Inflation dropped to 8.16% in July 2026, but rents and coffee prices rose sharply

The National Institute of Statistics has announced that the annual inflation rate reached 8.16% in July 2026, down 2.2 percentage points from the previous month. This marks the first slowdown in the pace of price growth in the last twelve months.

Services: the most expensive category

The largest price increases were recorded in services, with an annual rise of 13.67%. Non-food goods increased by 7.93%, whilst food products rose by 5.03% compared to July 2025.

Food: coffee and eggs top the price increases

Coffee saw the steepest rise among food items, up 19.47% compared to the previous year. This was followed by eggs at 13.9%, beef at 11.67%, and cow's milk at 11.28%.

Other notable increases included: țuică and spirits (8.87%), sugar and honey (8.81%), bread (7.93%), beer (7.88%), fresh fish (7.54%), wine (6.66%), cooking oil (6.57%), poultry (6.24%), and pork (3.4%).

By contrast, some food items became cheaper: sugar fell by 0.25%, butter by 0.53%, flour by 4.3%, and cornmeal by 4.92%. The largest price drops were recorded for fresh fruit, down 13.82%, and potatoes, down 13.68%.

Fuels and energy

Diesel became 30.7% more expensive, whilst petrol rose by 23.15%. The fuels category as a whole increased by 16.87%.

Electricity was only 3.39% more expensive compared to July 2025, after the impact of the removal of the price capping and support scheme diminished — in previous months, the annual increase in electricity prices had exceeded 50%. Natural gas cost 0.97% more, whilst district heating became 10.70% more expensive.

Other price rises included: books, newspapers, and magazines (10.82%), detergents (9.92%), tobacco and cigarettes (8.51%), personal hygiene and cosmetic products (6.80%), and medicines (4.36%).

Rents: the largest increase in services

Within the services sector, rents recorded the largest increase, rising 42.48% over the year. This was followed by water, sewerage, and waste collection (15.99%), clothing and footwear making and repairs (14.36%), personal care and cosmetics (14.10%), vehicle repairs (13.85%), and healthcare (12.48%).

Road transport became 12.21% more expensive, postal services rose by 9.18%, and urban transport by 7.47%. Air travel tariffs were 2.3% above July 2025 levels, though they rose sharply compared to June, by 18.73%.