Thrissur: The cost of building a house has risen exponentially over the past five years. The fair price of land has increased by 10 per cent and the land tax has been doubled. With the increase in raw materials for construction, around Rs 8 lakh more is needed to build a 1,000 sq ft house.

In 2016, Rs 1,500 was cost per sq ft for construction. At present, it is Rs 2,300-2,500. Iron bars, iron pipes, wires, plumbing materials, paint, roof sheets, and bricks cost more than double now.

Though there was a dip in the prices in 2019, it started to increase again later. The decision to charge higher GST for cement blocks than other blocks will further increase the cost.

Item201620192022
Iron bar (kg)Rs 38Rs 46Rs 97
Cement (per sack)250300410
Wire (for AC, per metre)212745
Wire (90 metre)330480750
Steal tap450-600700-8001100-1200
Rock sand (1 unit)3,5004,2005,350
Labour charge (for experts)550-600800-8501,100-1,200
Paint (litre)140-150180-200250-300
Roofing sheet (sq ft)253570
Iron pipe (1 kg)40-4560-65105-107
25 mm PVC pipe (1 metre)202545
Cement block (1 peice)20-2124-2530-32
Construction cost (1,000 sq ft)14-15 lakh17-18 lakh23-25 lakh