Cost of Living Creeps Up: Housing, LPG Drive June Inflation

Have you felt like your grocery bill is stretching your wallet a little more than usual? Or maybe your rent’s gone up and you’re wondering why? There’s a reason your wallet feels lighter. The latest Consumer Price Index report is out, and it shows that prices across Belize rose by one-point-one percent in June compared to last year. Here’s where it gets interesting, it’s not just food that’s getting more expensive. The biggest jump came from housing and fuel, with the cost of a hundred-pound cylinder of LPG shooting up by over thirteen dollars. The silver lining? Fuel prices at the pump actually dipped a bit. So, what’s going up, what’s coming down, and how does your area stack up?  News Five’s Isani Cayetano takes a closer look.

 

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

The latest Consumer Price Index report from the Statistical Institute of Belize shows that prices across the country rose by 1.1% in June compared to the same time last year. But here’s what’s different this time around, while food usually leads the charge in price hikes, it was actually housing and utilities that drove the biggest increase last month. Think about rent, electricity, and especially cooking gas. The price of a 100-pound cylinder of LPG jumped by over 13 dollars, marking the sharpest spike in years.

 

Food and drinks still played a big role, though. Non-alcoholic beverages like juices, bottled water, and soft drinks saw some of the steepest increases up by nearly 8%. Meat prices also edged up, especially beef and chicken, while some veggies like tomatoes and sweet peppers actually got cheaper.

 

Meanwhile, there’s a bit of good news for drivers, fuel prices dropped. Regular gasoline fell by just over a dollar per gallon, and diesel prices also dipped. That helped pull down the overall cost of transport by 2.6%, even though taxi fares in some areas went up. Looking at the bigger picture, San Pedro Town saw the highest inflation rate at 3%, with prices rising across everything from food and rent to personal care and medical services. On the flip side, Independence Village was the only place where prices actually went down, by about 1.2%.

 

And if you’re wondering about short-term changes, prices from May to June barely budged, down just 0.07%. So, while the year-on-year numbers show a steady climb, the month-to-month shift was minimal. Bottom line? Belizeans are still paying more for essentials, especially at home and at the dinner table, but there are a few bright spots, like cheaper fuel and some falling produce prices. Isani Cayetano for News Five.