On site

Why prices change from one city to the next

Haulage, imports and the local labour pool explain most of the gap between two cities in the same country.

Published September 2, 2026

Cement, reinforcement steel and roofing sheets travel badly: their delivered price carries the road they came down. That is why the tool asks for your city before it gives you a figure, because a national average matches no real site.

The three factors

• Distance to the port or the cement works, for anything heavy.
• The imported share, which follows the exchange rate rather than the local economy.
• How deep the skilled labour market is.