The latest Consumer Price Index shows year-on-year increases in almost every sector of consumption, with dental care in particular taking a bigger bite out of people’s pockets
If you feel as if prices just keep going up, you’re right.
Government’s latest Consumer Price Index shows that we paid on average 2.1 per cent more in February this year than in February 2025.
The rate of inflation growth slowed slightly – a tenth of a percentage point lower than it was in January.
Year-on-year, Health & Personal Care was up 4.5% since last February, with a 12.4% rise in dental care, and a 4.6% hike in health insurance.
Transport overall was up 3.3%. Despite fractional 0.2% drops in car and cycle fuel, foreign travel drove the sector up with a 9.3% increase.
Food costs had risen 2.4%, with poultry up 8.8%, and meats 9.3%.
The Rent division, which the CPI shows as being more than a quarter of total average household spending, was up 1.3%.
Clothing and Footware was up 6.6%, with accessories in particular up 38.5%. However, the CPI records this sector as the smallest portion, 2.5%, of average household spending.
Only the fuel and power sector was lower in February this year than in February 2025 – an overall 4.2% drop, driven by 4.4% lower spending on electricity.
You can find the full February 2026 Consumer Price Index below…
