Year-on-year consumer inflation less mortgage costs (CPIX) for metropolitan and other urban areas was 3,9% in May — up from 3,8% in April, Statistics SA said on Wednesday.
The annual rise was mainly due to increases in the price indices for housing — excluding interest on mortgage bonds — which rose 0,8 of a percentage point, transport (up 0,8%), medical care and health expenses (up 0,7%), education (up 0,4%), food (up 0,3%) and household operation (up 0,3%).
These annual increases were slightly counteracted by an annual decrease in the price index for clothing and footwear (down 0,1%).
The headline or official inflation rate, CPI (consumer price index), for metropolitan areas came in at 3,3% in May, down from April’s 3,4%, Stats SA said.
The drop resulted from annual increases in the price indices for transport, medical care and health expenses, housing, food, household operation and education.
The annual rate of increase in food prices for metropolitan areas for May came in at 1,4%. In April the rate was 1,6%.
The 1,4% increase was due to annual increases in the prices of meat, ”other” food products, fruit and nuts, milk, cheese and eggs, sugar, vegetables, fish and other seafood. – Sapa