article_detail

The cost of living in Andalucía continued to climb in August, with the Consumer Price Index reaching 4% year-on-year, seven tenths higher than in July, according to final figures from the National Institute of Statistics. It's the second consecutive monthly rise in the region, with prices up 0.7% on the previous month and 3% so far this year.

 

Transport was the sharpest riser, up 10% compared to August last year, a jump of 3.7 percentage points on the previous month's rate. Housing, water, electricity and gas came in at 5.4% higher year-on-year, while restaurants and accommodation services rose 4.5%. The increase in food and energy costs follows warnings earlier this summer that prices across Europe were set to rise significantly, driven by extreme heat and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. August's figures suggest those pressures are already feeding through to household bills.

 

Food and non-alcoholic beverages saw a more modest rise of 1.4%, though that figure was still 0.6 points higher than the previous month. Furniture and household goods showed the smallest increase at 1.2%.

 

Nationally, the picture is slightly worse, with Spain's CPI reaching 4.3% year-on-year in August, also up 0.7 points on July. Among the regions, Cantabria recorded the highest rate at 5.1%, followed by Galicia at 4.8% and Castile and León at 4.7%. The Canary Islands, La Rioja and Asturias sat at the lower end of the table, all at or just below 4%.

 

Within Andalucía, the provincial breakdown shows Cádiz recording the highest year-on-year increase at 3.3%, followed by Málaga and Granada both at 3.1%. Huelva came in lowest at 2.4%.

 

The August figures will concern households already feeling squeezed after a summer of record heat, high energy demand and rising transport costs. With autumn now beginning and food price pressures expected to intensify into 2027, there's little in the current data to suggest relief is coming quickly.

 

 

Image: AI generated