Costa Rica Food Inflation
Year-on-year change in consumer prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages.
Food Inflation in Costa Rica increased to 3.25 percent in Jan 2022 from 3.05 percent in Dec 2021.
Costa Rica Food Inflation — History
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Costa Rica Food Inflation — analysis in simple words
Latest reading
Food Inflation in Costa Rica increased to 3.25 percent in Jan 2022 from 3.05 percent in Dec 2021.
Over the last three months it rose twice and fell once.
Recent trend
A year earlier (Jan 2021) it was 5.2%, so the latest figure is 2.0 percentage points lower.
Over the past five years the average was 1.4%, with a range from -1.5% to 5.2%. The latest value is above that five-year average.
Historical context
This data series starts in Jan 1996 and has 313 monthly observations. The latest reading is higher than 30% of all of them.
The highest value on record is 27.7% (Sep 2008) and the lowest is -2.3% (Nov 2016). The long-run average is 8.4%.
Statistics
- Latest
- 3.2%Jan 2022
- Previous
- 3.1%
- 5-year average
- 1.4%
- Long-run average
- 8.4%since Jan 1996
- All-time high
- 27.7%Sep 2008
- All-time low
- -2.3%Nov 2016
- Observations
- 313Monthly
Recent Data
| Period | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2022 | 3.2% | ▲ +0.2 pp |
| Dec 2021 | 3.1% | ▼ −0.6 pp |
| Nov 2021 | 3.6% | ▲ +0.4 pp |
| Oct 2021 | 3.2% | ▲ +0.5 pp |
| Sep 2021 | 2.7% | ▲ +1.5 pp |
| Aug 2021 | 1.2% | ▲ +0.1 pp |
| Jul 2021 | 1.1% | ▼ −0.8 pp |
| Jun 2021 | 2.0% | ▲ +1.0 pp |
| May 2021 | 0.9% | ▲ +0.3 pp |
| Apr 2021 | 0.6% | ▲ +0.2 pp |
| Mar 2021 | 0.5% | ▼ −2.2 pp |
| Feb 2021 | 2.6% | ▼ −2.6 pp |
| Jan 2021 | 5.2% | ▲ +1.5 pp |
| Dec 2020 | 3.8% | ▲ +3.0 pp |
| Nov 2020 | 0.8% | ▲ +0.5 pp |
| Oct 2020 | 0.3% | ▲ +0.6 pp |
| Sep 2020 | -0.3% | ▼ −0.1 pp |
| Aug 2020 | -0.2% | ▲ +1.2 pp |
| Jul 2020 | -1.5% | ▼ −0.9 pp |
| Jun 2020 | -0.5% | ▼ −0.8 pp |
| May 2020 | 0.2% | ▼ −0.7 pp |
| Apr 2020 | 0.9% | ▼ −0.9 pp |
| Mar 2020 | 1.8% | ▲ +0.8 pp |
| Feb 2020 | 1.0% | ▲ +1.4 pp |
| Jan 2020 | -0.3% | ▼ −0.8 pp |
| Dec 2019 | 0.5% | ▼ −1.4 pp |
| Nov 2019 | 1.8% | ▲ +0.2 pp |
| Oct 2019 | 1.6% | ▼ −0.1 pp |
| Sep 2019 | 1.7% | ▼ −0.5 pp |
| Aug 2019 | 2.2% |
Food Inflation — Costa Rica vs Peers
Latest available reading for each economy (periods may differ). Costa Rica highlighted.
More Costa Rica indicators
Understanding Food Inflation — a simple guide
What it measures
The year-on-year change in the price of food and non-alcoholic beverages in the consumer price index.
How it is calculated
Year-on-year % change in the food and non-alcoholic beverages part of the CPI basket.
If vegetables, cereals and milk together cost 8% more than a year ago, food inflation is 8%.
High food inflation hurts household budgets and often lifts headline inflation.
Low or negative food inflation eases household costs but can mean lower farm incomes.
Why it matters for the economy and markets
Food is a large share of household spending, especially in emerging economies like India, so food prices strongly affect headline inflation and household budgets.
How to read it
Food inflation is volatile because of monsoon, harvests, supply problems and global commodity prices. Look at several months together rather than a single reading.
What to look at alongside it
Rainfall/monsoon, crop output, headline inflation and global food prices.
Key terms
- COICOP 01
- The international code for “food and non-alcoholic beverages” in CPI.
Data source
OECD — Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (series OECD CPI food), monthly data from Jan 1996 to Jan 2022. Values are shown exactly as published by the source and may be revised later.
How to use the chart
Use the 5Y / 10Y / 25Y / Max buttons to change the time range, or drag the slider under the chart. Hover (or tap) on the line to see the exact value for any period. Dashed lines and hatched bars are IMF projections, not actual data. The “Download CSV” button gives you the full data series.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current food inflation of Costa Rica?
What is the highest and lowest food inflation of Costa Rica?
What does food inflation measure?
Data are sourced from official international organisations (IMF, World Bank, BIS) and national authorities, and are shown for educational and informational purposes only. They are not investment advice and no recommendation is made. Figures may be revised by the source; IMF figures for the current and future years are projections. This page was last updated on Saturday, October 17, 2026.