Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
5 min of reading 
0 comments 
April’s IPCA-15 rose 0.89%, practically double the 0.44% recorded in March, according to IBGE data released this Tuesday (28). Food led the increase with a 1.46% advance, but gasoline, diesel, medicine, and electricity also rose in the same month. In 12 months, cumulative inflation reached 4.37%, up from the previous 3.90%. The scenario puts pressure on the Central Bank and may make interest rate cuts more difficult.
April’s inflation hit the Brazilian consumer from all sides at once. The IPCA-15, which serves as the official preview of the consumer price index, recorded a 0.89% increase for the month, with food rising 1.46%, gasoline soaring 6.23%, and diesel advancing 16%. At the pharmacy, pharmaceutical products rose 1.16% due to the authorized annual adjustment. On the electricity bill, residential electricity saw a 0.68% increase. The result is that the cost of living became heavier on practically all fronts that make up a family’s budget.
The 12-month cumulative total jumped from 3.90% to 4.37%, a level that raises an alert at the Central Bank. The inflation target for 2026 is 3%, with a tolerance of 1.5 percentage points upward, meaning the ceiling is 4.5%. With the index at 4.37%, Brazil is operating dangerously close to this limit, and any additional pressure in the coming months could push inflation outside the band. For the consumer, the effect is direct: less purchasing power and a greater sense of a squeezed budget.
Food, which rose almost 1.5% in a single month
According to information released by the portal ndmais, the Food and beverages group had the highest increase among all sectors analyzed: 1.46%, with an impact of 0.31 percentage points on the general index. Food at home accelerated from 1.10% in March to 1.77% in April, indicating that the supermarket has become the biggest source of pressure on family budgets.
-
The government will release FGTS funds to pay off debts in the Desenrola 2.0 program with discounts of up to 80%, but only those with a sufficient balance to pay everything off at once will be able to use the money.
-
Few people know, but since 2026 the CPF has become a fiscal tracking tool in Brazil, and the data you provide at the supermarket, pharmacy, and gas station now feed a system that the tax authorities use to cross-reference your declared income with your actual spending.
-
Problem in Brazil: new rules and taxes stifle those who want to grow, worry small business owners, and high interest rates are already a reality.
-
End of an era: major supermarket chain ends 100 years of history after bankruptcy and monthly losses of around R$ 165,000
The villains are basic everyday items. Carrots rose 25.43%, onions advanced 16.54%, long-life milk soared 16.33%, and tomatoes became 13.76% more expensive. Meats, which weigh more heavily on the budget due to consumption volume, had a 1.14% increase. On the positive side, few items provided relief: apples fell 4.76% and ground coffee dropped 1.58%. Even eating out became more expensive, with snacks rising 0.87% and meals advancing 0.65%.
Gasoline, which became the biggest individual impact on the IPCA-15
If food weighed down the shopping cart, fuels weighed on transportation and the entire economic chain. The Transportation group rose 1.34% and was the second biggest contributor to the month’s inflation, with an impact of 0.27 percentage points. Gasoline increased by 6.23% and became the item with the largest individual impact on the entire index, alone accounting for 0.32 percentage points of April’s inflation.
Diesel soared 16%, a movement that goes far beyond what the average driver notices at the pump. Diesel is the fuel that moves trucks, buses, and agricultural machinery, and when its price rises, the ripple effect hits freight, logistics, and food transportation, making practically the entire economy more expensive. The rise in fuel prices is linked to the increase in a barrel of oil on the international market, pressured by the conflict between the United States and Iran, which has heightened tension in the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil passes.
Medicine and electricity bills complete the siege on the budget
Besides the supermarket and gas station, the pharmacy and electricity bill also became more expensive in April. The Health and personal care group rose 0.93%, with pharmaceutical products advancing 1.16% due to the authorized price adjustment for medicines starting in April. Personal hygiene products also contributed to the sector’s increase.
In Housing, residential electricity rose by 0.68% and water and sewage rates were readjusted in some capital cities. The scenario in which food, fuel, medicine, and basic bills rise simultaneously is the most difficult for low- and middle-income families, who allocate most of their budget to these items and have no room to absorb increases on multiple fronts at the same time.
What the 12-month IPCA-15 of 4.37% means for interest rates
The IPCA-15 acts as an early indicator of official inflation and is closely monitored by the financial market and the Central Bank. When the index rises sharply, expectations grow that the Selic rate may be kept high for longer or that any interest rate cuts may be postponed, because the Central Bank (BC) needs to maintain a restrictive monetary policy to curb the rise in prices.
With cumulative inflation at 4.37% and accelerating, the room for a reduction in the Selic rate is becoming increasingly narrow. Resistant inflation makes interest rate cuts difficult and keeps credit more expensive, which affects financing, payroll-deducted loans, and productive investments. For those paying installments on property, cars, or credit cards, the consequence is direct: the cost of money remains high while the prices of essential products continue to rise.
What to expect from inflation in the coming months
The April data suggests that inflation will not ease easily. The pressure from fuel prices depends on the evolution of the geopolitical conflict in the Middle East, and the rise in food prices reflects both internal climate factors and the increase in diesel fuel, which makes transportation more expensive from agricultural production to the final consumer. As long as these two drivers remain active, the trend is for pressured prices.
For the consumer, the practical effect is simpler: less purchasing power and greater difficulty in making ends meet. Interest rate cuts become increasingly distant while food, gasoline, pharmacy, and electricity bills rise at the same time, and the salary that hit the bank account at the beginning of the month buys less than it did in March.
Have you felt the increase in supermarket, gasoline, and pharmacy prices in your wallet this month, or has inflation not yet hit your city hard? Tell us in the comments which item weighed most heavily on your budget in April and if you think the government should act to contain prices.
Be the first to react!