Inflation in April Rises to 3.1 Percent

"In addition to electricity and rent, significantly more expensive package holidays are also responsible for the increase," said Statistics Austria Director General Tobias Thomas in a statement on Monday.

Inflation: Easter Holidays Caused Package Holiday Prices to Rise

A significant part of the price increase in leisure and culture is due to the strong inflation in package holidays, which were 14.7 percent higher in April than a year ago. The increase is due to the calendar effect: while the Easter holidays were in March last year, they fell in April in 2025. Without this effect, the annual inflation would only be 2.8 percent, Statistics Austria reported on Monday.

Household Energy and Rents Drive Inflation Up

Prices in the expenditure group "housing, water, energy" rose by an average of 5.2 percent year-on-year. The increase was particularly pronounced for electricity at +36.4 percent, which is related to the abolition of several relief measures such as the electricity price brake and the network cost subsidy. Higher network charges and the return of subsidy contributions also contributed. Gas, on the other hand, became cheaper by 9.4 percent, and heating oil by 12 percent. Rents increased by 4.2 percent.

Prices for catering and accommodation also increased significantly. In restaurants and hotels, inflation was 5.8 percent in April and contributed +0.76 percentage points to overall inflation. Services remained one of the strongest price drivers with an average increase of 4.8 percent.

Food Below Average, Coffee Significantly More Expensive

Food and non-alcoholic beverages became 2.9 percent more expensive in April. Coffee prices rose sharply again year-on-year - by 19 percent. While soft drinks became cheaper, confectionery (+7.3 percent), dairy products (+2.7 percent), meat (+1.4 percent), and fruit (+1.3 percent) became more expensive.

Fuels Have a Dampening Effect on Inflation

Transport prices fell by an average of 0.9 percent. Cheaper refueling had a particularly dampening effect: Diesel was 9.9 percent and super gasoline 9.8 percent cheaper than in April 2024. In contrast, airline tickets became 11.1 percent more expensive year-on-year.

Inflation: Daily Shopping More Expensive

The micro basket, which reflects daily expenses, rose by 4.6 percent year-on-year - significantly stronger than overall inflation. The mini basket, which reflects weekly shopping, increased by 1.7 percent. The EU-wide comparable harmonized inflation rate (HICP) was 3.3 percent in April, slightly above the CPI. Month-on-month, the HICP increased by 0.3 percent.

(APA/Red)

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