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

September 2022

Released

26/10/2022

View all releases

Key statistics

The monthly CPI indicator rose 7.3% in the twelve months to September.
The most significant price rises were Housing (+10.3%), Food and non-alcoholic beverages (+9.6%) and Transport (+6.8%).

What's new this month

This is the first release of a monthly CPI indicator. The indicator provides monthly insights into CPI inflation. Further details on the monthly CPI indicator are provided in Introducing a monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) indicator for Australia.

The quarterly CPI is Australia’s key measure of inflation. It is different to the monthly CPI indicator, the quarterly CPI is available at Consumer Price Index, Australia. It should be noted that in contrast to the quarterly CPI which is only revised in exceptional circumstances, the monthly CPI indicator may be routinely subject to revision.

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.

Further information on how CPI measures the Rents series can be found in the articles.

Main features

All groups monthly CPI indicator, annual movement (%)
	Monthly CPI indicator (%)
Oct-18	2.3
Nov-18	1.6
Dec-18	1.5
Jan-19	1.2
Feb-19	1.5
Mar-19	1.6
Apr-19	1.8
May-19	1.5
Jun-19	1.4
Jul-19	1.6
Aug-19	1.6
Sep-19	1.7
Oct-19	1.8
Nov-19	1.8
Dec-19	2.2
Jan-20	2.7
Feb-20	2
Mar-20	2.1
Apr-20	0.1
May-20	-0.2
Jun-20	-0.1
Jul-20	0.8
Aug-20	1.1
Sep-20	0.4
Oct-20	0.5
Nov-20	1.1
Dec-20	0.3
Jan-21	0.4
Feb-21	1.1
Mar-21	0.8
Apr-21	2.5
May-21	3.3
Jun-21	3.5
Jul-21	2.1
Aug-21	2.5
Sep-21	3.1
Oct-21	3
Nov-21	3.1
Dec-21	3.4
Jan-22	3.9
Feb-22	4.8
Mar-22	5.7
Apr-22	5.5
May-22	6.1
Jun-22	6.7
Jul-22	7
Aug-22	6.9
Sep-22	7.3

All groups monthly CPI indicator, annual movement (%)

["","Monthly CPI indicator"]

[["Oct-18","Nov-18","Dec-18","Jan-19","Feb-19","Mar-19","Apr-19","May-19","Jun-19","Jul-19","Aug-19","Sep-19","Oct-19","Nov-19","Dec-19","Jan-20","Feb-20","Mar-20","Apr-20","May-20","Jun-20","Jul-20","Aug-20","Sep-20","Oct-20","Nov-20","Dec-20","Jan-21","Feb-21","Mar-21","Apr-21","May-21","Jun-21","Jul-21","Aug-21","Sep-21","Oct-21","Nov-21","Dec-21","Jan-22","Feb-22","Mar-22","Apr-22","May-22","Jun-22","Jul-22","Aug-22","Sep-22"],[[2.2999999999999998],[1.6000000000000001],[1.5],[1.2],[1.5],[1.6000000000000001],[1.8],[1.5],[1.3999999999999999],[1.6000000000000001],[1.6000000000000001],[1.7],[1.8],[1.8],[2.2000000000000002],[2.7000000000000002],[2],[2.1000000000000001],[0.10000000000000001],[-0.20000000000000001],[-0.10000000000000001],[0.80000000000000004],[1.1000000000000001],[0.40000000000000002],[0.5],[1.1000000000000001],[0.29999999999999999],[0.40000000000000002],[1.1000000000000001],[0.80000000000000004],[2.5],[3.2999999999999998],[3.5],[2.1000000000000001],[2.5],[3.1000000000000001],[3],[3.1000000000000001],[3.3999999999999999],[3.8999999999999999],[4.7999999999999998],[5.7000000000000002],[5.5],[6.0999999999999996],[6.7000000000000002],[7],[6.9000000000000004],[7.2999999999999998]]]

