Despite the increase, the construction index was below that recorded in April; Bahia had the biggest increase among the States
The National Civil Construction Index registered an increase of 0.36% in May 2026, according to data released by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics this Friday (June 12, 2026). The rate was 0.36 percentage points below that observed in April, when the indicator increased 0.72%.
As a result, the national cost of construction went from R$1,946.09 to R$1,953.08 per square meter. Of this total, R$1,104.59 corresponds to construction materials and R$848.49 to labor.
In the last 12 months, the (National Civil Construction Cost and Indices Research System) accumulated an increase of 6.93%, below the 7.01% recorded in the period ended in April. In May 2025, the monthly variation had been 0.43%.
The slowdown observed in May was influenced by both materials and labor. Materials rose 0.53%, below the 0.83% rate recorded in April. Labor increased by 0.14%, compared to 0.57% in the previous month.
From January to May, materials registered an increase of 2.44%, while labor increased 4.34%. In 12 months, the increases were 5.01% and 9.56%, respectively, showing that labor costs continue to grow at a faster pace than construction inputs.
Among the regions, the South presented the highest monthly variation, of 0.44%, with an increase recorded in all States. Next came the Northeast and Central-West, both with an increase of 0.39%, the North, with 0.33%, and the Southeast, with 0.31%.
In the analysis by Federation unit, Bahia recorded the biggest increase in the country in May, of 0.92%, driven mainly by the increase in the prices of construction materials.
Sinapi is used as a reference for monitoring the evolution of civil construction costs in the country and serves as a basis for budgets for public and private works. The indicator is produced by IBGE in partnership with Caixa Econômica Federal.
