Arg this graph shows basic costs more affordable than many of its neighboring countries.

 

[VINO]

Is this right? For all the talk of rising costs in Arg this graph shows basic costs more affordable than many of its neighboring countries.

I think this basic food basket is probably correct. My friends in Colombia commented how expensive things were there at the store. Grocery store items are one of the few things that inflation has been tamed but many other things have gone up, especially dining out.

 

[Betsy Ross]

Is this right? For all the talk of rising costs in Arg this graph shows basic costs more affordable than many of its neighboring countries.

I would think it would be correct but be careful what they include in the food basket. It is like the USA during COVID that said costs did not go up but they did. You would see what they included in the basic canasta. People are talking about general inflation which HAS gone up in many areas.