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Weighted average of eight capital cities - annual
	Jul 2021 to Jul 2022 % change	Aug 2021 to Aug 2022 % change	Sept 2021 to Sept 2022 % change
All groups CPI	7.0	6.9	7.3
Food and non-alcoholic beverages	7.7	9.5	9.6
Meat & seafood	7.1	7.1	7.6
Fruit & vegetables	14.9	19.0	17.4
Alcohol and tobacco	2.9	4.1	4.6
Alcohol	1.9	3.4	3.9
Tobacco	4.4	5.1	5.6
Clothing and footwear	4.3	4.5	7.1
Housing	9.7	9.5	10.3
Rents	2.0	2.4	2.9
New dwelling purchases by owner-occupiers	21.7	20.5	20.0
Furnishings, household equipment and services	7.5	7.8	7.7
Health	2.4	2.4	2.8
Transport	12.4	8.5	6.8
Automotive fuel	29.2	15.0	10.1
Communications	0.9	1.9	2.0
Recreation and culture	5.8	4.1	5.3
Holiday travel and accommodation	13.3	7.9	12.6
Education	4.6	4.6	4.5
Insurance and financial services	3.7	3.7	4.2
CPI analytical series
Seasonally adjusted	7.0	6.9	7.3
Trimmed mean	4.9	5.2	5.4
All groups CPI excluding volatile items*	6.0	6.2	6.8

*Volatile items are Fruit and vegetables and Automotive fuel

Monthly Overview

Groups and All groups monthly CPI indicator, annual movement (%)
	Jul-22 (%)	Aug-22 (%)	Sep-22 (%)
All groups	7	6.9	7.3
Food & non-alcoholic beverages	7.7	9.5	9.6
Alcohol & tobacco	2.9	4.1	4.6
Clothing & footwear	4.3	4.5	7.1
Housing	9.7	9.5	10.3
Furnishings, household equipment & services	7.5	7.8	7.7
Health	2.4	2.4	2.8
Transport	12.4	8.5	6.8
Communications	0.9	1.9	2
Recreation & culture	5.8	4.1	5.3
Education	4.6	4.6	4.5
Insurance & financial services	3.7	3.7	4.2

Groups and All groups monthly CPI indicator, annual movement (%)

["","Jul-22","Aug-22","Sep-22"]

[["All groups","Food & non-alcoholic beverages","Alcohol & tobacco","Clothing & footwear","Housing","Furnishings, household equipment & services","Health","Transport","Communications","Recreation & culture","Education","Insurance & financial services"],[[7],[7.7000000000000002],[2.8999999999999999],[4.2999999999999998],[9.6999999999999993],[7.5],[2.3999999999999999],[12.4],[0.90000000000000002],[5.7999999999999998],[4.5999999999999996],[3.7000000000000002]],[[6.9000000000000004],[9.5],[4.0999999999999996],[4.5],[9.5],[7.7999999999999998],[2.3999999999999999],[8.5],[1.8999999999999999],[4.0999999999999996],[4.5999999999999996],[3.7000000000000002]],[[7.2999999999999998],[9.5999999999999996],[4.5999999999999996],[7.0999999999999996],[10.300000000000001],[7.7000000000000002],[2.7999999999999998],[6.7999999999999998],[2],[5.2999999999999998],[4.5],[4.2000000000000002]]]

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Housing group driving annual inflation

Price rises for New dwellings was the main contributor to the increase in Housing. Ongoing labour and material shortages have seen record price rises in new dwelling construction, however, the annual movement eased slightly from 21.7% in July to 20.0% in September.

Rent price increases in recent months have reached a new high of 2.9% in the 12 months to September, which reflects historically low vacancy rates in most capital cities.

Adding to the annual increase for Housing of 10.3% in September was a rise in electricity and gas prices.

Groceries continue to rise

Over the twelve months the Food and non-alcoholic beverages group rose 9.6% in September. The increases are driven by Fruit and vegetables (+17.4%) and Meat and seafoods (+7.6%), due to flooding in key growing areas and higher input costs for freight and fertilizer.

Fruit and vegetable prices continue to grow
	Fruit and vegetables (%)
Sep-2018	9.3
Oct-2018	5.4
Nov-2018	-1.0
Dec-2018	0.0
Jan-2019	-0.2
Feb-2019	6.4
Mar-2019	10.0
Apr-2019	5.6
May-2019	7.0
Jun-2019	2.7
Jul-2019	1.8
Aug-2019	0.6
Sep-2019	-0.9
Oct-2019	-1.2
Nov-2019	1.9
Dec-2019	5.6
Jan-2020	5.0
Feb-2020	0.8
Mar-2020	4.0
Apr-2020	6.7
May-2020	3.6
Jun-2020	9.5
Jul-2020	7.5
Aug-2020	10.1
Sep-2020	8.3
Oct-2020	4.9
Nov-2020	5.1
Dec-2020	2.2
Jan-2021	1.7
Feb-2021	-2.3
Mar-2021	-9.1
Apr-2021	-1.1
May-2021	6.4
Jun-2021	0.7
Jul-2021	1.8
Aug-2021	-1.5
Sep-2021	-2.7
Oct-2021	-1.4
Nov-2021	-0.9
Dec-2021	-0.2
Jan-2022	2.9
Feb-2022	6.6
Mar-2022	10.1
Apr-2022	6.8
May-2022	4.6
Jun-2022	9.0
Jul-2022	14.9
Aug-2022	19.0
Sep-2022	17.4

Fruit and vegetable prices continue to grow

["","Fruit and vegetables"]

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Automotive fuel prices ease in recent months

Over the twelve months to September the Transport group rose 6.8%. The increase was driven by Automotive fuel, with an annual rise of 10.1% in September. Falls in the global price of oil has seen fuel prices ease in recent months since the annual increase of 43.2% in June.

