Overview
- The Defensoría del Pueblo porteña's April 2026 basket found a homeowner couple (both retirees up to 74) required $1,577,435 per month, a 1% rise from March and a 7.5% increase year-to-date.
- Food was the largest cost at $591,351 monthly, with meats alone costing $249,028 and fruits, vegetables and dairy adding substantial shares.
- Basic household goods and services totaled $529,110, driven by transport at $191,354 monthly and building fees (expensas) at $189,444.
- Housing tenure and private health sharply widen the gap: the same couple would need about $2,335,211 if renting and $2,749,141 with private health coverage, with prepaga costs totaling over $1.17 million of that sum.
- The Defensoría's Medicine Price Index rose 2.7% in April — led by analgesics (+3.5%) and antibiotics/antiseptics (+3.3%) — which adds targeted pressure to retirees who already face rising food, housing and service costs.