Estonian prices rose 4.2% year on year in October

Consumer prices in Estonia rose 4.2% in October compared with a year earlier and 0.6% from September, Statistics Estonia said, according to ERR. Goods were 5% more expensive than a year earlier, while services rose 3.2%.

Transport and housing costs contributed most to the annual increase, said Lauri Veski, head of consumer price statistics at Statistics Estonia. Petrol prices rose 38.2% and diesel prices 59.7% year on year, which the article attributed to the continuing military conflict in the Middle East.

Housing costs were pushed up by a 60.8% rise in piped gas, a 12.6% increase in firewood, a 56.6% increase in mixed municipal waste collection and a 3.7% rise in electricity prices.

Food prices increased 0.7% over the year. Vegetables rose 8.5%, prepared food 3.2%, bread and bakery products 2.4%, and soft drinks 4.4%. These increases were partly offset by lower prices for butter, down 27.1%; yoghurt and other dairy products, down 5%; and fresh or frozen meat, down 3%.

Lower prices for international flights, down 31.6%, and childcare services, down 29.2%, restrained the overall annual rise. Veski said the decline in childcare costs mainly reflected a change to Tallinn’s kindergarten fee schedule, which exempted most families from paying the participation fee from October.

Compared with September, petrol prices rose 2.7% and diesel prices 2%. Piped gas was 11.2% more expensive, firewood 2% and electricity 0.8%. Food prices rose 0.6% month on month, led by a 6% increase in fruit and nuts and a 1.2% rise in vegetables. Milk, dairy products and eggs became 0.8% cheaper.