Prices fell in Catalonia in September, but are still 2.6% above year-ago levels.

BarcelonaThe cost of living fell in September in both Catalonia and Spain, although the prices of consumer goods and services for families were well above their levels a year earlier, mainly due to the rise in fuel prices and, to a lesser extent, electricity prices over the last year, according to data from the Consumer Price Index (CPI) published this Wednesday.

In Catalonia, prices fell by an average of 0.5% between August and September, a notable drop. However, the rise in energy costs in recent months has meant that prices are 2.6% above their September 2024 levels, two-tenths more than the annual variation recorded in August.

As for Spain as a whole, the INE has increased the annual rate of price growth by one tenth in September, which had published two weeks ago: Initially, it had been placed at 2.9%, but now it has risen to 3% (last month, the change had been 2.7%). Compared to August, the cost of living for Spanish families fell by 0.3%.

Thus, both in Catalonia and Spain, September saw prices fall compared to August, but at the same time, price increases accelerated compared to a year earlier. This is the result of what in statistics is called the base effect: in the previous three months, prices had been very moderate or even falling, but for the rest of the year, rising energy prices had pushed up the CPI. This explains why, although the cost of living fell between August and September, inflation is higher in September than in August compared to a year earlier.

In any case, in the short term, inflation has given families a new lease of life with the monthly reduction recorded last month. The goods that have fallen the most are leisure and cultural services, as is typical in September, when the end of the summer holidays causes families to cut back on leisure spending. Similarly, the fall in airline tickets is another item in the CPI shopping basket that has fallen the most. At the other end of the spectrum, clothing and footwear rose in price, something also normal with the start of the school year and the end of the August sales.

[We are working to expand this information]