Year-on-year, prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages went up by 1.3 percent, following a 0.6 percent gain in December; and cost of transportation climbed 5.4 percent, the biggest rise since December 2011, after growing by 1.9 percent. Additional upward pressure came from: Housing and utilities (0.5 percent from 0.6 percent in December); restaurants and hotels (1.6 percent from 1.9 percent); and recreation and culture (1.4 percent from 0.9 percent). By contrast, cost fell for: Miscellaneous goods and services (-0.1 percent from 0.4 percent in December); clothing and footwear (-0.7 percent from -0.9 percent) and health (-0.5 percent from -0.8 percent).
The annual core inflation rate, which excludes energy and unprocessed food products components, was recorded at 0.5 percent, the same as in the previous month.
On a monthly basis, consumer prices fell by 0.6 percent after showing no growth in December.
The harmonized consumer price index increased by 1.3 percent year-on-year and decreased by 0.7 percent from the previous month.