How the inflation rate has changed for everyday goods and services

Air travel and second-hand cars both saw a slowdown of inflation in August.

Air travel, dairy products and second-hand cars are among the items that saw a slowdown in the annual rate of inflation in August (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Archive)

A slowing of inflation last month across a range of goods and services, including everyday groceries such as bread, milk and rice, helped offset a jump in the rate for fuel, children’s clothes and other items, official figures show.

Some of the sharpest slowdowns were recorded for dairy products, with the average price of cheese and curd up by 17.6% in the 12 months to August compared with a rise of 24.6% in the year to July; low-fat milk up 4.4% in August compared with 10.9% in July; and eggs up 21.9% compared with 26.7%.

Frozen seafood, jams and marmalades, pizzas and fresh or chilled fish all saw inflation at least five percentage points lower in August compared with July, according to Consumer Prices Index (CPI) data published by the Office for National Statistics.

It is not only food and drink products that saw a slowing of inflation, however.

The cost of air travel rose 12% in the year to August compared with a jump of 29.8% in the 12 months to July; the price of hotels and accommodation was up 7.1% compared with 13.2%; while the average cost of a second-hand car fell 0.5% in the year to August after a rise of 2.3% in the 12 months to July.

Not all prices are heading in the same direction.

Items where inflation accelerated in the year to August include coffee (up 12.8% compared with a rise of 6.3% in July), garden furniture (up 5.8% in August compared with 0.2% in July) and children’s clothes (up 8.2% compared with 6.2%).

Here is a list of examples of how the CPI inflation rate has slowed, ranked by the size of the month-on-month change, starting with the largest.

Two figures are listed for each product or service: the average rise in price in the 12 months to July, followed by the average rise in price in the 12 months to August.

Passenger transport by air: July 29.8%, August 12.0%Frozen seafood: July 10.8%, August 2.5%Pizza and quiche: July 8.6%, August 1.1%Cheese and curd: July 24.6%, August 17.6%Low-fat milk: July 10.9%, August 4.4%Hotels and similar accommodation: July 13.2%, August 7.1%Fresh or chilled fish: July 17.2%, August 11.4%Eggs: July 26.7%, August 21.9%Olive oil: July 41.5%, August 38.3%Refrigerators and freezers: July 6.9%, August 3.8%Second-hand cars: July 2.3%, August -0.5%Rice: July 13.9%, August 11.2%Bread: July 11.8%, August 9.3%Cookers: July 10.5%, August 8.1%Jewellery: July 5.3%, August 3.2%Package holidays: July 12.4%, August 10.5%Household furniture: July 6.0%, August 4.2%Women’s footwear: July 5.5%, August 4.0%Margarine/vegetable fats: July 10.6%, August 9.5%Footwear for infants/children: July 12.3%, August 11.5%Ready-made meals: July 11.7%, August 10.9%Fast food/take-away food: July 10%, August 9.7%Restaurants and cafes: July 9%, August 8.8%

Here are examples where the rate of inflation has accelerated, ranked by the size of the month-on-month change, starting with the largest.

Two figures are listed for each product or service: the average rise in price in the 12 months to July, followed by the average rise in price in the 12 months to August.

Coffee: July 6.3%, August 12.8%Garden furniture: July 0.2%, August 5.8%Spirits: July 5%, August 8.6%Wine: July 5%, August 7.0%Clothes for infants and children: July 6.2%, August 8.2%Tea: July 12.7%, August 14.6%Breakfast cereals: July 9.8%, August 11.6%Beer: July 11.8%, August 13.5%Pasta and couscous: July 23.1%, August 24.5%Men’s footwear: July 4%, August 4.8%Women’s clothing: July 6.8%, August 7.3%

The average cost of petrol was down year-on-year by 15.2% in August, a smaller fall than the drop of 24.4% in July, reflecting a rise in prices in recent weeks.

It is a similar picture for diesel, where prices were down 19% in the year to August compared with a drop of 26.6% in the 12 months to July.