Data downloads

TABLE 1. Monthly CPI Indicator: All groups, Groups and select Expenditure classes

Analytical series Australia, Index Numbers and Percentage Change from Corresponding Month of Previous Year, Weighted Average of Eight Capital Cities

Data files

Download xlsx [66.99 KB]

TABLE 2. Monthly CPI Indicator: Select Groups, select Expenditure classes and Analytical series

Analytical series, Australia, Percentage Change from previous period, Weighted Average of Eight Capital Cities

Data files

Download xlsx [49.71 KB]

Please note, the weighted median will not be published for 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 Illustrated in the image below and detailed in Table 1 below.

What's in the monthly CPI

Image

Illustration of coverage in the monthly CPI

Description

What's in the monthly CPI indicator? This infographic explains the frequency with which data is collected by the proportion of the quarterly CPI basket that these represent. Conceptually, the monthly CPI indicator will include all the items of the quarterly CPI basket, however, not all items in the basket will be updated with new prices each month. Where prices are not collected in a particular month, prices collected in previous months will be ‘carried forward’ (see appendix 2 for further explanation). Where prices are updated in month 2 or 3 of any given quarter, the new prices data will not be used to revise previous months in the quarter. For this reason, the average of the index in the three months for the monthly CPI indicator will not equal the index of the quarterly CPI. Including the data collected once per year: • Month 1 (January, April, July and October months) will include up-to-date price information for 62 per cent of the weight of the quarterly CPI. • Month 2 (February, May, August and November months) will include up-to-date price information for 73 per cent of the weight of the quarterly CPI. • Month 3 (March, June, September and December months) will include up-to-date price information for 71 per cent of the weight of the quarterly CPI. All eleven groups are included in each month, with the following breakdown: Month 1: 43% monthly data, 9% quarterly data, 10% annual data, 38% data not updated (carried forward) Month 2: 43% monthly data, 20% quarterly data, 10% annual data, 27% data not updated (carried forward) Month 3: 43% monthly data, 18% quarterly data, 10% annual data, 29% data not updated (carried forward) The eleven groups of the CPI basket are: Housing Food and non-alcoholic beverages Transport Alcohol and tobacco Furnishings, household equipment and services Recreation and culture Health Insurance and financial services Education Clothing and footwear Communication

