Beef prices in Colombia have risen sharply in 2026, putting additional pressure on household budgets and the cost of eating out. Official statistics show that beef and its derivatives cost 14.22% more in September than a year earlier, while overall inflation reached 6.29%. From January to September, beef prices climbed 11.25%, and they rose another 0.74% in September alone.
The increases affect a food that remains central to Colombian diets. In 2025, the average person consumed 18.4 kilograms of beef, up 4.5% from the previous year, according to Bancolombia‘s economic research team. When beef becomes more expensive, the effects extend beyond grocery shopping to restaurants and everyday meals.
The corrientazo (a fixed-price lunch commonly served with soup, protein, rice and side dishes) shows how higher ingredient costs can affect what Colombians pay to eat. Understanding the increase starts with the pressures on cattle production and the country’s domestic beef supply.
Why beef costs more
The cause starts in the pasture. Colombia produced 523,941 tons of beef from January to August, 1.9% less than a year earlier, while the supply available for the domestic market fell 1.3%.
Cattle ranchers say the weather deserves part of the blame. Floods in Cordoba, followed by an intense dry season, kept animals from gaining weight, and slaughter fell 1% in the first nine months of the year, according to Fedegan, the national cattle federation.
Prices at the farm reflect that squeeze: fattened cattle sold for an average of 9,391 pesos per kilogram, 9.2% more than a year earlier. That was equivalent to US$2.67 per kilogram, above Brazil’s US$2.45. With Colombian cattle costing more than Brazil’s, the country exported 43.3% less meat between January and July and imported 21.2% more, leaving its cattle industry more reliant on local demand.
Meanwhile, beef prices have risen faster than those of competing proteins. Beef prices increased 13.2% from January to August, while chicken prices rose only 2.5% and pork prices fell 6.2%. Bancolombia warns that this gap could push families to substitute cheaper proteins. It also says a strong El Niño (a weather pattern that brings drought) could further reduce supply, although the bank describes this as a possibility rather than a development already underway.
How beef reaches the corrientazo
Beef’s price increase reaches the lunch table because the corrientazo relies on ingredients that have risen even faster as a group. The cost of ingredients for a traditional lunch rose 22.4% in a year, from approximately US$4.87 to US$5.93 per person.
Potatoes help explain that jump, with prices rising 78.24% over the year. Beef adds another 14.22% increase, putting pressure on dishes such as bandeja paisa and sancocho (a traditional meat soup). Pork offers some relief, with prices down 6.17%, easing pressure on dishes such as chuleta valluna.
These figures describe ingredient costs, not the price a diner pays. Restaurants must also cover salaries, rent, utilities and cooking costs, and the university analysts who studied the figures warn that their examples do not reflect the menu of any specific restaurant.
Even so, official data points in the same direction: restaurant meals rose 9.44% over the year, making the category the largest contributor to annual inflation. For families, the choice becomes concrete: they can swap beef for chicken or pork, reduce portion sizes or pay more. Restaurants face similar decisions.