When the economy slows, the neighborhood comes together

Costa Rica's economy is still growing, but more slowly, and this year household income fell. Many families already notice it when they shop: they compare more, plan more and think twice about each expense. Here is what the data say, how habits are changing and what a neighborhood can do when it gets organized.

What is happening with the economy

• The economy is growing less. The Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR) estimates the economy will grow 3.2% in 2026, after growing 4.6% in 2025, and in October it lowered its July projection by two tenths of a point. It is a slowdown: the economy is still growing, just more slowly. According to the Central Bank, growth rests mainly on domestic demand, especially household consumption and investment.
• Household income fell. According to INEC's 2026 National Household Survey (Encuesta Nacional de Hogares), average monthly household income was ₡1,163,728, a statistically significant drop of 3.8% from ₡1,209,825 in
  2025. Wage income fell 3.2%.
• Prices barely moved. In its October report, the Central Bank reports headline inflation of 0.0%, measured as the average year-on-year change. The pressure families feel comes mostly from income.
• Poverty did not change significantly. INEC estimates that 15.4% of households are in poverty, with no statistically significant change from the previous year.

How families are changing the way they shop

This year's surveys show a more careful shopper:

• They feel money goes less far. In the Costa Rican Chamber of Commerce's 2026 Consumer Guide (Guía del Consumidor), 6 in 10 people said their money stretches less than the year before.
• They compare and switch brands. In the same survey, 80.6% said that in the past year they dropped more brands for good prices than good prices for brands. In Unimer's 2026 Costa Rican Consumer Profile (Perfil del Consumidor Costarricense), 38% describe themselves as someone who hunts for deals and compares, and 63% would switch to a cheaper option if they see no difference.
• They trust people close to them. In Unimer and Ibope data presented at Data Media Day Costa Rica 2026, 41% said they trust a direct recommendation from another person more, and 65% said influencers have little or no influence on what they buy.

These are surveys, not official statistics, but they tell the same story: families plan more, compare more and listen more to people they trust.

Producers feel it too

A producer in the area sells to those same families. When each household buys less and on its own, demand gets scattered: a trip with few orders doesn't cover the time or the fuel, and what doesn't sell goes to waste. For producers, the slowdown shows up as smaller, less certain orders.

How the price builds up along the chain, we explain in Middleman margins.

The supportive side: buying together in the neighborhood

We don't have a recipe for the economy. What we can do is make buying as a community easier and clearer:

• A clear final price before you pay. You see the cost from the start, with our part already included, so you can plan your budget without surprises.
• Advance orders and delivery in your area. Each offer has dates and a delivery window, and we deliver to the address you registered. That makes it easier to organize the week.
• Pooled demand for the producer. When neighbors in an area join an offer, the trip is worth it for the producer, and what you pay reaches people nearby in a single step. We tell that story in From the producer to your table.
• The neighbors' board. If your household bakes bread, harvests something in the backyard or cooks, you can offer it to the neighbors in your micro-zone. On those sales you take the payment directly: BarrioMercados charges no commission and never touches the money.

For us, solidarity means getting organized so that the neighborhood's money circulates among the neighborhood's people, and so that those who produce nearby can keep doing it.

Start in your neighborhood

We are starting in the district of Concepción, in La Unión, Cartago. To understand how it all works, read how BarrioMercados works. If you produce in the area, tell us what you do.

Sources

All in Spanish. Accessed October 31, 2026.

• Banco Central de Costa Rica, “BCCR estima un crecimiento promedio cercano a 3,5% para el bienio 2027-2028”, press release CP-BCCR-026-2026 on the October 2026 Monetary Policy Report, October 30, 2026.
• Banco Central de Costa Rica, “Crecimiento económico en el 2025 aceleró a 4,6%”, press release CP-BCCR-003-2026 on the January 2026 Monetary Policy Report.
• Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC), Encuesta Nacional de Hogares Julio 2026. Resultados generales, October 2026, pages 39 and 56.
• Cámara de Comercio de Costa Rica and White Rabbit – FCB/Crea, Guía del Consumidor 2026 (survey), as reported by Semanario Universidad, “6 de cada 10 consumidores sienten que el dinero les alcanza menos que el año pasado”, April 29, 2026.
• Unimer, Perfil del Consumidor Costarricense 2026 (survey), as reported by El Financiero, May 26, 2026.
• Unimer and Ibope, data presented at Data Media Day Costa Rica 2026 (surveys), as reported by La Nación, “Consumo en Costa Rica: los influencers pierden fuerza frente al consejo de familiares y amigos”, July 31, 2026.