However, to date, the index has accumulated an increase of 1.75% so far in 2026 and a year-on-year variation of 1.94%.
SANTO DOMINGO. After months of adjustments in the prices of construction inputs, June showed signs of moderation in the direct costs of building homes. The reduction in materials such as paint and steel, along with lower costs for machinery and tools, allowed the Direct Cost Index for Housing Construction (ICDV) to register a monthly variation of -0.13%, according to the most recent bulletin published by the National Statistics Office (ONE).
The indicator, which serves as a reference to measure the behavior of the main inputs used in housing construction in the National District and the province of Santo Domingo, fell from 240.61 points in May to 240.31 in June, a reduction of 0.30 points.
Despite this monthly drop, the index has accumulated an increase of 1.75% so far in 2026 and a year-on-year variation of 1.94%, reflecting that costs continue to be above those recorded a year ago, although with a more moderate growth rate.
The tallest buildings are registering the greatest declines
The behavior of the index was not uniform among the different types of housing.
The largest reductions were observed in multi-family buildings of eight levels or more, whose direct cost decreased by 0.21%, followed by single-family homes of two levels (-0.24%) and multi-family homes of four levels (-0.06%).
The only category that showed a slight increase was single-family housing, with a variation of 0.01%, which shows a practically stable behavior during the month.
Paint and steel lead the losses
The decline in the index was primarily driven by the performance of several materials commonly used in construction.
Among the subgroups with the largest price reductions were paint, whose prices fell by 3.53%, followed by electric generators (-1.02%), steel (-0.55%), and elevators (-0.37%). These variations helped to contain the average cost of building homes during June.
Overall, the materials registered a decrease of 0.04%, while machinery fell by 0.12% and tools by 0.21%, reinforcing the downward trend observed in the indicator.
Not all costs eased
Although the overall trend was downward, some components continued to put pressure on construction costs.
The subcontracting group registered the largest monthly increase, with 0.18% , while labor remained unchanged compared to May.
Among the subgroups with increases fuels, rising 3.02%; carpentry subcontracts, with 1.03%; plumbing and sanitary equipment and installations, with 0.54%; and wires, nails, zinc and other materials, with 0.38%.
Recommended readings.
