Consumer Price Index Bulletin, July 2026

The general Consumer Price Index (base 100 = 2017-2018) rose from 624.0 in June 2026 to 629.4 in July, a monthly increase of 0.9% and an annual increase of 17.5%, against 1.0% and 18.9% the previous month. IHSI presents this as a continuation of the deceleration under way since May, and it is the slowest annual rate the index has recorded since September 2021. The single largest move is in transport, whose index fell from 457.6 to 415.4, down 9.2% on the month, the first outright monthly fall of that size in the series' recent record: gasoline and diesel slowed to 15.6% year-on-year from 27.4% in June, and daily transport fares to 15.7% from 33.5%. Transport nonetheless remains up 16.0% year-on-year. Housing, water, gas, electricity and other fuels rose 1.0% on the month and 17.1% on the year, with housing rent decelerating to 16.4% from 19.0%, kerosene to 12.2% from 27.6% and charcoal broadly flat at 26.8% against 26.9%. Food and non-alcoholic beverages remain the fastest-rising large division at 19.0% year-on-year and 1.9% on the month, with rice at 21.9% against 22.4% in June, corn 17.5% against 18.4%, meat 26.9% against 27.0%, fresh fish 25.5% against 25.7%, herring 21.0% against 21.4%, cooking oil 16.8% against 19.6% and banana 18.6% against 19.2%. Restaurants rose 2.2% on the month and 22.9% on the year, the fastest annual rate of any division, with meals taken outside the home at 22.9% against 23.6%. Locally produced goods rose 18.3% year-on-year and imported goods 16.3%, against 19.7% and 17.6% the previous month. Regionally the Metropolitan Area, the Rest of the West and the Transversal Region again posted the largest increases at 18.5%, 17.9% and 17.3%; the South was at 16.8% and the North slowest at 15.4%.