Muscat: According to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) data from the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the data highlights rising costs across various goods and services groups, with notable increases in food and non-alcoholic beverages (3.5 percent), health (3.2 percent), and culture and entertainment (0.8 percent).

Smaller increases were observed in restaurants and hotels (0.6 percent), clothing and footwear (0.5 percent), furniture and household equipment (0.4 percent), and education (0.1 percent). In contrast, transportation costs dropped by 2.6 percent, while housing, utilities, communications, and tobacco prices remained stable.

Within the food and non-alcoholic beverages group, vegetable prices surged by 8.9 percent, while fruits rose by 8 percent. Milk, cheese, and eggs saw a 5.4 percent hike, and oils and fats climbed by 3.8 percent. Meat prices increased by 2.8 percent, and sugar, jam, and sweets rose by 2.4 percent. Bread and cereals recorded a modest 0.8 percent uptick, while fish and seafood prices fell by 1.2 percent.

The South Al Sharqiyah Governorate reported the highest inflation rate at 1.9 percent, followed by Al Wusta and Musandam at 1.6 percent each. Other areas such as North Al Sharqiyah (1.3 percent), Ad Dakhiliyah (1.1 percent), and North Al Batinah (0.8 percent) also saw significant rises. Muscat recorded a 0.6 percent increase, while South Al Batinah posted the lowest rate at 0.4 percent.