A family in Buenos Aires City needed at least AR$322,275 in September (US$921 at the official rate, US$381 at the MEP dollar rate) to not be considered poor, according to figures released by the City Government’s General Directorate of Statistics and Census on Tuesday. The figure does not include rent.

A family of four is considered to be poor if they earn less than the basic food basket plus services, known as the total basic basket. They are considered “destitute” when their monthly income is less than the basic food basket. 

The value of the basic food basket for September was AR$195,219 — a 15.3% increase from August — while the total basic basket was worth AR$ 392,974. When it comes to the total food basket, the city’s statistical analysis does not include rent because it supposes that the family unit owns the property in which they live. 

A child-free couple who do not own their home needed AR$220,429 to escape poverty and AR$112,240 to not be considered destitute.

To make it into the middle class, a family needs to be earning at least AR$491,217, the figures showed. 
Argentina’s poverty rate reached 40.1% in the first semester of 2023, the highest since the first semester of 2021 when the country was still recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic which slashed 10% of GDP.