Monthly Consumer Price Index Indicator

Latest release

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
  • Next Release 24/04/2024
    Monthly Consumer Price Index Indicator, March 2024
  • Next Release 29/05/2024
    Monthly Consumer Price Index Indicator, April 2024
  • Next Release 26/06/2024
    Monthly Consumer Price Index Indicator, May 2024
  • View all releases

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

 
 Monthly % ChangeAnnual % Change  
Index nameDecember 23January 24February 24February 23 to February 24 Frequency
Bread0.40.20.48.5 Monthly
Cakes and biscuits1.00.4-0.86.7 Monthly
Breakfast cereals3.0-3.6-3.38.2 Monthly
Other cereal products2.5-0.8-1.42.3 Monthly
Beef and veal-0.4-0.2-1.6-6.5 Monthly
Pork-0.60.9-0.63.5 Monthly
Lamb and goat-6.30.46.3-16.7 Monthly
Poultry-0.30.7-0.11.9 Monthly
Other meats-3.1-0.81.6-1.0 Monthly
Fish and other seafood-0.2-0.5-0.95.0 Monthly
Milk0.7-0.5-0.62.3 Monthly
Cheese0.10.4-0.84.9 Monthly
Ice cream & other dairy products2.5-1.9-1.26.3 Monthly
Fruit-1.9-2.40.2-6.3 Monthly
Vegetables1.53.41.73.8 Monthly
Eggs0.3-0.20.27.1 Monthly
Jams, honey & spreads0.9-0.5-0.54.4 Monthly
Food additives & condiments0.71.40.43.1 Monthly
Oils and fats-0.92.30.57.9 Monthly
Snacks and confectionery3.02.2-2.15.2 Monthly
Other food products n.e.c.1.5-0.5-0.33.4 Monthly
Coffee, tea and cocoa2.7-1.70.00.4 Monthly
Waters soft drinks & juices0.22.60.86.3 Monthly
Restaurant mealsimpimp0.54.4 Quarterly
Takeaway and fast foodsimpimp0.56.6 Quarterly
Spirits0.0-0.11.52.6 Monthly
Wine0.60.20.21.2 Monthly**
Beer-0.30.51.06.0 Monthly
Tobacco0.20.10.210.7 Monthly
Garments for men0.8-1.84.93.7 Monthly**
Garments for women3.3-2.93.21.6 Monthly**
Garments for infant & childimp-3.8imp2.5 Quarterly
Footwear for menimp-0.3imp-0.3 Quarterly
Footwear for womenimp-3.0imp-2.0 Quarterly
Footwear for infant & childimp-4.5imp-0.7 Quarterly
Accessoriesimp-2.2imp-2.6 Quarterly
Cleaning, repair & hireimp0.9imp6.6 Quarterly
Rents0.70.70.87.6 Monthly**
New dwelling purchase by owner occupiers0.50.10.34.9 Monthly**
Maintenance & repair of dwellingimp0.3imp3.3 Quarterly
Property rates and charges0.0impimp4.3 Quarterly***
Water and sewerage0.0impimp6.8 Quarterly***
Electricity-5.70.9-0.60.3 Monthly
Gas and other household fuels-0.4-1.8-0.2-2.4 Monthly
Furnitureimp-5.6imp-3.3 Quarterly
Carpets & other floor coverimp0.4imp2.4 Quarterly
Household textilesimp-0.2imp0.1 Quarterly
Major household appliancesimp1.2imp-2.4 Quarterly
Small electronic household appliancesimp-4.5imp-2.4 Quarterly
Glassware, tableware & householdimp0.6imp-1.0 Quarterly
Tools & equipmentimp0.3imp2.2 Quarterly
Cleaning & maintenance products1.3-2.00.31.8 Monthly
Personal care products3.1-0.2-1.60.6 Monthly
Other non-durable household products0.8-0.20.1-1.3 Monthly
Child care3.1impimp-7.3 Quarterly
Hairdressing & personal groomingimpimp2.17.0 Quarterly
Other household servicesimpimp0.22.3 Quarterly
Pharmaceutical products-1.7impimp0.6 Quarterly
Therapeutic appliances and equipment-1.0impimp0.6 Quarterly
Medical & hospital services-0.1impimp4.8 Quarterly***
Dental services0.2impimp4.1 Quarterly
Motor vehicles-0.6impimp1.1 Quarterly
Spare parts & accessoriesimpimp3.12.8 Quarterly
Automotive fuel-5.5-0.95.14.1 Monthly
Maintenance & repair of vehicleimpimp1.14.3 Quarterly
Other services in respect of motor vehicleimpimp1.35.4 Quarterly
Urban transport faresimpimp0.34.8 Quarterly
Postal services0.4-0.41.318.2 Monthly
Telecommunications equip & services-0.20.1-0.10.9 Quarterly*
Audio, visual & computer equipment0.01.70.0-0.2 Quarterly*
Audio, visual, media & servicesimpimp2.03.2 Quarterly
Books-1.8impimp1.4 Quarterly
Newspaper magazine & stationery0.2impimp3.5 Quarterly
Domestic holiday travel & accommodation9.70.7-9.0-2.7 Monthly
International holiday travel & accommodation22.3-11.6-9.63.9 Monthly
Equipment for sports, camping & recreationimpimp1.60.3 Quarterly
Games, toys and hobbiesimpimp1.2-1.7 Quarterly
Pets and related products1.80.9-1.31.9 Monthly
Veterinary and other services for pets1.4impimp7.7 Quarterly
Sports participation0.4imp0.86.6 Quarterly****
Other recreational sports & cultural servicesimpimp3.09.2 Quarterly
Preschool & primary education-0.4imp4.3-0.2 Quarterly***
Secondary educationimpimp6.16.1 Quarterly***
Tertiary educationimpimp6.47.0 Quarterly***
Insuranceimpimp3.716.5 Quarterly
D&L Facilities0.80.20.17.4 Monthly
Other financial services1.0impimp6.0 Quarterly
  • Imp = Imputed. Quarterly index, not collected in that month.
  • * Some components measured monthly.
  • ** Some components measured quarterly.
  • *** Measured quarterly and/or typically changes once per year.
  • **** Measured in months two and three of the quarter. 

