Favourable inflation figures emerged, yet prices for gas, margarine, flour and milk have still soared dramatically

TThe products experiencing the sharpest price increases in Hungary were:

• piped gas: 22% (largely because colder weather means higher gas consumption; many households exceed their subsidised usage and therefore pay more);
• margarine: 28.3%;
• flour: 15.9%;
• coffee: 14.9%;
• dairy products: 11.4%;
• eggs: 11.2%;
• chocolate and cocoa: 10.7%;
• cooking oil: 10.1%;
• holidays: 12.2%;
• vehicle repairs and maintenance: 10%.

The CPI, adjusted for better comparison with other European Union member states, was 3.7%. Core inflation, which excludes volatile fuel and food prices, was 4.1%, 0.1 percentage points lower than the previous month. The CPI calculated using a basket of goods and services typical of pensioners was 3.7%.

In a month-on-month comparison, consumer prices edged up by 0.1%. Food prices, excluding the cost of eating out, were unchanged. Service prices edged down 0.1%, household energy prices slipped 0.4%, and motor fuel prices dropped 0.6%.

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