Consumer prices

Results of a study on consumer habits in the past year showed that people in Costa Rica are visiting grocery stores and supermarkets more often however they are spending less on each buy.

The Economy Ministry found increases of up to 231 percent in the price of canned calamari, 150 percent in tuna, and 132 percent in palm hearts.

A day after it approved rate hikes last week for the Costa Rican Electricity Institute, or ICE, the Public Services Regulatory Authority on Friday approved a decrease in electricity rates for all of the country’s electricity distributors. That change will take effect on Oct. 1.

The Public Services Regulatory Authority (ARESEP) approved a 3.7 percent increase in electricity rates requested by the Costa Rica Electricity Institute (ICE). The new rate was published in the government's official newspaper La Gaceta on Thursday.

The Costa Rican Chamber of Industries on Thursday blasted a new 3.7 percent increase in electricity rates requested by the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE). Chamber leaders urged the Public Services Regulatory Authority to reject the request, noting that ICE in July promised to cut spending and stabilize its finances in order to prevent electricity rate hikes for the next year and a half.

Although the National Meteorological Institute (IMN) confirmed a drop in rainfall levels for the current rainy season, the Costa Rica Electricity Institute (ICE) has ruled out power outages later this year.

North Americans' taste in coffee might be getting more high-end – with a growing fixation on perfectly roasted beans, pricier caffeinated concoctions, and artisan coffee brewers – but it turns out a surprisingly big part of the world is going in the opposite direction: towards instant coffee.

If the price of gas goes down, none of us will do anything to change.

As Costa Rica’s gasoline prices reach record highs, politicians are scrambling to find a way to curb costs at the pump. Members of the leftist Broad Front Party think the answer lies in a Venezuelan oil-sharing scheme, Petrocaribe.

Although President Luis Guillermo Solís had promised not to use Ticos' euphoria over Costa Rica’s performance at the World Cup to promote increases in public utility rates, a 5.38 percent hike in electricity went into effect last Tuesday.