Many Colombians observe day by day how certain products in the family basket are increasing, which for some is difficult, since there are other responsibilities at home that do not wait either and the salary is not enough.
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This situation not only happens in Colombia, but in different Latin American countries, which is why a recent study revealed which cities in South America are the most expensive to live in.
One of them is Uruguay, which while in a country like Brazil, there is a toothpaste at 6.99 reais, that is, almost $5,000 Colombian pesos, The Charrúas must purchase this same product for $24,000 Colombian pesos.
This happens because Uruguay must import several products, it acquires them at a certain price, but When entering the market its price triples or increases almost six times, according to a study by the Central Bank of Uruguay.
This research took as reference the price of 600 products in Uruguay and 43 other countries over a period of time.
The analysis found that on average these products were 27 percent more expensive in the Uruguayan country, These products were even evaluated in European countries and it was found that they are also cheaper than in Uruguay.
Likewise, it was found that products in Uruguay cost twice as much as in Bolivia, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, especially toiletries and cleaning, food and non-alcoholic beverages, and electronic and computer items.
According to the study, this phenomenon occurs because this country must import many products and as explained previously, when putting these items on the market, the customer must pay very high prices.
According to economist Ignacio Umpierrez, there are many products that Uruguay must import because they are not produced in the country and that unfortunately those who ‘pay the price’ are the citizens.
Likewise, the expert mentions that these prices that Uruguayans must pay are not related to the value of the Uruguayan price, since it is stable against other currencies.
The expert also stated that since Uruguay is a small country, the country’s economy is concentrated in a few companies and that these account for a large part of the imports.
As the market is concentrated, “the pricing power of companies is greater,” Umpierrez pointed out.
This is why, due to lack of competition, the profit per product is more than half of the price that the consumer must pay, This means that if a product is purchased for $10 pesos, the citizen must pay $20 pesos or even more.
Also, it must be taken into account that for certain products to reach Uruguay they must be transported from very far away, making issues such as transportation and logistics more expensive, making them more expensive once they are placed in the display cases.
Uruguay is a high-income country, since it is the territory with the highest gross domestic product in Latin America and according to the National Institute of Statistics of that country, The Charrúas have a monthly income of approximately 2,500 dollars.
However, despite these high incomes, citizens consider that life in their country is expensive due to the high cost of products in the family basket.
On the other hand, according to Umpierrez, what is economical in Uruguay is housing, since the price of a lease or rental is from 500 dollars onwards, that is, from $1,950,000 Colombian pesos, a figure that here in Colombia Yes, it is considered expensive, it depends on where you are looking for a place to live.
LUZ ANGELA DOMÍNGUEZ CORAL
Digital Scope Editorial
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