Did October feel like an uphill battle, and are you wondering what November will bring? Prices in the city of Buenos Aires rose 1.9% in October—one-tenth of a percentage point more than in September—and building maintenance fees, rents, gas and water rates, and vegetables account for a large part of the increase.
This marks the second consecutive month that the CABA index has accelerated, according to the City Institute of Statistics and Censuses (IDECBA), which released the data on Friday, November 6.
In August, the index stood at 1.7%, and in September, at 1.8%. With October’s result, inflation in Buenos Aires has reached 26.1% so far in 2026 and 32.5% over the past twelve months. The year-over-year rate fell by 0.4 percentage points from September’s 32.9%.
How It’s Felt in People’s Wallets
Inflation is generally felt across all categories, but some have been particularly hard hit. Four categories accounted for 63% of the monthly increase:
- Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels: 2.2%. This was the category that contributed most to the index, with an impact of 0.45 percentage points.
- Food and non-alcoholic beverages: 2.2%.
- Health: 2.2%.
- Restaurants and hotels: 1.6%.
In the housing sector, increases in building maintenance fees and rents were the main drivers, followed by residential utility rates: piped gas rose 5.4% and water, 2.2%. Over the past twelve months, the housing sector has seen a cumulative increase of 37.8%.
At supermarkets and produce stands, the biggest jump came from vegetables, tubers, and legumes: 12.9%, the largest increase among food items. Fruit, on the other hand, fell 3.2%. Bread and cereals rose 1.8%, and meat, 0.8%.
The largest increases of the month, in fact, were not in those categories: recreation and culture, and personal care, social protection, and other products each rose 2.8%.
Services and goods, on par for the month
In October, both goods and services rose by 1.9%. However, over the past twelve months, services have accumulated a 35.7% increase and goods a 27.1% increase, meaning that the cost of services continues to rise faster.
Core inflation as measured by the institute (Resto IPCBA) stood at 1.8%, the same as regulated prices. Seasonal prices, which include vegetables, rose 3.3%.
Note: It’s important not to confuse this figure with the national one. The IPCBA measures only prices within the City, using its own basket of goods. The National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC), which measures inflation nationwide, will publish the October index tomorrow, Thursday, November 12, at 4:00 p.m. Private analysts expect it to remain below 2%. In September, the national figure was 1.9% month-over-month and 33.4% year-over-year.
