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Vital basket
Source: PROCON - SP
Vital basket in April 2004: R$ 205.36
Since 1989, the PROCON - SP surveys the cost of a vital basket in the city of Sao Paulo,
State of Sao Paulo; in other cities, prices tend to be lower.
PROCONs are State institutions in charge of defending the consumerīs rights; PROCON has two main goals in surveying prices: gauge consumer prices inflation and inform consumers about the best (cheapest) places to buy. Prices are collected daily, in seventy different supermarkets spread all across the city; the samples of supermarkets and brands surveyed rotates daily, according to pre-determined rules.
Click the link to read a more detailed explanation (in Portuguese) about the criteria used to determine and evaluate the
vital basket.
The vital basket is defined as a set of products that a family of 4 persons (2 adults and 2 children) usually buys every month; to determine the basket, the habits of Brazilian families were studied. The basket is composed of 22 food and drink products, 4 house cleaning products and 5 personal hygiene products.
The table below describes the components of the basket, the quantity of each component consumed per month, and the weight (proportion) of each component in the total expenses.
| Product |
Quantity |
Weight |
Price (April 2004) |
| Food & Drink |
. |
78.09% |
R$ 160.37 |
| Rice - packets of 5 kg |
3 |
8.22% |
R$ 16.88 |
| Beans - packets of 1 kg |
4 |
2.66% |
R$ 5.46 |
| Sugar - packets of 5 kg |
2 |
1.53% |
R$ 3.14 |
| Coffee - packets of 500 g |
3 |
6.29% |
R$ 12.92 |
| Wheat flour (1 kg) |
3 |
1.85% |
R$ 3.80 |
| Manioc flour (500 g) |
1 |
0.59% |
R$ 1.21 |
| Potatos (1 kg) |
4 |
1.21% |
R$ 2.48 |
| Onion (1 kg) |
1 |
0.48% |
R$ 0.99 |
| Garlic (1 kg) |
0.2 |
1.96% |
R$ 4.03 |
| Eggs (dozens) |
3 |
2.87% |
R$ 5.89 |
| Butter (250 g) |
4 |
1.71% |
R$ 3.51 |
| Tomato sauce (370 g) |
2 |
1.92% |
R$ 3.94 |
| Soy Oil (900 ml) |
5 |
3.19% |
R$ 6.55 |
| Milk in powder (450 g) |
3 |
5.88% |
R$ 12.07 |
| Spaguetti/pasta (500g) |
4 |
2.83% |
R$ 5.81 |
| Biscuits (200 g) |
4 |
2.32% |
R$ 4.76 |
| Meat - noble (1 kg) |
3 |
10.14% |
R$ 20.82 |
| Meat - cheaper (1 kg) |
4 |
7.65% |
R$ 15.71 |
| Frozen chicken (1 kg) |
5 |
9.22% |
R$ 18.93 |
| Sausage (1 kg) |
0.5 |
2.21% |
R$ 4.54 |
| Pork sausage (1 kg) |
0.3 |
1.45% |
R$ 2.98 |
| Cheese muzzarela (1 kg) |
0.5 |
1.85% |
R$ 3.80 |
| . |
| House Cleaning |
. |
11.19% |
R$ 22.98 |
| Powder soap (800 g) |
4 |
4.81% |
R$ 9.88 |
| Bar soap (100 g) |
15 |
4.32% |
R$ 8.87 |
| Sanitary water (1 liter) |
2 |
1.08% |
R$ 2.22 |
| Detergent (500 ml) |
2 |
0.99% |
R$ 2.03 |
| . |
| Personal hygiene |
. |
10.72% |
R$ 22.01 |
| Toillet paper (4 rolls) |
3 |
3.20% |
R$ 6.57 |
| Tooth paste (50 g) |
4 |
1.81% |
R$ 3.72 |
| Bath soap (90 g) |
10 |
2.02% |
R$ 4.15 |
| Deodorant (100 ml) |
2 |
1.29% |
R$ 2.65 |
| Absorvent (packet w/ 10) |
1 |
2.40% |
R$ 4.93 |
Examples:
- rice is sold in packets of 5 kg each; a family buys 3 such packets a month; rice represents 8.22% of the total cost of the vital basket; in April 2004, 15 kg of rice costed R$ 16.88
- coffee is sold in 500 g packets; a family buys 3 packets per month, paying R$ 12.92
All prices are in Reais; to convert to US dollars, check out
Brazil > Information > Currency
Notice that the vital basket doesnīt include lodging, leisure, health, etc. If these other essential needs are included, itīs clear that the minimum wage isnīt enough to cover the vital necessities of a family. To learn more about the minimum wage, visit
Brazil > Government > Lula > Minimum wage 2004
Prices quoted above refer to April 2004. For historical series and updated prices, visit
Procon SP website
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