Quintana Roo Leads National Inflation Surge, Fueling Cost-of-Living Concerns

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — Quintana Roo recorded Mexico’s highest inflation rate at 5.2% in the first two months of the year, fueling concerns about rising costs for families across the state.

The figure, reported by the monitoring group Mexico Cómo Vamos?, marks an increase from 4.9% in January. Quintana Roo now leads Oaxaca, the State of Mexico, Campeche, and Aguascalientes in the ranking of states with the highest inflation.

“The situation is worrying because these results come before the Middle East conflict, which has already pushed up international oil and energy prices,” the group noted.

Quintana Roo’s inflation rate stands 1.2 percentage points above the national average of 4.02% reported by INEGI, the national statistics agency, for February. The state has seen the highest prices not only for basic food items but across the board.

Chetumal, the state capital, ranked as the fourth city with the sharpest inflationary increase, recording a rate of 0.83% in the second half of February. The city has remained consistently among metropolitan areas with the highest cost increases for products and services throughout the year.

Recent tax changes have driven up prices for cigarettes, sugary drinks, sodas, juices, and similar products, including “light” or “zero” beverages nationwide.

At the state level, price hikes have focused on items like tortillas, eggs, meat, and gasoline. Last month, the Federal Consumer Protection Agency (Profeco) announced meetings with representatives from Pemex, the state oil company, to negotiate lower fuel transportation costs from Progreso to Cancún, aiming to keep gasoline at 24 pesos per liter, consistent with the rest of the country.

Nationally, the price increases hitting Mexican wallets hardest in February included tomatoes at 22.51%, potatoes and other tubers at 20.86%, lunch counters and taco stands at 0.80%, owned housing at 0.28%, tomatillos at 18.89%, limes at 25.97%, bananas at 10.79%, other cooked foods at 0.86%, cigarettes at 2.27%, and restaurants at 0.53%.

Inflation Rankings

States with highest annual inflation at the end of February:

• Quintana Roo: 5.2%
• Oaxaca: 5.0%
• State of Mexico: 4.8%
• Nayarit: 4.8%
• Campeche: 4.8%

States with highest annual inflation at the end of January:

• Quintana Roo: 4.9%
• Oaxaca: 4.7%
• Campeche: 4.5%
• Jalisco: 4.5%
• State of Mexico: 4.4%