The Basic Food Basket (CBA) has accumulated an inflation rate of 4.12% so far this year, which warns that the strain on families’ budgets will continue in 2026 and could even worsen, according to the National Alliance of Small Businesses (ANPEC).
In releasing the results of its report on price variations for the basic food basket of forty-four products from October to November of this year, ANPEC reported that the average price of the CBA was 2,004.42 pesos, registering an increase of 12.21 pesos, representing a 0.61% rise compared to the previous period.
The five states with the most expensive CBA were:
Tamaulipas (6.19%).
Tlaxcala (5.84%).
Michoacán (5.14%).
State of Mexico (5.10%).
Baja California Norte (4.59%).
The products that increased the most in the last month are:
Onions 16.36% (from $25.29 to $29.43).
Jalapeño peppers 6.60% (from $34.43 to $36.71).
Sugar 6.32% (from $29.66 to $31.53).
Tomatoes 5.13% (from $35.86 to $37.70).
Gelatin 2.99% (from $15.14 to $15.59).
Regarding Mexico City, ANPEC reported that the basic food basket averaged 1,884.50 pesos, representing a decrease of 12 pesos compared to the previous month.
“Although INEGI reported a decrease in overall inflation in its latest report, this is mainly due to lower prices in a range of non-food products (agricultural, energy, and government-regulated tariffs), which will increase in January. However, goods, particularly food, continue to show an upward trend.
“ANPEC’s monthly monitoring confirms this, registering that the Basic Food Basket (CBA) has accumulated an inflation rate of 4.12% so far this year, reflecting that families’ budgets continue to feel the pinch of rising prices for essential products,” explained Cuauhtémoc Rivera, president of ANPEC.
Looking ahead to 2026, the outlook is even more complicated. The year will begin with new taxes on sugary drinks, tobacco products, video games, gambling, and lotteries. Regarding fees, increases are expected, primarily for immigration procedures such as residency permits, visitor stays, and the new fee for minors leaving the country. foreign.
He also mentioned increases in various aeronautical services, including licenses, certifications, and inspection flights; and anticipated price hikes in numerous health procedures regulated by COFEPRIS, such as registrations and authorizations.
Furthermore, the proposal to apply very aggressive tariffs (between 10% and 50%) to numerous imports, especially those from Asian countries with which Mexico does not have trade agreements, remains in place. This will lead to price increases in sectors such as electronics, textiles, auto parts, toys, furniture, appliances, steel, and industrial materials.
Everything points to the fact that next year’s post-holiday financial strain will be particularly long and difficult. Rising inflation will continue to erode families’ purchasing power, making it increasingly challenging for Mexican households to cover daily expenses.
Extortion and a drop in remittances are hitting commerce and consumption.
Another alarming factor is extortion, a crime that continues to grow despite various public strategies to contain it. For thousands of small businesses, the Extortion is no longer an isolated risk, but an operating cost that has been forcibly normalized, increasing the price of goods, affecting business stability, and weakening their ability to compete. This additional burden inevitably ends up being passed on to the end consumer.
Added to this is the drop in remittances. Five million families depend on this income, which no longer keeps pace with inflation and comes mainly from an aging migrant population that is working fewer hours and sending less money.
Increased immigration persecution in the United States and the lower productivity associated with aging have pushed down the flow of remittances to Mexico; the accumulated drop is approximately 6% so far this year.
This is already beginning to be felt by small businesses, especially in communities that depend on these money orders to cover their daily expenses. Fewer remittances mean less purchasing power and less cash in circulation, which reduces sales in grocery stores, corner shops, and neighborhood businesses. Furthermore, many businesses use some of these funds. to replenish inventory or cover informal debts, so its decrease increases the financial vulnerability of fair trade in an inflationary context of rising prices.
For all these reasons, ANPEC is urgently calling for recognition that the high cost of living is not just a market phenomenon but the result of economic decisions, growing insecurity, and external pressures that directly impact families and small businesses across the country.
“Unless the structural causes—taxes, tariffs, extortion, and insufficient incomes—are addressed, the cost of living will undoubtedly increase in 2026,” Rivera concluded.
The challenge for the coming year is clear: to develop policies that protect purchasing power and strengthen local businesses because without them there are no neighborhoods, no local economies, and no communities—the pillars that sustain the country.
Source: oem
