To avoid falling into extreme poverty, the family requires at least 738,690 pesos (478 dollars). These figures are calculated based on the costs of the total basic basket (CBT) and the basic food basket (CBA), as detailed in the latest INDEC report.

So far this year, the CBT has risen by 24.7 percent and the CBA by 25.3 percent; in both cases, the increases exceeded the accumulated inflation rate, which stood at 23.6 percent through September (when it rose by 1.9 percent).

Year-on-year variations were 38.7 percent for the CBA and 40 percent for the CBT, both figures surpassing the year-on-year inflation rate of 33.4 percent.

Quoted by the newspaper *Perfil*, Julian Neufeld, an economist at the Libertad y Progreso Foundation, noted that prices weighing most heavily on low-income households “have been rising faster than the general index, eroding purchasing power precisely within the most vulnerable segment.”

Neufeld explained that since wages are adjusted according to the Consumer Price Index—when collective bargaining agreements allow for it—and poverty levels are determined by these baskets, a significant difference in inflation rates between the two strongly influences poverty and extreme poverty levels.

According to the economist, during the first half of this year, the inflationary shock—concentrated in meat and fuel, which carry significant weight in consumption baskets—caused prices for these items to rise above the general level, pushing many families below the poverty line.

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