Consumer price indices - inflation - August 2026

Month-on-month comparison

Consumer prices in August increased by 0.3%, month-on-month. Growth of consumer prices in 'transport' came especially from higher prices of fuels and lubricants for personal transport equipment by 7.2%. In 'recreation, sport and culture', mainly seasonal prices of package holidays went up, by 3.4%. In 'housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels', prices of actual rentals increased by 0.4%. Price development in 'alcoholic beverages, tobacco' was mainly influenced by price growth of tobacco products by 1.3% and wine by 2.3%. On the other hand, month-on-month price level decrease in August came mainly from prices in 'food and non-alcoholic beverages', where prices of fruits decreased by 4.4%, vegetables by 1.9% (of which prices of potatoes were lower by 9.4%), poultry by 2.8%, pork by 3.1%, non-alcoholic beverages by 1.4%, chocolate and cocoa by 2.7%, cheese by 1.2%, bread and bakery products by 0.6%. Prices of UHT semi-skimmed milk increased by 20.3% and prices of butter by 5.3 %.

Prices of goods in total increased by 0.2% and prices of services by 0.4%.

Year-on-year comparison

“Consumer prices in August accelerated their year-on-year growth to 1.9%. Significant growth of fuel prices was partly offset by drop of food prices. For example, diesel was sold at petrol stations on average for CZK 44.98 per litre in August, which was the highest value from October 2022,” noted Pavla Sediva, head of Consumer Price Statistics Unit of CZSO.

Year-on-year growth of consumer prices in August was higher by 0.2 percentage points than in July. It came mainly from the acceleration¹⁾ of price growth in 'transport', which was partly offset by deepening of price decrease in 'food and non-alcoholic beverages'. In 'transport', especially prices of fuels and lubricants for personal transport equipment were higher by 26.2% (growth by 16.8% in July). In 'food and non-alcoholic beverages', prices of pork in August decreased by 23.7%, year-on-year (decrease by 16.6% in July), poultry by 8.3% (decrease by 2.9% in July), cheese by 5.2% (decrease by 3.2% in July). Prices of smoked meat and sausages turn from increase by 1.5% in July into decrease by 0.4% in August.

The biggest influence on the growth of the year-on-year price level in August came from the prices in 'transport' mentioned above (increase by 9.6%). It was followed by prices in 'housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels', where beside owner occupied housing costs, prices of actual rentals²⁾ were higher by 6.1%, materials and services for the maintenance and repairs of the dwelling by 5.4%, water supply by 3.9%, sewage collection by 3.8% and heat and hot water by 1.5%. Prices of electricity decreased by 11.2% and natural gas by 4.8%, year-on-year. In 'alcoholic beverages, tobacco', prices of spirits and liquors were higher by 2.8%, beer by 2.5% and tobacco products by 7.2%. Prices of wine decreased by 1.3%, year-on-year. In 'restaurants and accommodation services', prices of food and beverage serving services were higher by 3.9% and accommodation services by 6.8%. On the other hand, year-on-year overall price level decrease in August came mainly from prices in 'food and non-alcoholic beverages'. Here, beside already mentioned above, prices of UHT semi-skimmed milk decreased by 24.6%, butter by 38.8% and margarine and similar preparations by 10.8%. Price drop continued in 'clothing and footwear', where prices of garments were lower by 2.9% and prices of shoes and other footwear by 4.0%.

Owner occupied housing costs (imputed rentals) increased by 5.4%, year-on-year (by 5.7% in July), mainly due to growth of prices of construction works and also prices of new real estates. The overall consumer price index excluding owner occupied housing costs was 101.6%, year-on-year. (More information: Methodological note.)

Prices of goods in total increased by 0.2% and prices of services by 4.5%.

Level of consumer price base index with base period the average of 2025 = 100, was 102.6% in August (102.3% in July).

Inflation rate, i.e. the increase in the average consumer price index in the twelve months to August 2026 compared with the average CPI in the previous twelve months, amounted to 2.0% (2.0% also in July).

Harmonized index of consumer prices (HICP) ³⁾

According to preliminary calculations, the HICP in Czechia in August increased by 0.3%, month-on-month and by 1.5%, year-on-year (1.3% in July). According to flash estimates of Eurostat, the MUICP (Monetary Union Index of Consumer Prices) in August 2026 amounted to 3.3%, year-on-year (2.9% in July), 2.9% in Germany and 3.1% in Slovakia. It was the highest in Lithuania (5.8%) in August and the lowest in Estonia (1.3%).

According to preliminary data of Eurostat, the year-on-year change in the average harmonized index of consumer prices (HICP) in the EU27 member states amounted to 3.0% in July (0.1 percentage point up on June). In July, the rise in prices was the highest in Romania (8.2%) and the lowest in Sweden (0.3%).

(More information on the Eurostat’s web pages: HICP.)

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