Argentina supermarket prices show high dispersion in produce

A study by the Center for Quantitative Business Studies at the University of San Andrés reveals significant price variations for the same products across different supermarket chains in Argentina. On average, price dispersion reaches 3.6%, but regional differences can climb as high as 8.9 percentage points.

According to the Price Competition Index (ICP) for September, the fruit and vegetable category showed the highest disparity, with a dispersion of 9.2%. This category has led the ranking of price disparity in 51 of the 64 months analyzed since June 2021. Other categories with notable differences include prepared foods (5.8%), meats (3.9%), and grocery items (3.7%). In contrast, prices remained more stable in pharmacies, electronics, and bakeries.

Regionally, Patagonia remains the most expensive area, with average prices 3.4% higher than the national average. The region recorded the highest costs in six of the 18 surveyed categories, most notably in confectionery (16.1% above average), fresh products (9.7%), and beverages (7.9%).