Pressure on construction costs skyrockets in 2026, and the square meter is likely to become even more expensive with high interest rates, restricted credit, and rising input costs.

Written by Caio Aviz

Published on 13/05/2026 at 12:19

Be the first to react!

Rising costs, more difficult credit, and pressured inflation reorganize the construction scenario and increase concerns about property prices

A new cost pressure has begun to affect the Brazilian construction industry in the first months of 2026, increasing concerns in the real estate sector. The Construction Industry Survey, released by the National Confederation of Industry (CNI), showed that the average price of inputs and raw materials has risen sharply again in the first quarter of the year. This increase occurs amid persistent inflation, high interest rates, and greater difficulty in accessing credit, factors that squeeze the margins of construction companies. This scenario reinforces the risk of further impacts on the price per square meter, which had already been rising sharply since the pandemic.

Construction costs rise and pressure companies

The index that measures the evolution of the average price of inputs and raw materials rose by 6.8 points compared to the fourth quarter of 2025. As a result, the indicator reached 68.4 points in the first quarter of 2026, well above the equilibrium line of 50 points. The result shows that costs remain pressured and continue to directly affect the financial planning of companies. More expensive materials, tighter margins, and higher operational expenses make new projects more difficult to balance.

High interest rates become the biggest problem for the sector

High interest rates have taken the top spot in the ranking of the main problems faced by the construction industry. The cost of credit has become a greater concern for business owners than the lack of labor, which also pressures expenses. The indicator that measures the ease of access to credit fell from 39 points to 37.7 points between the fourth quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026. Since the equilibrium line is 50 points, the result indicates a more restricted financial environment for construction companies and new developments.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Inflation and fuels increase the pressure

The scenario was already inflationary, but worsened with the economic effects of the war in the Middle East. The increase in fuel prices began to impact practically the entire economy and further raised the costs of the production chain. Inflation expectations also continued to rise, as pointed out in the Focus Bulletin from the Central Bank. Consequently, the possibility of lower interest rates lost momentum and remained on hold.

Square meter may become even more expensive

With higher costs, more difficult credit, and reduced margins, the price per square meter tends to suffer new impacts in 2026. The construction industry had already been under pressure since the pandemic, when property values began to rise for different reasons, including the increased cost of inputs. This set of factors creates a more challenging environment for companies and consumers.

Given this scenario, to what extent can construction costs still weigh on the final price of properties?

0 Comments

most recent

older Most voted

Pressure on construction costs skyrockets in 2026, and the square meter is likely to become even more expensive with high interest rates, restricted credit, and rising input costs.

Rising costs, more difficult credit, and pressured inflation reorganize the construction scenario and increase concerns about property prices

Construction costs rise and pressure companies

High interest rates become the biggest problem for the sector

Cement-free interlocking system revolutionizes the construction industry by allowing entire houses to be built with interlocking blocks, reducing costs, speeding up projects, and transforming the standards of efficiency and sustainability in the sector.

Inflation and fuels increase the pressure

Square meter may become even more expensive

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

Brazil will harvest a record crop of up to 357 million tons of grains, but it does not have the capacity to store a large part of it. The storage deficit has reached the highest level in history and is equivalent to almost the entire production of Argentina.

Four times faster than the Concorde, capable of taking passengers from New York to London in less than an hour at Mach 5.5, and with an engine that switches from turbojet to ramjet mid-flight at Mach 3.5, the Hermeus Quarterhorse went from paper to its first flight in just 19 months.

Under nearly 2 kilometers of ice in Antarctica, scientists have discovered an ancient landscape sculpted by rivers up to 60 million years ago, the size of Wales, preserved as a time capsule that could help predict the advance of ice towards the ocean.

She started by collecting oyster shells from restaurants and today she has already accumulated more than 10 tons to restore reefs, recover coastal habitats, and demonstrate how a common waste can become a tool for ocean conservation.

Bricklayers off the scaffolding? New system uses autonomous drones to position bricks and apply adhesive in the air, creating walls with two flying robots working as a team.

