Rio, 11/6/2003 (Agencia Brasil - ABr) - Building costs, as measured by the sector's basic unit cost index (Custo Unitário Básico da Construção Civil) (CUB), rose 0.33% in Rio de Janeiro in October. That is just slightly lower than inflation, as measured by the General Market Price Index (IGP-M), which rose 0.38%. According to the sector trade association (Sinduscon/RJ), labor costs were stable in October, while construction material costs rose 0.68%.

The cumulative rise of the CUB for the year in Rio is now at 16.79%, compared to 7.52% for the IGP-M. (AB)