Official figures show that in August 2026, the national consumer price index (CPI) climbed 0.8% compared to the same month last year. Breaking this down by area, urban prices increased by 0.8% while rural areas saw a 0.7% rise. The cost of food dropped 1.4%, but non-food items became 1.2% more expensive. Both consumer goods and services registered a 0.8% uptick. Looking at the broader trend, the average CPI for the first eight months of the year was 0.9% higher than during the corresponding period in 2025.

On a month-over-month basis, the national CPI edged up 0.4% in August. This increase was uniform across urban and rural regions, with both recording a 0.4% gain. Food prices rose 0.4% month-on-month, while non-food items increased by 0.3%. Consumer goods saw a more pronounced 0.6% monthly advance, whereas services prices inched up just 0.1%.

Breaking down the year-on-year movements

In August, the category encompassing food, tobacco, alcohol, and dining-out services saw its prices fall by 0.7% year-on-year, which dragged the overall CPI down by approximately 0.21 percentage points. Within the food segment, meat prices tumbled 5.1%, contributing a 0.21 percentage point negative impact on the CPI, with pork specifically down 11.8% compared to last year. Fresh vegetable prices declined by 2.8%, shaving off about 0.05 percentage points from the index. The cost of dairy products fell 1.4%, a minor 0.01 percentage point subtraction, while aquatic products were 0.6% cheaper, also trimming 0.01 percentage points. In contrast, egg prices surged 15.0%, adding roughly 0.07 percentage points to the CPI.

Among the seven major categories outside of food and energy, prices rose in six and fell in one. The most significant gains were seen in other goods and services (up 7.3%), healthcare (up 2.7%), and transportation and communication (up 2.5%). Meanwhile, education, culture, and entertainment prices increased by 1.4%, clothing by 1.3%, and household goods and services by 0.7%. The only category to record a decline was housing, which saw its prices dip by 0.3%.

Analyzing the month-on-month shifts

Compared to July, the food, tobacco, alcohol, and dining-out category rose 0.3% in August, contributing 0.07 percentage points to the monthly CPI gain. Within this group, fresh vegetable prices climbed 5.5%, adding 0.09 percentage points to the index. Egg prices were up 2.0%, contributing 0.01 percentage points. Meat prices increased 0.9%, with pork specifically rising 1.3%, which together added 0.03 percentage points. Conversely, fresh fruit prices fell 2.5%, subtracting 0.05 percentage points, and aquatic products declined by 0.9%, reducing the CPI by 0.02 percentage points.

For the remaining seven categories on a monthly basis, prices increased in two, held steady in three, and declined in two. Transportation and communication costs rose 1.7%, while other goods and services were up 1.5%. Housing, education/culture/entertainment, and healthcare prices remained flat. On the downside, household goods and services slipped 0.2%, and clothing became 0.1% cheaper.