Austria Inflation Hits 4-Month High

The annual inflation rate in Austria rose to 3.6% in September 2026 from 3.2% in August, preliminary estimates showed. This marked the highest reading since May, driven entirely by higher fuel and heating oil prices. Energy prices jumped 14.5% year-on-year, accelerating from a 9.9% increase in August. Services also remained the biggest contributor to inflation, although services inflation eased to 4.2% from 4.4%. Additionally, inflation for food, tobacco and alcohol accelerated to 1.0% from 0.3%, while industrial goods prices increased 0.7%. Meanwhile, core inflation, which excludes energy and food, rose to 3.0%. On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased 0.2%. On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased by 0.2% in September, easing from a six-month high of 0.6% in the preceding period.

The annual inflation rate in Austria rose to 3.2% in August 2026 from a five-month low of 2.8% in the previous month, confirming preliminary estimates. The increase was mainly driven by higher prices for transportation (7.8% vs 6.4% in July), housing and utilities (3.3% vs 2.8%), and recreation, sport and culture (2.5% vs 1.9%). Within transportation, fuel prices jumped 26.3%, up sharply from a 17.6% increase in July, while heating oil prices surged 48.1% after rising 26.9% in the previous month. Inflation also accelerated for restaurants and accommodation services (4.7% vs 4.6%). In contrast, food and non-alcoholic beverages remained cheaper, with prices falling 0.3%, although the decline was smaller than the 0.4% drop in July. Meanwhile, core inflation edged down to 3.0% from 3.1% in the prior month. On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased 0.6% after being unchanged in July. The annual harmonised inflation rate (HICP) increased to 2.9% from 2.7% in the preceding period.

Austria’s annual inflation rate rose to 3.2% in August 2026, up from 2.8% in the previous month, preliminary estimates showed. Prices increased for energy, which jumped 10.0% year-on-year from 5.7% in July. Moreover, prices for food, tobacco, and alcohol rebounded to 0.2% from a 0.1% decline, although gains were still capped by the reduction in VAT on basic foodstuffs from 10.0% to 4.9%, which took effect in July 2026. In contrast, price growth for manufactured goods moderated to 0.5% from 0.8%, while services continued to exert the strongest upward pressure on inflation despite easing slightly to 4.3% from 4.4% a month earlier. On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased by 0.6% in August, following a flat reading in the preceding period.