Fresh official economic data from the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD) confirms that both the cost of the national basic family food basket and overall inflation have maintained steady upward trajectories through the first five months of 2026, placing growing financial strain on household budgets across the country.
By the end of May 2026, the average cost of the basic family food basket hit 49,268.36 Dominican pesos. This marks a 1.1% cumulative increase since the start of the year, equal to a 534.08 peso rise from the January 2026 average of 48,734.28 pesos. Price hikes have been observed across all income quintiles, with the highest-income fifth quintile recording the largest absolute increase at 1,378.43 additional pesos. Lower income brackets saw smaller but still notable increases: the lowest first quintile rose by 182.56 pesos, the second by 293.27 pesos, the third by 428.64 pesos, and the fourth by 529.15 pesos.
Inflationary pressure has also not been evenly distributed across the Dominican Republic’s regions. Between January and May 2026, the East region experienced the steepest rise in basic food basket costs at 681.43 pesos, followed by the North region with a 591.94 peso increase and the Ozama region at 552.34 pesos. The South region saw the most moderate growth, with an overall increase of just 265.58 pesos.
Overall national inflation has consistently outpaced the BCRD’s official target range of 4.0% ± 1.0% through the first five months of the year. Starting at 4.98% in January, inflation rose to 5.11% in April before climbing an additional 0.24 percentage points to 5.35% in May. Beyond food costs, rising prices for essential services and transportation have compounded increases to the overall cost of living.
In the services sector alone, monthly inflation hit 0.42% in May 2026, driven largely by higher prices for personal care services. Year-over-year, services inflation reached 6.6% through May when compared to the same period in 2025. When breaking down inflation drivers across sectors, transportation recorded the largest cumulative price increase in the first five months of 2026 at 2.16%, making it the top contributor to overall national inflation. It was followed by services at 0.42%, restaurants and hotels at 0.41%, and health care at 0.36%.
Not all sectors saw price growth, however. Five categories recorded modest price decreases through May 2026: recreation and culture (-0.98%), food and non-alcoholic beverages (-0.58%), communications (-0.16%), clothing (-0.10%), and furniture (-0.04%).
Overall, the sustained upward trend in core living costs and above-target inflation has eroded Dominican households’ purchasing power through the first half of 2026, creating ongoing financial challenges for families covering daily basic needs.