The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 4.1% between September 2025 and September 2026, up from an annual increase of 3.7% in the 12 months to August 2026. This was the highest rate of inflation observed in the CPI since January 2024 when the rate of inflation was also 4.1%.
Excluding Energy and Unprocessed Food, the CPI grew by 3.1% in the 12 months to September 2026.
The divisions with the largest increases in the 12 months to September 2026 were Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels (+9.5%), Education Services (+8.9%) and Transport (+7.5%).
No division recorded a decline when compared with September 2025. This was the third consecutive month in which no ECOICOP division recorded an annual decline.
Consumer prices rose by 0.2% in the month between August 2026 and September 2026.
The divisions that recorded the largest rises in the month were Clothing & Footwear (+2.5%) and Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels (+1.2%).
Monthly decreases were recorded in Recreation, Sport & Culture (-1.9%) and Furnishings, Household Equipment & Routine Household Maintenance (-0.1%).
Figure 1 shows the development of the CPI and HICP over recent months. The primary difference between CPI and HICP is the inclusion of Mortgage Interest in the CPI, whereas it’s not included in the HICP. Full details of the difference between CPI and HICP can be found in the background notes of this release.
| CPI and HICP | |||||||
| CPI | HICP | ||||||
| % monthly change | % annual change | % monthly change | % annual change | ||||
| May 2026 | -0.1 | 3.6 | -0.2 | 3.5 | |||
| Jun 2026 | 0.3 | 3.4 | 0.3 | 3.2 | |||
| Jul 2026 | 0.1 | 3.4 | 0.1 | 3.1 | |||
| Aug 2026 | 0.7 | 3.7 | 0.6 | 3.4 | |||
| Sep 2026 | 0.2 | 4.1 | 0.2 | 3.8 | |||
| X-axis label | CPI | HICP |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| Oct 2025 | 2.9 | 2.8 |
| Nov 2025 | 3.2 | 3.1 |
| Dec 2025 | 2.8 | 2.7 |
| Jan 2026 | 2.7 | 2.5 |
| Feb 2026 | 2.7 | 2.5 |
| Mar 2026 | 3.6 | 3.6 |
| Apr 2026 | 3.7 | 3.6 |
| May 2026 | 3.6 | 3.5 |
| Jun 2026 | 3.4 | 3.2 |
| Jul 2026 | 3.4 | 3.1 |
| Aug 2026 | 3.7 | 3.4 |
| Sep 2026 | 4.1 | 3.8 |
Prices on average, as measured by the CPI, are 4.1% higher in September 2026 compared with September 2025.
The most notable changes in the year were increases in Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels (+9.5%), Education Services (+8.9%) and Transport (+7.5%). No division showed a decrease when compared with September 2025.
Consumer Prices in September as measured by the CPI, increased by 0.2% in the month. During September of last year prices fell by 0.2% in the month. The most significant monthly price increases were in Clothing & Footwear (+2.5%) and Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels (+1.2%). The largest monthly decrease was in Recreation, Sport & Culture (-1.9%).
Table 3 shows the contribution of each 2-digit ECOICOP1 division to the overall change in the CPI. A detailed breakdown of the individual components of each of the 13 ECOICOP divisions is presented in Tables 4 to 16.
The divisions which caused the largest upward percentage point (pp) contributions to the CPI in the year were Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels (+1.47 pp), Transport (+0.83 pp) and Restaurants & Accommodation Services (+0.71 pp).
No division made a negative contribution to the CPI in the year to September 2026.
The main factors contributing to the annual change were as follows:
1European Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose version 2.
The divisions that caused the largest upward percentage point contributions to the CPI in the month were Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels (+0.19 pp) and Clothing & Footwear (+0.12 pp). The division which caused the largest downward percentage point contribution to the CPI in the month was Recreation, Sport & Culture (-0.14 pp).
The main factors contributing to the monthly change were as follows:
Tables 4 to 16 detail all ECOICOP sub-indices of the CPI.
