Prices Climb After the Holiday
Markets across Syria saw a fresh round of price increases for dairy products, cheeses and eggs in the days following the Eid al-Adha holiday, adding to pressure on household budgets at the end of May 2026.
The increases touched everyday staples, from eggs and milk to several varieties of cheese sold by the kilogram, and arrived just as families returned to routine shopping after the festival.
Eggs and Milk Lead
The price of eggs rose by 50 Syrian pounds (SYP), while a kilogram of milk increased by 10 pounds. Guaranteed Shallal cheese climbed 50 pounds to reach 820 pounds per kilogram, one of the sharper moves on the dairy shelf.
Smaller items were not spared: green thyme, cheese spread and halawa each rose by between 40 and 60 pounds per kilogram.
Across the Cheese Counter
Among other varieties, unsalted Shallal cheese sold at about 760 pounds per kilogram, Misnirey cheese at 560, Akawi at 430 and local cheese at 350. Country butter reached roughly 1,500 pounds a kilogram and shanklish about 1,000.
Green olives ranged between 420 and 500 pounds per kilogram depending on grade, rounding out a broad-based rise across the counter.
Fuel Compounds the Strain
The food increases come on top of energy costs, with gasoline and diesel prices rising by more than 30 percent in recent periods. Higher transport and production expenses typically feed through to retail food prices, lengthening the chain of pressure that reaches the final shopper.
Weight on Households
For many families the combined effect lands on basic protein and breakfast items, where small per-kilogram increases accumulate quickly across a week of purchases. The pattern underscores how holiday demand and rising input costs continue to shape the cost of living.
Dairy and eggs are among the cheapest sources of protein in the Syrian diet, so even modest moves at the counter weigh more heavily on lower-income households than the headline figures suggest. With fuel still elevated, shoppers face a squeeze from both the supply side and the checkout line as the festival period ends.