With regard to the components of the New Housing Construction Costs Index (ICCHN), although the prices of construction materials fell by 0.6%, the cost of labour continues to weigh heavily, having increased by 7.9 % compared to the same period last year.

Among the materials that most influenced this variation are cement, with a year-on-year rise in the price of more than 20%, as well as wood and wood products and ready-mixed concrete, with increases of more than 15%.

In the opposite direction, INE highlights the price of steel for concrete and heavy and light profiles and mild and galvanized steel sheet, which showed decreases of around 30% compared to the same period last year.

In the chain comparison, the variation in construction costs was 0.1% in June, stabilising compared to the previous month, with the cost of materials falling 0.4% compared to May, while the cost of labor work increased by 0.8%.