The cost of essential foods increased in all 27 capitals surveyed in March and April 2026, according to data released by Dieese (Inter-Union Department of Statistics and Socioeconomic Studies). The Dieese survey recorded an increase for the second consecutive reading.
The highest monthly increases were recorded in Porto Velho (5.60%), Fortaleza (5.46%), Cuiabá (4.97%), Boa Vista (4.36%), Rio Branco (4.05%) and Teresina (4.02%).
According to Dieese, São Paulo presented the highest value of the basic food basket in the period, with an average cost of R$906.14. Next came Cuiabá (R$ 880.06), Rio de Janeiro (R$ 879.03) and Florianópolis (R$ 847.26).
The lowest costs were recorded in Aracaju (R$ 619.32), São Luís (R$ 639.24), Maceió (R$ 652.94) and Porto Velho (R$ 658.35), capitals of the North and Northeast, where the composition of the basket is different.
In the annual comparison, between April 2025 and April 2026, the cost of the basket was higher in 18 capitals and lower in another nine. With emphasis on Cuiabá (9.99%), Salvador (7.14%) and Aracaju (6.79%). There was, on the other hand, a drop in values in São Luís (-4.84%) and São Paulo (-0.34%).
Even so, as the capital of São Paulo remained the most expensive basket in the country, based in São Paulo, Dieese estimated that, in April, the minimum wage necessary to cover the basic expenses of a family of four should have been R$7,612.49, the equivalent of 4.70 times the readjusted and current minimum of R$1,621.00.
Variation by items
Whole milk was the food that increased in all 27 cities between March and April. The increases were between 1.63%, in Macapá, and 15.70%, in Teresina. In 12 months, the price of whole milk rose in 14 capitals. According to the Dieese report, the reduction in supply in the countryside, due to the off-season, increased the prices of dairy products.
Between March and April, beans increased in 26 cities. Black grain, researched in the municipalities of the South, Rio de Janeiro and Vitória, showed an increase in almost all of these capitals, with percentages between 3.51%, in Curitiba, and 6.87%, in Florianópolis. In Vitória, the average price did not vary.
Carioca beans, researched in other capitals, registered increases of 0.62%, in Goiânia, to 17.86%, in Palmas. Demand supported the price of carioca beans and also impacted the commercial value of black beans, according to the institution.
Tomatoes, which increased in all cities in the last reading, increased in 25 cities, this time between March and April. With rates between 1.75%, in Recife, and 25.58%, in Fortaleza. The decreases occurred in Rio de Janeiro (-7.92%) and Belo Horizonte (-1.32%). For Dieese, the increases resulted from lower supply in the period between the summer and winter harvests.
A kilo of French bread increased in price in 22 of the 27 capitals. The biggest increases occurred in Palmas (4.00%) and Brasília (1.64%). Wheat grain prices continued with restricted supply and high demand, which led to an increase in the cost of flour.
Beef rose in 22 of the 27 cities, with increases between 0.51%, in Porto Alegre, and 4.78%, in Cuiabá. In the case of beef, Dieese reported that the increases in retail were sustained by strong external demand and the restricted supply of animals ready for slaughter.
In contrast, the value per kilo of ground coffee was lower in 22 of the 27 cities, with the most significant reductions in Cuiabá, -4.56% and Rio Branco, -3.80%. And the biggest increase occurred in Manaus (2.36%).
The institution explains that the proximity of the harvest, the lower volume exported and global uncertainties also reduced grain prices at retail.
