Consider an economy with only two goods, bread and wine. In 2020 a typical family bought 4 loaves of bread at R1.83 per loaf and 2 bottles of wine at R13 per bottle. In Year X, a loaf of bread cost R8.00 per loaf and one bottle of wine cost R21. The CPI for Year X using 2020 as he base year is:

1 answer

To calculate the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Year X using 2020 as the base year, we need to follow these steps:

  1. Calculate the cost of the basket in the base year (2020):

    • Bread: 4 loaves * R1.83 per loaf = R7.32
    • Wine: 2 bottles * R13 per bottle = R26.00
    • Total Cost in 2020: R7.32 + R26.00 = R33.32
  2. Calculate the cost of the same basket in Year X:

    • Bread: 4 loaves * R8.00 per loaf = R32.00
    • Wine: 2 bottles * R21 per bottle = R42.00
    • Total Cost in Year X: R32.00 + R42.00 = R74.00
  3. Calculate the CPI for Year X: \[ \text{CPI} = \left( \frac{\text{Cost of basket in Year X}}{\text{Cost of basket in base year}} \right) \times 100 \] \[ \text{CPI} = \left( \frac{R74.00}{R33.32} \right) \times 100 \approx 222.18 \]

So, the CPI for Year X using 2020 as the base year is approximately 222.18.