Filling the gas tank consumed 6.5% of the monthly income of Brazilians, according to research

In the second quarter of 2023, filling the gas tank consumed, on average, 6.5% of the income of Brazilian families. This is what the Fuel Purchasing Power Indicator shows, calculated by Fipe based on data from the Continuous PNAD (IBGE). The indicator represents the proportion of monthly household income that would be needed to pay for the supply of a 55-liter tank of regular gasoline in the reference quarter.

The results show relevant regional differences in the weight of fuel in the pockets of Brazilians. According to the survey, in the second quarter of 2023, this weight was greater in the Northeast (10.6%), region represented by Maranhão (12.1%), Alagoas (11.7%) and Bahia (11.3%). The three lead the ranking of states according to the percentage of household income needed to cover the cost of a tank of gas.

In contrast, the Southeast and Midwest regions had the lowest percentage: the value of a gas tank corresponded to 5.3% of household income in the second quarter of 2023, highlighting, in this case, the percentage calculated for those who live and supply in the Federal District (3.5%). States in the Southeast and South completed the list of states where the cost of a tank of gasoline represents the lowest average income of Brazilians, with percentages of 4.8% in São Paulo, 5.3% in Santa Catarina, and 5.4% in Rio Grande do Sul.

Comparatively, among the capitals, the percentages found are lower, due to the higher income level. In the survey for the second quarter of 2023, the city of Porto Velho (RO) registered the highest percentage in the rankingwith 9.0%, followed by Rio Branco (AC), with an average of 7.6%, and Manaus (AM) with 8.3%.

The capitals where the cost of a common tank of gasoline weighed comparatively less on Brazilians’ pockets included: Florianópolis, with 3.3%; São Paulo, with 3.5%, followed by Brasília and São Paulo, both with 3.5%. In the average of Brazilian capitals, the cost of filling up a tank of gasoline was equivalent to 4.2% of the monthly household income.

When evaluating the average percentages in large urban centers, as is the case in capital cities, it is important to note that consumption – and the frequency of refueling required in a month, also tends to be higher in these locations, given that there are a variety of factors, including: greater dependence and intensity in the use of vehicles for commuting, greater distances traveled (for example, between home and work), greater incidence of congestion, vehicle type and model, terrain conditions, among others.

Contrast in fuel prices

The results for August showed increases in the average prices of diesel and gasoline, in the wake of the readjustments announced by Petrobras on August 15th and effective since the following day. On the other hand, Brazilians who filled up with CNG and ethanol were favored with fuels, on average, cheaper at gas stations.

According to the survey, compared to July, four of the six monitored fuels increased their respective average prices: common gasoline (+2.0%) and gasoline with additives (+1.3%), common diesel (+11.0%) and S-10 diesel (+12.2%), counteracting the declines in the average prices of hydrous ethanol (-4.2%) and CNG (-1.6%).

In the accumulated of 2023 (between December 2022 and August 2023), the results of the survey indicated that increases were concentrated in regular and additive gasoline, opposing the decrease in the prices of other fuels, mainly diesel.

Regionally, the highest prices per liter of regular gasoline were found in the North (R$ 6.176) and Northeast (R$ 6.013), in contrast to the lowest values ​​found in the Southeast (R$ 5.630) and Midwest (R$ 5.703 ). In terms of monthly change, the highest increases were observed in service stations located in the Northeast (+3.2%) and North (+2.8%) regions of the country.

As for ethanol, service stations in the North and Northeast sold the fuel at the highest prices per liter (R$ 4.720 and R$ 4.553, respectively), while establishments in the Midwest and Southeast offered the lowest prices (R$ 3.553 and R$ 3.585 , respectively). In terms of variation, the most expressive falls occurred in the service stations located in the Midwest (-5.3%) and Southeast (-4.5%) regions.

Gasoline x Ethanol

Reflecting the higher price of gasoline and the lower price of ethanol in August, the behavior of the Flex Cost-Benefit Indicator highlights a more favorable moment for the renewable alternative, both in the average of federative units and capitals.

From a historical perspective, this is the most favorable moment for fueling with ethanol since 2018, mainly in states and capitals in the Southeast and Midwest, regions where the fuel had a clear advantage over regular gasoline in terms of cost- performance.

Specifically, based on August data, the average price of ethanol corresponded to 70.1% of the amount charged for the same amount of common gasoline, equivalent to a decrease in relation to the indicator calculated in the previous month (73.7%) and to the lowest level since November 2018. In the capitals, the calculated indicator also retreated between July (73.3%) and August (69.3%), reaching the lowest level since October 2018.

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