A basic food basket alone consumes up to 67% of the minimum wage.
In practice, a person receiving the national minimum wage would have to work more than five months to receive what the Constitution mandates for one month.
Current Brazil Network - According to Dieese, the minimum wage should have been R$ 5.800 in December of last year to fulfill its constitutional role. That is, to cover the basic expenses of a family of four, including food, housing, health, education, clothing, hygiene, transportation, leisure, and social security. Dieese calculates and publishes the necessary minimum wage every month, along with the National Basic Food Basket Survey. In December, the cost of the basket increased in all 17 capital cities surveyed by the institute. Thus, on average, the purchase of the items in the basket alone consumes between half and 67% of the minimum wage, depending on the region.
In practice, the necessary minimum wage in São Paulo, for example, is 5,3 times higher than the official minimum wage of R$ 1.100. In other words, someone earning the national minimum wage has to work more than five months to receive what the Constitution mandates for one month.
The research found that Curitiba had the most significant increase in a year (16,30%). This was followed by Natal (15,42%), Recife (13,42%), Florianópolis (12,02%), and Campo Grande (11,26%). The lowest accumulated rates were in Brasília (5,03%), Aracaju (5,49%), and Goiânia (5,93%).
The capitals with the most expensive basic food basket, meaning those requiring the most working hours to purchase it, were São Paulo (R$ 690,51), Florianópolis (R$ 689,56), and Porto Alegre (R$ 682,90). Among the cities in the North and Northeast regions, where the composition of the basket differs, the lowest average values were observed in Aracaju (R$ 478,05), João Pessoa (R$ 510,82), and Salvador (R$ 518,21).
Prices for basic foodstuffs, especially commodities, remained high in 2021 due to two main factors. One was the high dollar, attractive for exports and negatively influencing production costs (input prices); and the other was weather problems (drought, frost). On the other hand, other products saw price reductions, as the economy continued to weaken, with few jobs created, increased informality, and high unemployment, which slowed consumption. Many producers were unable to pass on the increases to the final price.
Data from the National Basic Food Basket Survey showed that, between December 2020 and December 2021, nine products experienced cumulative price increases in almost all surveyed capitals. These were: prime beef, sugar, soybean oil, ground coffee, tomatoes, French bread, butter, long-life whole milk, and wheat flour in the Center-South region, and cassava flour in the North and Northeast regions. On the other hand, potatoes, long-grain rice, and beans registered negative rates in most capitals.
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