Why transport drives inflation, and what yours is
September's 2.5% inflation rests mainly on transport: it added 1.30 percentage points, food took 0.60 away. Pensioners have 1.4%, Prague 2.9%. A household that spends nothing on transport comes out around 1.3%.
This text was prepared by AI from ČSÚ, ČNB, Eurostat and Yahoo Finance data; hedger works out the figures. It describes what is in the data and is not investment advice.
Czech inflation was 2.5% year on year in September, after 1.9% in August and 2.3% a year ago. That is one figure for the average household. ČSÚ's indices show what it is made of, how it comes out for someone who isn't average and what it does to savings. The method is on the page How Czech inflation is worked out, with a calculator for your own inflation.
What inflation is made of
A contribution says how many percentage points a division changed the overall figure by. ČSÚ publishes the indices and the formula; the contributions are worked out from them.
| Division | Weight in the basket | Year on year | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transport | 9.9% | +13.2% | +1.30 |
| Housing, water, energy, fuels | 27.0% | +1.7% | +0.45 |
| Alcohol and tobacco | 8.3% | +4.6% | +0.38 |
| Restaurants and accommodation | 6.8% | +4.2% | +0.28 |
| The other seven divisions | 27.2% | +0.81 | |
| Clothing and footwear | 3.9% | −3.0% | −0.12 |
| Food and soft drinks | 16.9% | −3.5% | −0.60 |
| The whole basket | 100% | +2.5% | +2.5 |
Transport is under a tenth of the basket but added over half of the total. In February it was still 1.5% cheaper than a year before, in March 5.5% dearer, and in September 13.2%.
Transport and oil
Fuel is the largest difference from last year. In the week of 26 October Natural 95 averaged CZK 43.82 a litre and diesel CZK 47.51, against CZK 34.22 and CZK 32.99 a year before. Petrol is 28% dearer, diesel 44%.
Oil, which fuel is made from, went the same way. WTI was around USD 66 a barrel at the start of September 2025, around USD 90 at the start of September 2026 and USD 104 on 30 October. The dollar was dearer too, CZK 21.7 against CZK 20.9, so oil rose somewhat more in koruna than in dollars. Fuel and oil prices are October's and the transport division September's, so this is the same direction, not exactly the same period.
Food goes the other way
In September 2025 food was 2.7% dearer than a year earlier; this September it was 3.5% cheaper. Had food prices stayed where they were a year ago, inflation would be 0.60 points higher. Single items are in Food and goods prices.
The same month, different inflation
ČSÚ works out pensioner households and Prague separately. For September:
| Inflation | Transport | Housing | Food | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All households | 2.5% | +13.2% | +1.7% | −3.5% |
| Pensioners | 1.4% | +13.3% | −1.1% | −3.7% |
| Prague | 2.9% | +12.1% | +3.2% | −3.3% |
Transport and food differ little between the rows. The gap is mainly in housing. Pensioners also have weights of their own, without imputed rent.
Over five years
The yearly figure shows only the last year. Against September 2021 the basket's prices are 35.5% higher: what cost CZK 100 then costs about CZK 136 now. The divisions differ widely. Restaurants and accommodation rose 61.8%, housing 46.3%, information and telecoms 13.6%.
What it does to savings and wages
Interest after tax less inflation shows whether money in the bank gains or loses buying power. Banks pay differently, so these are the ČNB's averages for September.
| Banks' average | Rate | After 15% tax | Less inflation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overnight deposits, banks' average | 1.55% | 1.32% | −1.18 pp |
| New term deposits, banks' average | 3.41% | 2.90% | +0.40 pp |
| New mortgages, banks' average | 4.97% | – | +2.47 pp |
The average on overnight and savings deposits is below inflation, new term deposits above it. An average isn't an offer, though: the savings account overview shows what each bank pays and the comparison works it out after tax for your amount. For a mortgage the last column is its real cost.
Wages rose faster than prices: the average wage was 6.4% higher on the year in the second quarter, 4.3% after inflation (ČSÚ).
Czechia in Europe
Countries are compared by the harmonised index, HICP. Czechia has 2.2% for September, the EU 3.8%, Germany 3.3%, Austria 3.6%, Poland 4.0%, Slovakia 3.0% and Hungary 2.1%. Czechia is the 24th highest of 27 countries compared. HICP is below the official 2.5% because imputed rent isn't in it.
What the ČNB has
The ČNB aims for 2% with a band of one point either side, so 2.5% is inside it. The repo rate is 3.75%, 1.25 points above inflation. The board meets on Thursday 5 November; the numbers before the meeting are in ČNB meeting 5 November 2026.
What yours is
The calculator takes ČSÚ's yearly changes for the 13 divisions and weights them by what you spend in a month. It starts from the average household, so untouched it shows the official 2.5%. What happens when one thing changes and the rest of the basket stays average:
| Household | Own inflation |
|---|---|
| Average | 2.5% |
| Twice the spending on transport | 3.5% |
| No alcohol or tobacco | 2.3% |
| Twice the spending on food | 1.6% |
| No spending on transport | about 1.3% |
The amounts stay in your browser and go nowhere. The calculator has a limit: inside a division it assumes the average basket, so it can't tell petrol from a train ticket or owning from renting.
How the figure will move
Yearly inflation moves with the month that drops out of it. In October 2025 prices rose 0.5% on September: if they rise as much this year the figure stays at 2.5%, if more it rises, if less it falls. In November and December 2025 prices fell 0.3% each month, so anything above that fall lifts the figure. That is arithmetic, not a forecast.
Questions people ask
- What is inflation in Czechia? For September 2026: 2.5% on the year, after 1.9% in August.
- Why is inflation 2.5% when food is getting cheaper? Transport added 1.30 points, food took 0.60 away.
- How much have prices risen in five years? The basket's prices are 35.5% above September 2021.
More on hedger
Your own inflation → · Savings accounts → · Food and goods prices →