Construction costs for housing increase in the Dominican Republic
The construction sector in the country is recording a new adjustment in its indicators. According to data provided by the National Statistics Office (ONE), the Direct Construction Cost Index for Housing (ICDV) closed the month of July 2026 at 240.62 points, reflecting an increase of 4.92 points compared to the 235.70 points recorded in the same period of the previous year.
Materials and tools lead the rise
When analyzing cost behavior, it is observed that materials were the components with the greatest upward pressure, showing a monthly increase of 0.47%. Meanwhile, tools also showed an upward trend with a variation of 0.22%. Within specific subgroups, electrical wires stood out with a significant increase of 7.51%, followed by vault blocks with 4.47%.
In contrast, other sectors showed a slight decrease, which helped to partially balance the general index:
- Fuels: -1.94 %
- Floors and ceramics: -0.77 %
- Machinery: -0.21 %
It should be noted that the labor cost remained unchanged during the analyzed period, recording 0.00%.
Behavior by housing type
The Alofoke Deportes report details how these variations impact according to the type of housing project in the National District and the province of Santo Domingo:
- Single-story single-family homes: 0.07%
- Two-story single-family homes: 0.10%
- Four-story multi-family homes: 0.17%
- Multi-family homes of eight stories or more: 0.17%
The ICDV is a fundamental statistical tool for measuring monthly fluctuations in direct building costs, excluding external factors such as land, permits, design, financial costs, and business profits.
In terms of periods, the index showed a monthly variation of 0.13%, while the year-to-date accumulated figure stands at 1.88%. When evaluating the year-on-year performance, the growth in construction costs is at 2.08%.