Table 2 and table 18 detail selected consumer price index sub-indices. The sub index for Services rose by 4.3% in the year to September, while Goods increased by 3.7%. Services excluding mortgage interest repayments increased by 4.0% in the year since September 2025.
The CPI excluding tobacco increased by 0.2% in the month of September and rose by 4.0% in the year. The CPI excluding mortgage interest rose by 0.2% in the month and climbed by 3.9% in the year.
Prices on average, as measured by the EU Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), increased by 3.8% compared with September 2025.
Table 20 details the ECOICOP sub-indices for the HICP. The most notable changes in the year were increases in Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels (+9.5%) and Education Services (+9.0%). No division recorded a decline when compared with September 2025.
The HICP increased by 0.2% in the month. This compares to a decrease of 0.2% recorded in September of last year.
The most significant monthly price increases were in Clothing & Footwear (+2.6%) and Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels (+1.3%). The only divisions to record a decrease were Recreation, Sport & Culture (-2.0%) and Personal Care, Social Protection & Miscellaneous Goods & Services (-0.1%).
National Average Prices for selected goods and services for September 2026 are detailed in Table 21.
Looking at the National Average Prices of some staple items:
To calculate the percentage change in the CPI between two periods of time
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (08 October 2026) published the Consumer Price Index (CPI) September 2026.
Commenting on the release, Anthony Dawson, Statistician in the Prices Division, said: “Today’s release of the CPI shows that prices for consumer goods and services in September 2026 rose by 4.1% on average when compared with September 2025. This was the highest rate of inflation observed in the CPI since January 2024 when the rate of inflation was also 4.1%.
Annual Changes
The most significant increases in the 12 months to September 2026 were seen in Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels (+9.5%), Education Services (+8.9%) and Transport (+7.5%). The rise in Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels was due to higher prices for home heating oil, electricity, rents and mortgage interest repayments. Please refer to the accompanying Insight Series release, also published today, which provides a focus on Fuel and Home Heating Costs. The annual change in Education Services reflected a rise in the costs associated with third-level education which came into effect from October 2025. Higher prices for Transport were driven by increased costs for diesel and petrol, as well as an increase in the cost of air fares.
No division showed a decline when compared with September 2025. This was the third month in a row in which all 13 divisions have shown an annual increase. Prior to July 2026, there had been no month where all 13 divisions had shown an annual increase, including during the period of high inflation in 2022 and 2023.
Monthly Changes
Consumer prices in September 2026 rose by 0.2% in the month. This compares with a decrease of 0.2% recorded in September 2025. In September 2026, the most significant monthly increases were in Clothing & Footwear (+2.5%) and Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels (+1.2%). The rise in Clothing & Footwear prices was due to a recovery from sales. Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels prices rose mainly due to higher prices for home heating oil, as well as increases in the cost of rent and mortgage interest.
The largest monthly decrease was in Recreation, Sport & Culture (-1.9%).
It should be noted that these figures relate to the CPI. The Flash Estimate Press Statement published on 01 October 2026 related to the EU Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP). See Background Notes for differences between CPI and HICP."
National Average Prices
The National Average Prices for selected goods and services for September 2026 are also published today. The National Average Prices are compiled together with the CPI.
Commenting on the National Average Prices, Anthony Dawson said: “There were price decreases in the 12 months to September 2026 for a pound of butter (-57c), Irish cheddar per kg (-22c), 2 litres of full fat milk (-10c) and an 800g loaf of brown sliced pan (-2c). Sirloin steak per kg, an 800g loaf of white sliced pan and a 2.5kg bag of potatoes all increased (+1c).
The national average price for a litre of diesel in September 2026 was €2.06, an increase of 37c on the same month last year. Petrol prices increased by 24c to €1.96 a litre.”
The comprehensive list of items included in the National Average Prices and their monthly prices are available in PxStat Table CPM12.