Expenditure Class (EC) coverage
Expenditure Class (EC)	Frequency
Bread EC	Monthly
Cakes and biscuits EC	Monthly
Breakfast cereals EC	Monthly
Other cereal products EC	Monthly
Beef and veal EC	Monthly
Pork EC	Monthly
Lamb and goat EC	Monthly
Poultry EC	Monthly
Other meats EC	Monthly
Fish and other seafood EC	Monthly
Milk EC	Monthly
Cheese EC	Monthly
Ice cream & other dairy products EC	Monthly
Fruit EC	Monthly
Vegetables EC	Monthly
Eggs EC	Monthly
Jams, honey and spreads EC	Monthly
Food additives and condiments EC	Monthly
Oils and fats EC	Monthly
Snacks and confectionery EC	Monthly
Other food products n.e.c.* EC	Monthly
Coffee, tea and cocoa EC	Monthly
Waters soft drinks & juices EC	Monthly
Restaurant meals EC	Quarterly
Takeaway and fast foods EC	Quarterly
Spirits EC	Monthly
Wine EC	Monthly
Beer EC	Monthly
Tobacco EC	Monthly
Garments for men EC	Monthly
Garments for women EC	Monthly
Garments for infant and child EC	Quarterly
Footwear for men EC	Quarterly
Footwear for women EC	Quarterly
Footwear for infant & child EC	Quarterly
Accessories EC	Quarterly
Cleaning, repair and hire EC	Quarterly
Rents EC	Monthly
New dwell purchase by own occupied EC	Monthly
Maintenance and repair of dwelling EC	Quarterly
Property rates and charges EC	Annual
Water and sewerage EC	Quarterly
Electricity EC	Quarterly
Gas and other household fuels EC	Quarterly
Furniture EC	Quarterly
Carpets and other floor cover EC	Quarterly
Household textiles EC	Quarterly
Major household appliances EC	Quarterly
Small electrical and household appliances EC	Quarterly
Glassware,tableware and household EC	Quarterly
Tools and equipment EC	Quarterly
Cleaning and maintenance prod EC	Monthly
Personal care products EC	Monthly
Other non-durable household products EC	Monthly
Child care EC	Quarterly
Hairdressing and personal grooming services EC	Quarterly
Other household services EC	Quarterly
Pharmaceutical products EC	Quarterly
Therapeutic app and equip EC	Quarterly
Medical & hospital services EC
Medical services	Quarterly
Private health insurance	Annual
Dental services EC	Quarterly
Motor vehicles EC	Quarterly
Spare parts and accessories EC	Quarterly
Automotive fuel EC	Monthly
Maintenance and repair of vehicle EC	Quarterly
Other services in respect of motor vehicle EC	Quarterly
Urban transport fares EC	Quarterly
Postal services EC	Monthly
Telecom equip & services EC	Quarterly
Audio,visual & comp equip EC	Quarterly
Audio, visual, media&serv EC	Quarterly
Books EC	Quarterly
Newspaper magazine and station EC	Quarterly
Domestic holiday travel & accommodation EC	Monthly
Intern holiday travel & accommodation EC	Monthly
Equipment for sports,camp EC	Quarterly
Games, toys and hobbies EC	Quarterly
Pets and related products EC	Monthly
Vet & other pet services EC	Quarterly
Sports participation EC	Quarterly
Other recreational sports & cultural services EC	Quarterly
Preschool&primary education EC	Quarterly & Annual
Secondary education EC	Annual
Tertiary education EC	Bi-annual
Insurance EC	Quarterly
D&L Facilities (direct) EC	Monthly
Other financial services EC	Quarterly

* n.e.c Not elsewhere classified

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	Cleaning & maintenance prod	Electricity
Cleaning, repair & hire	Personal care products	Gas and other household fuels
Rents	Other non-dur household prods	Cleaning & maintenance prod
New dwelling purchase by owner occupiers	Spare parts & accessories	Personal care products
Maintenance & repair of dwelling	Automotive fuel	Other non-dur household prods
Furniture	Maintenance & repair of vehicle	Child care
Carpets & other floor cover	Other services in respect of motor vehicle	Hairdressing & personal grooming
Household textiles	Urban transport fares	Other household services
Major household appliances	Postal services	Pharmaceutical products
Small electronic household appliances	Telecommunications equip & services	Therapeutic appliances and equipment
Glassware, tableware & household	Audio,visual & computer equipment	Medical & hospital services
Tools & equipment	Audio, visual, media & services	Medical services
Cleaning & maintenance prod	Domestic holiday travel & accommodation	Private Health insurance (Annual)
Personal care products	International holiday travel & accommodation	Dental services
Other non-durable household prods	Equipment for sports,camp	Motor vehicles
Postal services	Games, toys and hobbies	Postal services
Audio,visual & computer equipment	Pets and related products	Audio,visual & computer equipment
Domestic holiday travel & accommodation	Sports participation	Books
International holiday travel & accommodation	Other recreational sports & cultural services	Newspaper magazine & stationery
Pets and related products	Preschool & primary education (quarterly & Annual)	Domestic holiday travel & accommodation
D&L Facilities (direct)	Secondary education (Annual)	International holiday travel & accommodation
	Tertiary education (bi-annual)	Pets and related products
	Insurance	Vet & other pet services
	D&L Facilities (direct)	Sports participation
		D&L Facilities (direct)
		Other financial services

Articles

Monthly CPI indicator articles and related media

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

Monthly Consumer Price Index Indicator methodology, September 2022

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APA

Citation

Monthly Consumer Price Index Indicator

APA

Citation

Key statistics

What's new this month

Measuring Rents in the CPI

Main features

Monthly Overview

Housing group driving annual inflation

Groceries continue to rise

Automotive fuel prices ease in recent months

Data downloads

TABLE 1. Monthly CPI Indicator: All groups, Groups and select Expenditure classes

TABLE 2. Monthly CPI Indicator: Select Groups, select Expenditure classes and Analytical series

What is the monthly CPI Indicator?

Monthly CPI Indicator coverage

What's in the monthly CPI

What's price updated - monthly breakdown

Articles

Monthly CPI indicator articles and related media

Measuring Rents in the CPI

Using price indexes

Frequently asked questions

Methodology

Do you need more detailed statistics?

Request data

Microdata and TableBuilder

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