Food, Rent, and Gas Push Inflation Up 0.8% in August; Fuel Prices Ease Burden

Belizeans faced higher costs for food, home rentals, and liquefied petroleum gas in August; however, falling fuel prices helped contain overall inflation to 0.8 percent compared to last year.

The Statistical Institute of Belize reported that the Consumer Price Index stood at 120.7 in August 2025, up from 119.7 in August 2024. The main drivers of this rise came from ‘Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels,’ which increased by 2.4 percent, and ‘Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages,’ which rose by 1.6 percent. Together, these categories account for nearly half of household spending, making the changes particularly impactful.

Housing costs climbed as a hundred-pound cylinder of LPG jumped by $12.24 year-over-year to $130.04, while home rental prices grew by 1.7 percent. Food inflation reflected higher prices for bread, bakery products, and meats, with beef steak and chicken breast rising by 10.7 and 8.5 percent respectively. Non-alcoholic beverages rose by 4.4 percent, driven by purified water, juices, and soft drinks.

Other notable increases came from health services (up 3.8 percent) due to higher doctor visit and medicine costs, restaurants and accommodation (up 2.8 percent), and personal care items such as deodorants and lotions (up 1.7 percent). Alcoholic beverages and tobacco climbed 2.6 percent, led by cigarettes.

Offsetting these increases, the transport category fell by 2.5 percent, as gasoline and diesel prices eased. Regular gasoline dropped by $0.90 per gallon, diesel by $0.67, and premium gasoline by $0.62. Information and communication also declined 1.5 percent, reflecting cheaper cell phones.

Inflation varied sharply by municipality. Punta Gorda residents saw the steepest increase at 2.7 percent, reflecting broad-based rises in food, LPG, and personal care items. Orange Walk was the only municipality with a decline, recording -0.2 percent as lower fuel, garments, and vegetable prices brought relief.

On a month-to-month basis, consumer prices rose by 0.2 percent between July and August 2025, largely due to diesel and vehicle price increases, alongside restaurant costs. Year-to-date inflation for the first eight months of 2025 stood at 1.3 percent, shaped mainly by higher food, housing, and personal care costs. Transport and communication prices, however, trended downward over the same period.