July inflation remains steady at 3.4% as annual education costs climb 8.9%

Kenneth Fox

Prices rose by 3.4 per cent in the year to July.

That is the same rate of increase recorded in the 12 months to June.

CSO figures show Education Services saw the highest price rises of 8 point 9 per cent in the year, while housing, electricity, gas and other fuels saw a 7.7 per cent increase.

No division recorded a decline in prices when compared to last year; that's the first time this has happened since December 2021.

Clothing & Footwear rose by +8.5 per cent, Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels up by +7.7 per cent, and Insurance & Financial Services by +5.5 per cent.

No division recorded a decline in prices when compared with July 2025, the first time this has occurred since December 2021.

Consumer prices rose by 0.1 per cent in the month between June 2026 and July 2026.

The divisions that recorded the highest rises in the month were Recreation, Sport & Culture +2.7 per cent and Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels +0.8 per cent.

The divisions that recorded the largest decreases in the month were Clothing & Footwear (-5.1 per cent) and Transport (-0.9 per cent).

The National Average Prices for selected goods and services for July 2026 was also published on Thursday. The National Average Prices are compiled together with the CPI.

Commenting on the National Average Prices, senior statistician in the Prices Division, Edel Flannery said: “There were price decreases in the 12 months to July 2026 for a pound of butter (-55c), a 2.5kg bag of potatoes, 2 litres of full fat milk, Irish cheddar per kg (all -9c), sirloin steak per kg (-5c) and an 800g loaf of brown sliced pan (-2c).

"The price of an 800g loaf of white sliced pan was unchanged when compared with July 2025.

"The national average price for a litre of diesel in July 2026 was €1.76, an increase of 6c on the same time last year.

"Petrol prices increased by 5c to €1.77 a litre. It should be noted that July prices were collected in mid-July and may not reflect more recent increases in the cost of diesel, petrol and home heating oil resulting from the ongoing situation in the Middle East."