About the monthly CPI indicator

What is the monthly CPI Indicator?

The monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) indicator was developed to provide inflation data at a higher frequency for use by governments, economists and the wider community. The quarterly CPI remains the principal measure of household inflation.

Monthly CPI Indicator coverage

The monthly CPI indicator is derived using available data from the quarterly CPI. The ABS collects prices for the CPI in a range of frequencies including monthly, quarterly, and annual. The frequency of price collection is determined by how often prices change. Where price change occurs frequently, such as for food and petrol, monthly price data is collected. Where price change is less frequent, such as for restaurant meals and hairdressers, price data is available quarterly. In some cases, prices are collected once per year where it is known prices only change annually. This is the case for some education fees, property rates and private health insurance.

For this reason, the composition of the monthly CPI basket varies across the three months of the quarter, details of the monthly coverage composition are detailed in Table 1 below.

Table 1. What's price updated - monthly breakdown
Month 1 Month 2 Month 3
Bread Bread Bread
Cakes and biscuits Cakes and biscuits Cakes and biscuits
Breakfast cereals Breakfast cereals Breakfast cereals
Other cereal products Other cereal products Other cereal products
Beef and veal Beef and veal Beef and veal
Pork Pork Pork
Lamb and goat Lamb and goat Lamb and goat
Poultry Poultry Poultry
Other meats Other meats Other meats
Fish and other seafood Fish and other seafood Fish and other seafood
Milk Milk Milk
Cheese Cheese Cheese
Ice cream & other dairy prod Ice cream & other dairy prod Ice cream & other dairy prod
Fruit Fruit Fruit
Vegetables Vegetables Vegetables
Eggs Eggs Eggs
Jams, honey & spreads Jams, honey & spreads Jams, honey & spreads
Food additives & condiments Food additives & condiments Food additives & condiments
Oils and fats Oils and fats Oils and fats
Snacks and confectionery Snacks and confectionery Snacks and confectionery
Other food products n.e.c. Other food products n.e.c. Other food products n.e.c.*
Coffee, tea and cocoa Coffee, tea and cocoa Coffee, tea and cocoa
Waters soft drinks & juices Waters soft drinks & juices Waters soft drinks & juices
Spirits Restaurant meals Spirits
Wine Takeaway and fast foods Wine
Beer Spirits Beer
Tobacco Wine Tobacco 
Garments for men Beer Garments for men
Garments for women Tobacco Garments for women
Garments for infant & child Garments for men Rents
Footwear for men Garments for women New dwelling purchase by owner occupiers
Footwear for women Rents Property rates and charges (annual)
Footwear for infant & child New dwelling purchase by owner occupiers Water and sewerage
Accessories Electricity Electricity
Electricity Gas and other household fuels Gas and other household fuels
Gas and other household fuels Cleaning & maintenance prod Cleaning & maintenance prod
Cleaning, repair & hire Personal care products Personal care products
Rents Other non-durable household prods Other non-durable household prods
New dwelling purchase by owner occupiers Hairdressing & personal grooming Child care
Maintenance & repair of dwelling Other household services Pharmaceutical products
Electricity Spare parts & accessories Therapeutic appliances and equipment
Furniture Automotive fuel Medical & hospital services
Carpets & other floor cover Maintenance & repair of vehicle     Medical services
Household textiles Other services in respect of motor vehicle Dental services
Major household appliances Urban transport fares Motor vehicles
Small electronic household appliances Postal services Automotive fuel
Glassware, tableware & household Telecommunications equip & services (partial monthly) Postal services
Tools & equipment Audio,visual & computer equipment Telecommunications equip & services (partial monthly)
Cleaning & maintenance prod Audio, visual, media & services Audio,visual & computer equipment
Personal care products Domestic holiday travel & accommodation Books
Other non-durable household prods International holiday travel & accommodation Newspaper magazine & stationery
Medical & hospital services Equipment for sports,camp Domestic holiday travel & accommodation
   Private Health insurance (annual, plus irregular changes) Games, toys and hobbies International holiday travel & accommodation
Automotive fuel Pets and related products Pets and related products
Postal services Sports participation Vet & other pet services
Telecommunications equip & services (partial monthly) Other recreational sports & cultural services Sports participation
Audio,visual & computer equipment Preschool & primary education (quarterly & annual) Preschool & primary education (quarterly & annual)
Domestic holiday travel & accommodation Secondary education (annual) D&L Facilities (direct)
International holiday travel & accommodation Tertiary education (bi-annual) Other financial services
Pets and related products Insurance  
D&L Facilities (direct) D&L Facilities (direct)  

