Prices for food & non-alcoholic beverages increased 16.9% (vs 20.4% in July) for housing & utilities 15.8% (vs 19.6%), for furnishings, household equipment & routine household maintenance 15.8% (vs 16.9%) and for alcoholic beverages, tobacco & narcotics 8.4% (vs 8.5%).

Prices also rose at a softer pace for communication (1.6% vs 1.8%), restaurants & hotels (18.7% vs 19.5%), education (2.5% vs 2.6%) and miscellaneous goods & services (11.7% vs 12.7%).

On the other hand, costs rebounded for transportation (0.2% vs -4.9%) and accelerated for clothing & footwear (9.8% vs 9.4%) and recreation & culture (9.4% vs 9.2%).

On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose 0.4% in August, following a 0.1% fall in the previous month.