Monthly Consumer Price Index Indicator

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The monthly CPI indicator is a measure of inflation and includes statistics about prices for categories of households expenditure

Reference period
February 2024
Released
27/03/2024

Key statistics

  • The monthly CPI indicator rose 3.4% in the 12 months to February.
  • The most significant price rises were Housing (+4.6%), Food and non-alcoholic beverages (+3.6%), Alcohol and tobacco (+6.1%) and Insurance and financial services (+8.4%).

Main features

Weighted average of eight capital cities, annual movement
 Dec 22 to Dec 23 % changeJan 23 to Jan 24 % changeFeb 23 to Feb 24 % change
All groups monthly CPI3.43.43.4
Food and non-alcoholic beverages4.04.43.6
 Bread and cereal products7.77.47.0
 Meat and seafood-1.9-2.0-2.0
 Dairy and related products5.25.04.2
 Fruit and vegetables-2.21.6-0.5
 Food products n.e.c.6.86.94.9
 Non-alcoholic beverages7.15.74.9
Alcohol and tobacco6.86.76.1
 Alcohol4.64.53.6
 Tobacco10.810.710.7
Clothing and footwear-0.80.40.8
 Garments-0.41.92.3
Housing5.24.64.6
 Rents7.47.47.6
 New dwelling purchases by owner-occupiers5.14.84.9
 Electricity0.40.80.3
 Gas and other household fuels8.5-1.4-2.4
Furnishings, household equipment and services-0.30.3-0.3
Health4.73.93.9
Transport3.63.03.4
 Automotive fuel5.33.14.1
Communications2.02.01.7
Recreation and culture-2.4-1.70.4
 Holiday travel and accommodation-9.1-7.1-1.3
Education4.74.75.1
Insurance and financial services8.28.28.4
CPI analytical series   
 Seasonally adjusted3.53.63.7
 CPI excluding volatile items** and holiday travel4.24.13.9
 Annual Trimmed mean4.03.83.9

** = Volatile items are Fruit and vegetables and Automotive fuel

Monthly Overview

The monthly CPI indicator rose 3.4% in the 12 months to February, following a 3.4% rise in the 12 months to January.

The annual movement for the monthly CPI indicator excluding volatile items and holiday travel was 3.9% in February, down from the rise of 4.1% in January. This series excludes Fruit and vegetables, Automotive fuel, and Holiday travel and accommodation.

Annual trimmed mean inflation was 3.9% in February, up slightly from 3.8% in January.

*Volatile items are Fruit and vegetables and Automotive fuel

New dwellings and Rents

New dwelling prices rose 4.9% in the 12 months to February. Prices have continued to rise by around 5% annually over the past six months. The increase in new dwelling prices reflects builders continuing to pass on higher costs for labour and materials.

Rents increased 7.6% in the 12 months to February, which continues to reflect strong demand for rental properties and tight rental markets.
 

Electricity and Gas

Electricity prices rose 0.3% in the 12 months to February, compared to a rise of 0.8% to January.  Price rises for electricity have eased as rebates remain in place which lower the cost of electricity for households.

Gas prices fell 2.4% in the 12 months to February, the second consecutive month of annual deflation and down from the peak of 27.2% to May 2023.

Energy Bill Relief Fund rebates introduced from July 2023 have moderated the increase in electricity bills for households across Australia.

Excluding the Energy Bill Relief Fund rebates, Electricity prices would have increased 14.9% in the 12 months to February 2024.

The following graph shows the Electricity series including and excluding government electricity rebates.

February 2023, index = 100

  • a) Introduction of the Energy Bill Relief Fund (EBRF) for concession households in NSW, SA, TAS, NT and ACT, and for all households in QLD and WA. Introduction of additional ACT $50 rebate for concession households.
  • b) Introduction of the Energy Bill Relief Fund for concession households in VIC.
  • c) Introduction of the Energy Bill Relief Fund for newly eligible households in NSW, SA, TAS, NT and ACT.
  • d) Introduction of the Energy Bill Relief Fund for newly eligible households in VIC.
  • e) Introduction of the second instalment of the Energy Bill Relief Fund for all households in WA.
  • f) Introduction of the second instalment of Energy Bill Relief Fund rebates for concession household in VIC.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages

Food and non-alcoholic beverage prices rose 3.6% in the 12 months to February, down from a rise of 4.4% to January. The main contributors were Meals out and takeaway foods (+5.4%), Bread and cereal products (+7.0%) and Food products n.e.c. (+4.9%). Compared to 12 months ago, prices fell for Meat and seafood (-2.0%) and Fruit and vegetables (-0.5%).

Insurance

Insurance prices rose 16.5% in the 12 months to February, following a rise of 16.3% to January. This is now the highest annual price movement since the beginning of the monthly CPI indicator. Higher reinsurance, natural disaster and claim costs contributed to higher premiums for motor vehicle, house and home contents insurance.

Automotive fuel

Automotive fuel prices rose 4.1% in the 12 months to February, up from a rise of 3.1% to January. The rise was driven by higher wholesale fuel prices.

In monthly terms, Automotive fuel prices rose 5.1% in February, the first monthly rise since September 2023. 

Holiday travel and accommodation

Holiday travel and accommodation prices fell 1.3% in the 12 months to February, following a fall of 7.1% to January. 

In monthly terms, Holiday travel and accommodation prices fell 9.3% in February. Prices for airfares and accommodation fell due to lower demand following the end of the school holiday period.

Education

Education prices rose 5.1% in the 12 months to February. Fees are collected once a year at the beginning of the school year. The rise was driven by higher primary and secondary school fees as well as tertiary education following the indexation of higher education course fees. Education fees have increased around 5% per year for the past three years.

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Data explorer for the monthly CPI indicator.

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Detailed monthly data

Monthly Expenditure class data

About the monthly CPI indicator

What is the monthly CPI Indicator?

Introducing monthly indicators of underlying inflation

Articles

Measuring Rents in the CPI 

Using price indexes

Price indexes published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) provide summary measures of the movements in various categories of prices over time. They are published primarily for use in Government economic analysis. 

Consistent with existing policy, the ABS does not comment on the use (or otherwise) of the price indexes we publish. However, it should be noted that the monthly CPI indicator may be routinely subject to revision, in contrast to the quarterly CPI which is only revised in exceptional circumstances.

Use of Price Indexes in Contracts sets out a range of issues that should be taken into account by parties considering including an Indexation Clause in a contract using an ABS published price index.

Frequently asked questions

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) specific to the monthly CPI indicator can be found in the Information paper: Introducing a monthly CPI indicator for Australia FAQs 

In addition, the Frequently Asked Questions page has answers to a number of common questions to do with price indexes and the quarterly Consumer Price Index in particular.

Methodology

Scope

The monthly CPI indicator is a general measure of price change for goods and services purchased by Australian households.

Geography

Monthly data is published at the national level, derived as a weighted average of the eight capital cities.

Source

Prices are collected for a range of goods and services (the CPI basket) from a variety of retailers across the eight capital cities.

Collection method

Prices are collected in a range of frequencies including monthly, quarterly, and annually using: 

  • web-scraping
  • online and telephone collections from retailers
  • administrative data, including supermarket scanner data.

Concepts, sources and methods

Information about the data sources and methods used to compile the CPI is contained in the Consumer Price Index: Concepts, Sources and Methods.

History of changes

  • Annual update of CPI weights January 2024. 
  • Partial update of CPI weights July 2023.
  • Monthly Gas series included June 2023.
  • Annual trimmed mean included April 2023.
  • Monthly Electricity included February 2023.
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