* n.e.c Not elsewhere classified

Introducing monthly indicators of underlying inflation

The December 2022 release of the monthly CPI indicator stated

"The release of the monthly CPI indicator includes a Trimmed mean series which was intended to provide additional analytical insights into inflation on a monthly basis. The ABS has identified that the Trimmed mean series is not, however, providing a reliable indicator for the principal measure of trimmed mean inflation published in the quarterly CPI publication. The ABS will suspend the publication of the monthly Trimmed mean series while we investigate."

Since this decision the ABS has investigated the monthly trimmed mean measure and assessed alternative measures of underlying inflation.

Investigation of monthly Trimmed mean

The investigation found there was a downward bias in the monthly Trimmed mean when compared to the quarterly Trimmed mean, which is considered the principal measure of underlying inflation. The bias was evident during a period of rising inflation caused by the use of carry forward imputation for some monthly data. Details on the carry forward imputation approach are provided in Introducing a monthly CPI indicator. Carry forward imputation is not used in the quarterly CPI and therefore does not affect the quarterly Trimmed mean.

Alternative measures of underlying inflation

The ABS assessed variations of established measures of underlying inflation. Two alternatives were found to be a reasonable indicator of annual movements of the quarterly Trimmed mean:

  1. Annual trimmed mean. This measure uses a similar method to the quarterly trimmed mean. The key difference is rather than use the quarterly movements in the trimming process, the annual movements are used. In this case, each month the annual movements of the 87 CPI series are ranked from lowest to highest. The top and bottom 15% of annual movements are removed, with the average is taken from the middle 70% of annual movements. For more details on the Trimmed mean method see Underlying Inflation Measures: Explaining the Trimmed Mean.
  2. CPI excluding volatile items and holiday travel. CPI exclusion based measures are used by many countries to provide different insights into CPI inflation by removing the effects of certain items. Typically, the price change for these items tend to be volatile and often not reflective of the underlying inflationary trends. This new measure builds on the existing 'CPI excluding volatile items' series and also excludes holiday travel. Volatile items are fruit, vegetables and automotive fuel. 

For holiday travel, it has been shown that events such as Christmas and Easter, as well as school holidays, have a significant impact on airfare and accommodation prices. This sees monthly movements for holiday travel as quite volatile. By calculating a series that excludes the monthly movements of holiday travel and the other volatile items, the monthly movements at the aggregate CPI level provide a reasonable insight of underlying inflation.

Articles

Measuring Rents in the CPI 

New data source

  • As outlined in the ABS’ information paper Introducing a monthly CPI indicator for Australia, from July 2022 the ABS has incorporated a new data source to measure the Rents series in the monthly CPI indicator and the quarterly CPI. 
  • The Rents series prior to July 2022 was measured on a quarterly basis using a survey of approximately 4,000 rental properties collected directly from real estate agents.
  • The new dataset obtained by the ABS is updated monthly and includes approximately 480,000 rental properties that are used to produce the CPI Rents series across all capital cities. 

What the CPI Rents series measures

  • The CPI measures the prices being paid by households for the goods and services that they consume during a particular measurement period (e.g. month or quarter).  In the case of rents, this means that the CPI measures the current ‘price’ being paid by all types of households that rent including new and existing renters who are renting privately or from the government.  
  • Measures of rental inflation that are based on newly advertised rental properties only measure changes in the asking or advertised price of rental properties for new tenancies. At any given time, newly advertised tenancies represent a relatively small proportion of properties being rented in Australia. The Rents series used for the CPI measures actual rents paid rather than advertised prices.
  • Advertised rents tend to reflect the dynamic end of the rental market where the price change for new tenancies can be more volatile than that being experienced by renters with existing tenancy agreements.
  • Price changes observed in advertised rents series are expected to eventually flow through to the CPI Rents series. However, the small share of rental properties leased to new tenants each quarter means that it takes some time for changes in advertised rents to impact price change observed in the CPI Rents series.
  • A useful analogy is to think about a bathtub of water. The water in the tub represents all rents being paid by households, while the water entering the tub from the tap represents new rental agreements. The CPI series is measuring the overall temperature of the bathtub whereas an advertised rents series measures the temperature of the water flowing into the tub. It will take some time for the flow of water to change the overall temperature of the water in the bathtub.

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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