Overview
- Food and non-alcoholic beverages rose 3.1% in December month over month, exceeding the 2.8% overall CPI reported by INDEC.
- Across 2025, food prices climbed 32.2% versus 31.5% for the general index, making the category the biggest driver of living costs.
- The steepest monthly increases included lemon (+31.2%), apple (+16.4%) and beef cuts such as asado (+13.5%), cuadril (+10.4%) and nalga (+9.9%).
- Notable declines were concentrated in vegetables, led by tomato (-33.7%), with smaller drops in onion (-3.0%) and potato (-1.1%).
- Updated thresholds show a four‑person household needed ARS 1,308,713 to avoid poverty and ARS 589,510 to avoid indigence, with the basic food basket at ARS 190,780 per person and the total basic basket at ARS 423,532.