The cost of living does not give a breather despite the cheapening of fuels

BarcelonaInflation in Catalonia continues to rise, despite the slowdown in fuel prices in recent weeks. In fact, the prices of goods and services consumed by families recorded their highest increase since February 2023, according to data from the Consumer Price Index (CPI, the indicator that measures the evolution of the cost of living) published this Friday by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

Specifically, Catalonia closed October with a price increase of 4.8% compared to the same month in 2025, three tenths higher than the rate recorded in September. Compared to last September, the rise was 0.7%, six tenths higher than the variation between August and September.

Regarding the country as a whole, the INE has confirmed the data that it had already advanced two weeks ago: last month the cost of living rose by 4.9% compared to October a year ago, the same year-on-year increase that occurred in September. In contrast, the monthly variation doubled: between August and September prices grew by 0.3%, but between September and October, by 0.6%.

This 2026 is marked once again by high inflation data, not only in Catalonia and Spain, but all over the world, caused by the rise in the cost of energy—especially oil and natural gas—derived from the war in the Persian Gulf. The attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran and this country's response by attacking oil facilities in neighboring countries have caused hydrocarbon prices to skyrocket. Furthermore, since last March the Iranian government has kept the strategic Strait of Hormuz closed, a strategic maritime passage through which, before the conflict, 20% of the world's oil exports circulated.