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RULATAM

Grocery Prices in Latin America

The same 50 items in six full releases - in dollars, coffee cups and working hours.

September 2026 · 50 products · 6 cities · unified methodology

Direct answer.

Where Is the Basic Basket Cheaper in Latin America?

In the current summary of RULATAM-50, Buenos Aires showed the lowest price among the six full releases - 199.86 USD. Asuncion is more expensive by 2.39 USD. The highest price is in the city of San Jose: 346.36 USD.

Minimum priceBuenos Aires199,86 USD Maximum priceSan José346,36 USD Difference between maximum and minimum73,3%146,50 USD

The index compares everyday purchases rather than the total cost of living: housing, medicine, schools, transportation and taxes are not included in the basket.

How to Read the Index

We compare the same purchases, recalculate them in USD and show how many minimum working hours or cups of coffee a basket costs in each city.

What we buy

50 comparable products, drinks and household goods

Where do we count?

Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, Asuncion, Panama City and San Jose.

What we compare

Cost in USD, working hours and number of cups of coffee.

RULATAM-50 methodology

For each release, we check retail prices in six cities, we take products of the same purpose and comparable volume, we don't substitute the wrong packaging silently, and the result is the value of the basket at the date of measurement.

Three Ways to Compare

The USD shows the direct value. Cups of coffee provide a clear local benchmark, and working hours – the burden on minimum earnings.

Argentina is the cheapest basket in terms of amount, but requires the most minimum hours of work, and cost and affordability are not the same thing.

What This Ranking Means

One total doesn't answer the question of where to live cheaper, so next to the USD price, we show local availability and explain the measurement limits.

Price and Affordability Are Different Measures

Buenos Aires ranks first for the low dollar price of a basket, but for a worker with a minimum wage, it is about 171 hours, the heaviest result in the sample. In Panama City, the basket is more expensive in USD, but its equivalent is 67 minimum hours. Cheap price alone does not mean high purchasing power.

We Compare Cities, Not National Averages

Prices are collected in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, Asunción, Panama City and San Jose. A metropolitan or large city meter helps to compare the same viewpoint, but does not describe all regions of the country: in a province, resort town or near the border, the same purchase may cost differently.

USD Enables Comparison; Coffee Provides Scale

Local prices are converted into dollars at output rates, so currency movements can change place even with small changes in local currency prices. The coffee equivalent shows a basket through a familiar local purchase, but does not replace income estimates.

Country Comparison

Select an indicator, the table will rearrange. The country name shows the city of measurement; the arrow shows the movement to August.

Release: September 2026
Latin American Countries Compared by the Cost of the RULATAM-50 Basket
Country Period Basket, USD By August.
Costa RicaSan José September 2026 346,36 USD ▲
UruguayMontevideo September 2026 282,03 USD ▲
BrazilRio de Janeiro September 2026 212,83 USD ▼
PanamaPanama City September 2026 211,53 USD ▼
ParaguayAsunción September 2026 202,25 USD ▼
ArgentinaBuenos Aires September 2026 199,86 USD ▼

Click on the country to open the full list of prices.

Picture in six full releases

A short conclusion on each measurement point helps to see not only the place in the table, but also the difference between the nominal price and the availability of the basket.

ArgentinaBuenos Aires

199.86 USD - 1st place out of six for the price of the basket. It takes about 172 working hours with minimum payment (6th place in availability) and 33 cups of coffee to buy. Price in dollars and availability for local earnings can give different conclusions.

ParaguayAsunción

202.25 USD – 2nd place out of six for the price of the basket. It takes about 87 working hours with minimum payment (2nd place in availability) and 34 cups of coffee to buy. Price in dollars and availability for local earnings can give different conclusions.

PanamaPanama City

211.53 USD - 3rd place out of six for the price of the basket. It takes about 69 working hours with a minimum payment (1st place in availability) and 33 cups of coffee to buy. Price in dollars and availability for local earnings can give different conclusions.

BrazilRio de Janeiro

212.83 USD is the 4th place out of six for the price of the basket. It takes about 150 working hours to buy with a minimum payment (5th place in availability) and 43 cups of coffee. Price in dollars and availability for local earnings can give different conclusions.

UruguayMontevideo

282.03 USD – 5th place out of six for the price of the basket. It takes about 92 working hours with a minimum payment (4th place in availability) and 47 cups of coffee. Price in dollars and availability for local earnings can give different conclusions.

Costa RicaSan José

346.36 USD – 6th place out of six for the price of the basket. It takes about 88 working hours with minimum payment (3rd place in availability) and 44 cups of coffee to buy. Price in dollars and availability for local earnings can give different conclusions.

15 Products Across Six Complete Releases

Compare specific purchases in USD, working hours, and cups of coffee. The table shows cities of measurement, not average prices by country.

Comparison of prices for 15 goods in six cities
ProductBuenos AiresRio de JaneiroMontevideoAsunciónPanama CitySan JoséDifference
4,01 USD3,22 USD5,72 USD2,82 USD5,50 USD5,05 USD103,0%
1,35 USD1,26 USD2,21 USD1,25 USD1,38 USD1,59 USD77,1%
0,90 USD1,54 USD2,09 USD1,37 USD1,54 USD1,40 USD132,2%
2,14 USD2,88 USD6,19 USD4,42 USD3,80 USD3,56 USD189,4%
14,24 USD16,15 USD14,65 USD13,09 USD8,99 USD27,66 USD207,6%
0,96 USD0,88 USD0,99 USD0,82 USD1,75 USD1,71 USD112,7%
0,88 USD1,34 USD0,99 USD1,58 USD0,58 USD2,17 USD274,7%
0,58 USD0,77 USD0,97 USD0,78 USD1,39 USD2,19 USD278,4%
0,64 USD0,84 USD1,02 USD1,60 USD1,59 USD1,87 USD191,5%
2,13 USD1,34 USD2,66 USD2,64 USD2,99 USD2,30 USD122,4%
1,10 USD1,11 USD1,12 USD1,31 USD1,25 USD2,00 USD81,6%
1,03 USD1,54 USD2,49 USD1,08 USD1,11 USD3,75 USD264,5%
9,70 USD5,82 USD16,89 USD6,63 USD6,95 USD20,72 USD255,8%
2,33 USD1,44 USD3,86 USD2,00 USD2,05 USD2,55 USD167,6%
2,39 USD1,73 USD3,41 USD2,36 USD2,21 USD2,85 USD97,1%

Working hours are calculated at the minimum wage in each city, and the coffee equivalent shows how many local Starbucks Venti cups match the price of the item.

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Quick Answers

What exactly is compared and where are the boundaries of the index?

What does the RULATAM-50 show?

The summary page compares the full releases of a basket of 50 products across six cities.

Where do prices go?

Measurements are taken in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, Asunción, Panama City and San Jose, and they are city prices, not national averages.

Which country is cheaper by basket?

The lowest cost of RULATAM-50 in the current summary was shown by the city of Buenos Aires - 199.86 USD. In second place - Asuncion: 202.25 USD.

Can this be considered the total cost of living?

No. The index does not include rent, utilities, medicine, schools, transportation, taxes and other major expenditures.

RULATAM compares publicly audited prices in Latin America. The page is updated with the release of new releases of the index.