Argentina raised transport, utility and health costs on October 1. Peru put a S/1,230 minimum wage into effect, and Chile reported 9.6% unemployment. The regional guide also records 72,440 state jobs lost in Argentina under Milei, urban teachers marching in La Paz, and a drivers’ union negotiating with ministers in Bolivia.
Who Pays as Prices Move
Buenos Aires bus fares and tolls rose 3.7%. The minimum bus fare reached AR$920.48, about US$0.60, and the subway fare climbed to AR$1,817, about US$1.18. Residential gas increased an average 2.46%, while water in the capital region rose 2.17%. The average water bill was AR$38,002.57, about US$25.
Electricity distribution prices rose 2.41% at Edenor and 2.34% at Edesur. Prepaid health plans rose about 2% on average. Quarterly rents adjusted by the ICL index rose 6.72%.
Argentina’s minimum pension stood at AR$435,748.51, or AR$505,748.51 with a AR$70,000 supplement—about US$333 at Wednesday’s wholesale rate of 1,517. The guide says state employment fell by 72,440 under Milei, citing INDEC data. The Inocencia Fiscal II bill would cut tax fines 25%.
In Peru, the S/1,230 minimum wage, about US$357, took effect October 1. The market-estimated sol rate was near 3.4425 per dollar, while SUNAT’s reference feed had been down for days. Chile’s June–August unemployment rate reached 9.6%, up 1.0 percentage point in twelve months and the highest since May 2021. The government’s 2027 budget raised spending 1.5%.
Votes, Restrictions and Organized Labor
Brazil and Peru were scheduled to vote Sunday, October 4. Brazil had 158,745,463 registered voters, and polls were set to open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brasília time. Many municipalities restrict alcohol sales and traffic around polling stations; the guide says they’d also increase policing around the vote. If needed, a runoff was scheduled for October 25.
Peru’s regional and municipal elections were to fill 13,148 posts. Under Ley 26859, article 351, the dry law was set to run from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Monday. In Bolivia, a state of exception banning blockades remained in force through December 17.
Urban teachers marched in La Paz on Wednesday. A drivers’ union stayed in talks with ministers and promised no blockades during negotiations. Evo Morales’s deadline for repealing government decrees was due to expire Saturday, October 3. The International Monetary Fund board was expected to vote on Bolivia’s programme Friday, October 2, with a first disbursement reported at around US$250 million.
Bolivia’s Attorney General Roger Mariaca spent the night detained, and his office called the detention illegal. The United States had revoked his visa two days earlier over alleged narco links.
Rates, Jobs and State Decisions
Banco de la República raised Colombia’s policy rate by 25 basis points to 12.25% on September 30, against market consensus for an unchanged 12%. The decision passed by majority. Inflation stayed above 6% during the year: 6.1% in June and 6.2% in August, outside the bank’s 2% to 4% target range.
In Brazil, the real strengthened 0.76% from Tuesday’s close, ending six weaker fixings, and the Ibovespa rose about 1.4% to 186,340. The guide’s live market board listed the Selic at 14.00%; another section reported it at 13.75%. Brazil’s final campaign debate on TV Globo was scheduled for October 1. Lula hadn’t confirmed as of Wednesday evening.
Colombia’s president rejected raising women’s retirement age to 62. Social-leader killings reached 117 that year after a shooting in Cauca. In Peru, prosecutors archived the 2024 illicit-enrichment case against Dina Boluarte. The guide also reports that Colombia’s window for transferring older visas into the new framework was due to close October 31, 2026.