He cost of living in Colombia It continues to squeeze families’ pockets. The National Administrative Department of Statistics (Dane) revealed that the annual inflation rose for the third consecutive month, ranking in 5.84 percent at the closing of May 2026.
If you look only at the behavior of the month, the increase was 0.47 percent. This figure is greater than 0.32 percent registered in May 2025, but represents a respite from 0.78 percent which had been reported in April of this year.
In general terms, those largely responsible for this monthly increase were the rents and public services (water, electricity and gas). This sector is increased by 0.86 percent and contributed 0.26 percentage points to the total variation.
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Photo:Sarah Pabst for The New York Times
He transport He also gave no respite and added another 0.08 percentage points after up 0.61 percent. The blow was felt mainly in the vehicle fuel at home, since gasoline increased an average of 400 pesos during the month.
The director of Dane, Piedad Urdinola, highlighted that the meat price remains higher of the levels recorded in the last two years. On the other shore, the fruits give you a break into the pockets of Colombians with a downward trend which has been coming since March.
Meanwhile, the legumes continue to get cheaper since April. According to the official, behind this relief is the fall in the Representative Market Rate (TRM)well one reduction of the dollar makes food cheaper that Colombia matters.
When reviewing behavior by city, Medellín recorded the highest inflation of the country during May with a 0.73 percent. Then they appear in the list Santa Marta (0.64 percent) and Villavicencio (0.59 percent).
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Medellín, where the cost of living increased the most
In the case of Medellín, the increase was mainly driven by the rental cost (both the current contracts and the estimated value of the own home) and for a 5.65 percent increase in the electricity rates.
Added to these factors were the cost of water supply and the increases in fuel for vehicles; However, this impact managed to be moderated by a downward trend in several basic foods from the family basket.
During the month, the city presented significant reductions in the prices of tomato (-25.19 percent)he banana (-7.13 percent)the potato (-2.51 percent) and the pork (-0.75 percent). There was also a slight respite with a 0.31 percent decrease in the cost of new and used vehicles.
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The cities with the least inflation
At the other end of the scale, the cities with the least growth in it cost of living were Riohacha and Bucaramangaboth with a monthly variation of just 0.06 percentfollowed by Tunja with 0.10 percent.
When analyzing the case of Riohacha, the upward behavior was driven by the increase in vehicle fuels (3.46 percent) and in the subscription television, which rose 3.90 percent due to the expectation of the arrival of Soccer World Cup.
Additionally, they recorded increases in beef (0.94 percent)the meals in restaurants —like the popular corrientazo— (0.73 percent) and the electricity prices (0.38 percent).
The capital of La Guajira managed to maintain its indicator under control thanks to one significant drop in natural gas service (-15.42 percent)as well as price reductions of the banana (-2.43 percent)the cassava (-1.25 percent)the cheeses (-0.77 percent) and the rice (-0.44 percent).
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How did other cities fare?
When taking a tour of other capitals of the country, the dane report daring interesting local dynamics:
- In Santa Marta, where the monthly inflation reached 0.64 percentthe cost of living was pressured by rents, fuel and meals in restaurants; In contrast, the greater relief they occurred in the banana, bread and pork.
- In Villavicencio (0.59 percent), the main increases were concentrated in the rents, electricity and fuelwhile the tomato, banana and cassava helped moderate the impact.
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Photo:Chelsea DeMiguel.
- In Neiva An intermediate behavior was observed, with a variation of 0.41 percent driven by the fuel, electricity and water supply. There, the products that dropped the most in price were tomato, restaurant meals and the category of vegetables and legumes.
- Cucuta reported inflation of just 0.15 percent, driven by fuels, leases and natural gasbut compensated by the low in bananas, tomatoes and vegetables and legumes.
- Bucaramanga It consolidated itself as one of the cities with the lowest inflation in the country (0.06 percent). Although the prices of fuel, beef and electricity rose, the reductions in fresh fruits, tomatoes and bananas They relieved the pockets of its inhabitants.