Processors can become 1,000 times faster with a new device that uses light pulses, operates in 40 picoseconds, and reduces the heat that stalls data centers.

Noise in the sky frightened residents: NASA confirms that a meteor exploded over New England with a force equivalent to 230 tons of TNT

The paycheck that seemed impossible: São José employee receives R$ 7.94 after legal strike, while deductions by the City Hall affect over a thousand employees and become a target of inquiry in the City Council.

With only R$ 50 in his pocket and a dream, the 26-year-old Tocantins native Willian Gomes left Tocantins and has already cycled over 4,000 kilometers towards Ushuaia, at the southern tip of Argentina, without accepting a single ride in eight months.

Has the war with artificial intelligence already begun? The US Army tests armed robots in the Moroccan desert, uses drones with explosives, and showcases a system capable of reducing military decisions from hours to just 3 minutes.

Pressure on construction costs skyrockets in 2026, and the square meter is likely to become even more expensive with high interest rates, restricted credit, and rising input costs.

Rising costs, more difficult credit, and pressured inflation reorganize the construction scenario and increase concerns about property prices

Construction costs rise and pressure companies

High interest rates become the biggest problem for the sector

Cement-free interlocking system revolutionizes the construction industry by allowing entire houses to be built with interlocking blocks, reducing costs, speeding up projects, and transforming the standards of efficiency and sustainability in the sector.

Inflation and fuels increase the pressure

Square meter may become even more expensive

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

Brazil will harvest a record crop of up to 357 million tons of grains, but it does not have the capacity to store a large part of it. The storage deficit has reached the highest level in history and is equivalent to almost the entire production of Argentina.

Four times faster than the Concorde, capable of taking passengers from New York to London in less than an hour at Mach 5.5, and with an engine that switches from turbojet to ramjet mid-flight at Mach 3.5, the Hermeus Quarterhorse went from paper to its first flight in just 19 months.

Under nearly 2 kilometers of ice in Antarctica, scientists have discovered an ancient landscape sculpted by rivers up to 60 million years ago, the size of Wales, preserved as a time capsule that could help predict the advance of ice towards the ocean.

She started by collecting oyster shells from restaurants and today she has already accumulated more than 10 tons to restore reefs, recover coastal habitats, and demonstrate how a common waste can become a tool for ocean conservation.

Bricklayers off the scaffolding? New system uses autonomous drones to position bricks and apply adhesive in the air, creating walls with two flying robots working as a team.

A man takes a simple farm cattle trough and transforms it into a fully motorized boat by lining the tank with plywood, sealing everything with epoxy, and installing an outboard motor.

In just 24 days, China erected 7,733 foldable houses alongside nearly 10,000 tents and sheltered over 47,000 residents in one of the highest and most inhospitable regions on the planet, in what is considered the fastest housing deployment in history.

With an eye on consumers from Santa Catarina, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, and Argentina, Havan is launching a mega store worth R$ 90 million on the side of a busy highway, in an investment that Luciano Hang classifies as one of the most important in the expansion.

Next to Brazil, a neighboring country is evaluating a 3.7 km underwater tunnel in one of the most extreme regions of America, a project initially estimated at US$ 1.5 billion that could end the dependency on ferries to reach Tierra del Fuego.

Processors can become 1,000 times faster with a new device that uses light pulses, operates in 40 picoseconds, and reduces the heat that stalls data centers.

Noise in the sky frightened residents: NASA confirms that a meteor exploded over New England with a force equivalent to 230 tons of TNT

The paycheck that seemed impossible: São José employee receives R$ 7.94 after legal strike, while deductions by the City Hall affect over a thousand employees and become a target of inquiry in the City Council.

With only R$ 50 in his pocket and a dream, the 26-year-old Tocantins native Willian Gomes left Tocantins and has already cycled over 4,000 kilometers towards Ushuaia, at the southern tip of Argentina, without accepting a single ride in eight months.

Has the war with artificial intelligence already begun? The US Army tests armed robots in the Moroccan desert, uses drones with explosives, and showcases a system capable of reducing military decisions from hours to just 3 minutes.