Brazil’s Inflation and Its Impact on Our Lives
HAVANA TIMES – Last year, we witnessed the cost-of-living increase considerably month after month, while wages saw only a slight rise—more or less in line with the country’s economic growth.
Over the past five years, the Brazilian economy has continued to grow between 3% and 5%. During the same period, wages have increased by 6% to 10% annually.
At the beginning of 2024, a kilo of second-grade ground beef at the market where I work cost 25 reais. A little over a year later, the product is now priced at 35 reais, which represents an approximate 30% increase. (1 USD = 5.7 reais)
This year, the landlady of the small house where we live raised the rent from 1,000 to 1,195 reais—about a 20% increase.
For a single person, it’s nearly impossible to cover the cost of renting a room (between 600 and 900 reais), monthly food expenses (around 400 reais), plus services like water, internet, phone, gas, and electricity (about 500 reais combined).
And if they manage to do so, they’re left with no money for clothing, entertainment, or even a small emergency fund in case something breaks at home. If that single person is an immigrant who also wants to help their family, things become even more difficult.
When it comes to a household where two or more people are working, things become a bit more manageable. Still, the worrying part is the trend of rising prices in this country—even though we’re not talking about extreme cases like Cuba or Venezuela, where a salary is worth only a few kilos of meat.
It’s quite common here to see people finish an eight-hour shift and continue working late into the night at a second job. Or work on their only day off each week.
Many drive for Uber, clean houses, offices, churches, wash cars, or wash dishes at restaurants—just to make ends meet or chase some economic dream.