Year-on-year, tobacco prices recorded the highest increase (28.4 percent). Cost of food and non-alcoholic beverages rose at a faster 11.5 percent (10.1 percent in August) and prices of housing, water, electricity and gas grew 5.8 percent (5.1 percent in August), boosted by a 10.4 percent increase in housing rents and an 8.2 percent surge in cost of water and other public utility services. Transport prices increased 5 percent.
On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased 0.7 percent, following a 0.2 percent rise in August. Food cost surged 1 percent compared with a 0.3 percent drop in the previous month and services’ prices grew at a slower 0.3 percent (0.7 percent in August).