The DANE revealed this Thursday the inflation figure in Colombia corresponding to March, which consolidates the behavior of the cost of living of Colombians in the first quarter of 2026, marked by decisions of the National Government such as the increase of the minimum wage by 23%. Thus, according to DANE, inflation in the third month of 2026 was 5.56% year on year.
Last February, annual inflation slowed to 5.29%, compared to 5.35% recorded in January. The market projected for March a figure close to 5.5%. In February, the categories that most pressured the cost of living of Colombians were housing (which rose 3.8% annually) and food (increase of 5.84%).
In March, according to what was revealed by DANE, inflation moved well above the expectations of 25 entities in the financial market, which estimated an acceleration of 16 basis points compared to the February figure; that is, it would go from 5.29% to 5.45%. But they fell somewhat short.
Thus, inflation in March in Colombia returned to the levels of October of last year. In March 2025, inflation had been 5.09%, which reaffirms the idea of an upward trend.
In the last year, according to the newspaper La Republica, the divisions of restaurants and hotels (9.92%), health (7.87%), education (7.54%), alcoholic beverages and tobacco (6.75%), food and non-alcoholic beverages (6.27%) and miscellaneous goods and services (6.09%) were above the national average (5.56%).
The subclasses that contributed the most to the total index were, according to that economic outlet, meals in table-service and self-service establishments (0.75 percentage points), imputed rent (0.61 pp), and urban transport (0.52 pp).
Meanwhile, the divisions of furniture, household goods and routine household maintenance (5.23%), information and communication (4.73%), transport (4.61%), housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (4.15%), clothing and footwear (2.61%) and, finally, recreation and culture (2.38%) were below the national average.
By cities, the highest year-on-year inflation was recorded in Pereira (6.48%), followed by Medellin (5.98%), Manizales (5.90%) and Armenia (5.86%). In the range close to the national average (5.56%) were Bucaramanga (5.76%), Bogota (5.62%), Florencia (5.56%) and Villavicencio (5.52%).
Below this level were cities such as Cali (5.41%), Cartagena (5.36%), Neiva (5.31%), Popayan (5.25%), Ibague (5.21%) and Cucuta (5.01%). The lowest figures were observed in Tunja (4.89%), Monteria (4.78%), Pasto (4.63%), Barranquilla (4.61%), Sincelejo (4.33%), Riohacha (3.69%), Valledupar (3.65%) and Santa Marta (3.58%).