Why Everything From Ground Beef to Gas Costs More Right Now
Belize’s overall consumer prices rose 4.1 per cent in July compared to the same month last year, driven largely by higher costs for fuel, housing, and food, according to the Statistical Institute of Belize.
The national consumer price index stood at 125.3 in July, up from 120.4 a year earlier. Three categories, Transport; Housing/Water/Electricity/Gas and Other Fuels; and Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages, accounted for more than three-quarters of the month’s overall inflation. Insurance and financial services were the only categories that didn’t see a price increase.
Transport saw the steepest rise, up 12.4 per cent year-over-year, driven almost entirely by fuel costs. Diesel jumped the most, rising by $2.98 to $14.32 per gallon, while premium gasoline rose $2.33 to $15.54 and regular gasoline rose $1.91 to $13.77. Passenger transport services, including bus and taxi fares and international airfares, climbed 15.5 per cent.
Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels rose 3.9 per cent, largely due to higher rental costs and increased electricity and water tariffs implemented earlier this year. A household using 225 kWh monthly now pays $91.50, up from $84.25 a year ago, while a household using 4,500 gallons of water monthly pays $91.13, up from $86.38. The cost of a hundred-pound LPG cylinder rose $7.44 to $137.54.
Food and non-alcoholic beverages rose 1.9 per cent, driven by higher prices for beef and poultry (up 4.6 per cent), sugar (up 16.4 per cent, from $1.02 to $1.26 per pound), and bread and bakery products (up 1.8 per cent). Ground beef rose 11.8 per cent to $8.49 per pound, while grapes climbed 10.3 per cent to $11.11 per pound. Some produce items actually got cheaper: tomatoes fell 19.9 per cent, grapefruits dropped 24.7 per cent, and limes fell 9.6 per cent.
Health costs rose 7.0 per cent year-over-year, reflecting higher hospitalisation and surgery fees, while clothing and footwear rose 3.3 per cent and restaurants and accommodation services rose 3.4 per cent.
By municipality, San Ignacio/Santa Elena Town recorded the highest inflation rate at 5.3 per cent, with above-average price increases across transport, rent, food, medical services, and clothing. San Pedro Town had the lowest rate at 3.0 per cent, benefiting from smaller-than-average increases in taxi and sea fares, restaurant services, LPG, and medical costs.
Month over month, prices were essentially flat between June and July, with an overall change of -0.02 per cent. A 0.3 per cent rise in food costs, driven by fresh vegetables and meat, was offset by a 0.5 per cent drop in transport costs after diesel fell by $1.01 per gallon during the month.
Looking at the broader trend, Belize’s year-to-date inflation rate for the first seven months of 2026 stands at 2.7 per cent compared to the same period in 2025, with Transport, Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages, and Housing/Water/Electricity/Gas and Other Fuels again driving nearly three-quarters of the increase.