Milk Prices Rose 11% in El Salvador
An analysis by El Salvador’s Consumer Defence Centre (CDC) found that the price of milk climbed by 11% over the year to June 2026. The figures were compiled from information provided by the Consumer Economy Unit and the Central Reserve Bank of El Salvador.
The comparison covered 22 products in the country’s urban basic food basket. Meat prices rose by about 7% during the period, while eggs became approximately 5% more expensive. The average year-on-year increase across the basket was between 6% and 7%, according to Danilo Pérez, a CDC representative.
Pérez described milk’s movement as particularly strong and said food prices had not changed uniformly. Some items recorded increases of about 2%, while others rose by as much as 11%. The milk price increase was therefore above the range reported for the basket as a whole.
The cost of the urban basic food basket reached $259.95 in June 2026. The rural basket stood at $189.56. Compared with the previous year, the urban measure increased by nearly $7 and the rural measure by roughly $6. The CDC also linked the price data to the purchasing power of Salvadoran households.
The organisation identified several factors affecting food costs, including international fuel-price movements, international tensions and weather conditions affecting agricultural production in Central America. It said climate change was a concern because of its possible effects on food availability and production costs. The CDC also referred to the possibility of a prolonged dry period in September as an additional difficulty for regional agriculture.
El Salvador relies on food supplies from other Central American countries, particularly Guatemala and Honduras, the analysis said. Lower regional output or higher costs in supplier countries can be reflected in the Salvadoran market. The 11% annual increase in milk prices was recorded against this wider pattern of food-price changes.
