How Much Has the Cost of Christmas Dinner Increased in LatAm This Year?

The Bloomberg Línea team researched the rise in prices of traditional festive foods in some of the region’s countries

Piñatas are one of the main features of Christmas season in Mexico.
December 24, 2021 | 03:50 PM

For Latin American families, enjoying a full and typical Christmas dinner could be a struggle this year as economic pressures have tightened.

During the year, food prices in the region have increased constantly amid inflation that stubbornly refuses to ease, provoked by the ‘pandemic Grinch’ that has caused interruptions to supply chains, and which has hit agriculture hard, which was also affected by a drought in various parts of the region.

No segment has been exempt from price rises, from vegetables to turkey, chicken, beef and pork, as well as bread and alcoholic drinks.

In Mexico, annual inflation hit a 21-year high in November, to 7.7%, while in Chile the increase was the highest since 2008, hitting 6.7% in the same month. And in Argentina, annual inflation was 51%, with the government adopting measures to contain the hikes with price controls and price freezes on more than 1,000 products.

PUBLICIDAD

Bloomberg Línea’s team examined this year’s prices for the classic products for December compared with 2020. Here’s what we found:

*Percentages can vary depending on exchange rates

*Calculated for a family of four (not applicable in Chile)

PUBLICIDAD

The costs of Christmas dinners in each country:

Venezuela

Argentina

Mexico

Chile

Ecuador

Read more:

-- With reporting by Maolis Castro and Angela Meléndez