Consumer Price Index February 2026

Headline Table and Graph

Figure 1 shows the development of the CPI and HICP over recent months. The primary difference between CPI and HICP is the inclusion of Mortgage Interest in the CPI, whereas it’s not included in the HICP. Full details of the difference between CPI and HICP can be found in the background notes of this release.

Annual and Monthly Price Changes

Prices on average, as measured by the CPI, were 2.7% higher in February 2026 compared with February 2025.

The most notable changes in the year were increases in Education Services (+8.9%), Insurance & Financial Services (+6.0%), Clothing & Footwear (+5.7%) and Recreation, Sport & Culture (+4.2%). The only divisions to show a decrease were Furnishings, Household Equipment & Routine Household Maintenance (-1.1%) and Transport (-0.3%).

Consumer Prices in February, as measured by the CPI, increased by 0.9% in the month. During February of last year, prices also increased by 0.9% in the month. The most significant monthly price increases were in Clothing & Footwear (+4.4%) and Recreation, Sport & Culture (+2.4%). The only decrease was recorded in Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (-0.5%).

Contributions to the Overall CPI

Annual Change

Table 3 shows the contribution of each 2-digit ECOICOP¹ division to the overall change in the CPI. A detailed breakdown of the individual components of each of the 13 ECOICOP divisions is presented in Tables 4 to 16.

The divisions which caused the largest upward percentage point (pp) contributions to the CPI in the year were Restaurants & Accommodation Services (+0.72 pp), Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels (+0.51 pp), Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+0.36 pp) and Recreation, Sport & Culture (+0.27 pp).

The divisions to cause a downward contribution to the CPI in the year were Furnishings, Household Equipment & Routine Household Maintenance (-0.06 pp) and Transport (-0.04 pp).

The main factors contributing to the annual change were as follows:

• Restaurants & Accommodation Services rose mainly due to higher prices for alcoholic drinks and food consumed in licensed premises, restaurants, cafes etc., and an increase in the cost of hotel accommodation.
• Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels increased primarily due to a rise in the cost of rents, mortgage interest repayments and electricity.
• Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages rose due to higher prices across a range of products such as meat, confectionery & desserts, vegetables and cereals & cereal products.
• Recreation, Sport & Culture increased primarily due to a rise in the cost of package holidays, recreational & sporting services and audiovisual media.
• Furnishings, Household Equipment & Routine Household Maintenance fell mainly due to lower prices for household textiles and furniture, furnishings & loose carpets.
• Transport decreased primarily due to lower prices for petrol and diesel. This decrease was offset by a rise in the cost of airfares and an increase in the price of postal and courier services.

¹_{European Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose version 2.}

Monthly Change

The divisions which caused the largest upward percentage point contributions to the CPI in the month were Clothing & Footwear (+0.20 pp) and Recreation, Sport & Culture (+0.17 pp). The only division that caused a downward percentage point contribution to the CPI in the month was Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (-0.01 pp).

The main factors contributing to the monthly change were as follows:

• Clothing & Footwear rose due to a recovery from sales.
• Recreation, Sport & Culture increased primarily due to a rise in the cost of package holidays and recreational & sporting services.
• Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco fell mainly due to lower prices for alcoholic beverages sold in supermarkets and off licences.

CPI sub-indices

Tables 4 to 16 detail all ECOICOP sub-indices of the CPI.

Table 2 and table 18 detail selected consumer price index sub-indices. The sub index for Services rose by 3.7% in the year to February, while Goods increased by 1.4%. Services, excluding mortgage interest repayments, increased by 3.6% in the year since February 2025.

The CPI excluding tobacco increased by 0.9% in the month of February and rose by 2.7% in the year. The CPI excluding mortgage interest rose by 0.8% in the month and climbed by 2.6% in the year.

Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices

Prices on average, as measured by the EU Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), increased by 2.5% compared with February 2025.

Table 20 details the ECOICOP sub-indices for the HICP. The most notable changes in the year were increases in Education Services (+9.0%), Clothing & Footwear (+5.7%), Insurance & Financial Services (+5.2%) and Recreation, Sport & Culture (+4.1%). The only decreases were recorded in Furnishings, Household Equipment & Routine Household Maintenance (-1.2%) and Transport (-0.3%).

The HICP increased by 0.8% in the month. This compares to an increase of 0.8% recorded in February of last year.

The most significant monthly price increases were in Clothing & Footwear (+4.4%) and Recreation, Sport & Culture (+2.3%). The only decrease was recorded in Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (-0.4%).

National Average Price

National Average Prices for selected goods and services for February 2026 are detailed in Table 21.

Looking at the National Average Prices of some staple items:

• The national average price for bread (large (800g) white sliced pan) increased by 3 cents in the year to February 2026, while the same size brown sliced pan increased by 1 cent in the year.
• The national average price of 1kg of sirloin steak rose by €4.37 in the year, while the average price for 2.5kg of potatoes was down 20 cents.
• The national average price of full fat milk per 2 litres was down 2 cents in the year, while butter per lb rose by 3 cents and the average price of Irish cheddar per kg increased by 30 cents.
• The national average price of a take-home 50cl can of lager at €2.41 was down 1 cent from February 2025, while a take-home 50cl can of cider at €2.71 was up 2 cents.
• In February 2026, the national average price of a pint of stout in licensed premises was €6.18, up 25 cents in the year, while a pint of lager was €6.58, up 26 cents compared with February 2025.