How deep is inflation in the daily lives of Colombians: rents, food, and services offer no respite
The cost of living continues to put strong pressure on household budgets. Photo: Image generated with artificial intelligence.
TL;DR
- Colombian inflation accelerated in March 2026, with a monthly IPC of 0.78% and annual inflation of 5.56%.
- The primary drivers are now services (6.8% annual variation), food (1.27% monthly, 6.27% annual), and regulated items, reflecting internal household cost pressures.
- Services like rent and home maintenance, along with restaurant expenses, are the main contributors to inflation.
- A significant minimum wage increase of 23% is identified as a key factor in the persistence of inflation, as income adjustments are being passed on to prices.
- Climate impacts, particularly rains, affected food production and supply, leading to price increases for products like fruits, tomatoes, meat, and milk.
- Underlying inflation, excluding food and regulated items, reached 5.79%, indicating broad-based price pressures across the economy.
- Analysts are concerned that inflation may continue to rise in April, with projections for the full year 2026 at 6.5%, carrying upside risks.
- The article suggests that solutions to inflation now depend more on persistent internal dynamics than solely on external factors.