The dominican families are about to say goodbye to a 2025 marked by the increase in the cost of livingan impact that was felt more strongly in lower-income households, for whom it was more expensive to buy meal and acquire goods and services of various kinds.
Until November 2025, the basic basket national family was around 48,138.4 pesos2,209.7 pesos higher than the 45,928.7 pesos that it averaged in the same period last year, for an increase of 4.81%, according to the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD).
However, the quintiles 1 and 2 – which together represent 40% of the country’s households with the lowest incomes – presented increases in basic basket above the average, 5.13% and 5.26%, respectively.
The basic basket of quintile 1 was placed in 28,849 pesos in November, 1,407 pesos more than in November 2024 (27,442.1 pesos), while the basket of quintile 2 was 37,564 pesos which, compared to 35,686 pesos last November, shows an increase of 1,878.3 pesos.
Raise the meal
This implies that you need a greater purchasing power to obtain the same products, which are also higher.
According to the Index of Prices Consumer Price Index (CPI) – an indicator that measures the average variation of prices of goods and services in the country and is used to calculate the inflation-, the group Food and Drinks Non-Alcoholic showed the largest upward variation in a year, going from 139.70 in November 2024 to 151.06 in November 2025, for an increase of 8.13%.
In one year, the yucca increased by 55.33% year-on-year, after having a CPI from 135.10 in November 2024 to 209.86 in the same period of this year. These increases in the CPI are also observed in products such as cod (45.25%), ripe bananas (42.97%), green bananas (40.94%), celery (34.48%) or coffee (30.12%).
The fruit -such as lechesa, tomatoes, oranges, apples, dried coconuts or avocados- and the vegetables – such as lettuce, cucumber, broccoli and cauliflower, chili peppers or eggplants – showed increases in their CPI that ranged between 29.50% and 10.93% in the last year, which indicates that their prices have increased.
Proteins like fresh chickenpork and beef, fresh or chilled fish, and sardines also showed increases that ranged between 9.56% and 4.69%, during the observed period, according to the data.
Only some vegetables like garlic (-12.17%), onions (11.78%), dried black beans (5.84%), sour lemon (-4.36%), carrots (4.26%) and potatoes (-3.11%) showed significant decreases in the CPI, which reflects a lower price.
Linked to these increases in food, buying food outside is also more difficult, with coffee served outside the home being one of those that registered the greatest variation. In November, its CPI stood at 168.92, 16.71% more than in November 2024, when this index stood at 144.73. Empanadas (7.58%), juice served outside the home (7.34%), food services with accompaniment (6.26%) and the dish of the day (6.24%) were the items with the greatest increase in their prices within the Hotels and Restaurants, which registered a year-on-year increase of 6.01% as of November, with its CPI going from 139.96 to 148.38.
Various services
The segment of Direct Goods and Services also showed price increases in activities that are part of the weekly budget of homes.
He shaving, beard and fringe grooming It was one of the services whose CPI increased the most, going from 158.67 in November 2024 to 178.23 in 2025, for an increase of 12.33%.
This was followed by haircut for men (11.38%), washing and combing hair (9.14%) nail grooming or manicure (8.68%) and foot grooming or pedicure (8.30%).
Teaching
The teaching represented the fourth group with the highest increase, with a CPI of 130.36 in November of this year, 5.86% more than the 123.18 in November of last year.
The largest increase was in primary educationwhich showed an index of 131.99 in that period, 8.67 points more than the 123.32 of last November. This represented an increase of 7.04%.
The teaching secondary was the second segment whose price increased, with a CPI that was 6.96% higher last November; followed by the teaching preschool (6.77%), the teaching university (4.96%) and language classes (3.47%).
In this way, although the inflation has remained within the target range of 4% +/- 1% for 31 consecutive months according to the Central Bank -which reported a inflation year-on-year of 4.81% as of November of this year – the truth is that its variations, seen in detail, are an x-ray of how the cost of living has been increasing during 2025, a few days before the end of the year.
