A. M. 
The monthly cost of the basic food basket showed different trends in november 2025: in urban areas it increased by $2.57, rising from $250.75 in october to $253.32, representing a 1.03% increase; while in rural areas it decreased by $4.80, falling from $190.11 to $185.31, equivalent to a 2.52% reduction, according to data from the Banco Central de Reserva (BCR).
According to the BCR, in urban areas the calculation corresponds to the monthly expenditure of an average household of 3.73 members, based on the prices of 12 essential items such as tortillas, rice, meat, fruits, vegetables, milk, and sugar. The increase recorded in november was mainly due to price hikes in key products, including vegetables, which rose from $0.2096 to $0.2295 per person per day; meat, which increased from $0.5118 to $0.5184; and fluid milk, which rose from $0.1187 to $0.1239. These increases outweighed the decreases observed in products such as rice and bread, which helped to partially moderate the overall increase.
In contrast, in rural areas, where the monthly cost decreased from $190.11 in october to $185.31 in november, the calculation was based on an average household of 4.26 members, using the same 12 basic food items. The decrease was primarily driven by the reduction in the price of tortillas, which fell from $0.7171 to $0.6826 per person per day, as well as by lower prices for vegetables. Although slight increases were recorded for meat and eggs, these were not enough to reverse the downward trend.
As a result, the daily cost per person in rural areas decreased from $1.3523 to $1.3182, reflecting the high proportion of everyday consumer goods, especially tortillas, in the monthly food expenditure of rural households.
Figures published by the Banco Central de Reserva show a divergence in monthly food costs between urban and rural areas during november. While urban households faced greater pressure on their food expenses, rural families experienced temporary relief. This situation will continue to be monitored given preliminary projections that estimate monthly food costs at $246.06 in urban areas and $178.00 in rural areas by the end of the year.
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