cyprus inflation — cyprus inflation — Food prices have pushed Cyprus’ inflation to 0.5 per cent in January 2026, marking a change from the negative rates observed in the previous two months. According to the consumer protection service’s latest price observatory, this increase is largely attributed to a significant rise in agricultural prices.
Cyprus inflation: Sharp Increase in Agricultural Costs
The observatory’s data reflects average prices for 250 essential consumer products sold across 400 retail outlets in the country. Agricultural products experienced the most notable annual increase, soaring by 8.2 per cent. This rise comes amidst a backdrop of declining prices for electricity, water, and petroleum products, which fell by 6.5 per cent and 6.1 per cent respectively compared to January 2025.
Monthly Trends Indicate Food Inflation Growth
On a month-to-month basis, agricultural products saw a staggering increase of 7.9 per cent compared to December 2025, contributing to a food inflation rate of 3.5 per cent, up from 1 per cent the previous month. Out of 45 basic product categories surveyed, 35 recorded price hikes, while only nine saw reductions and one category, bottled water, remained unchanged.
Notable Price Changes in Key Products
Among the most significant monthly price increases were frozen molluscs and shellfish, which rose by an impressive 31.5 per cent. This category also recorded a year-on-year rise of 22.8 per cent. Fresh vegetables and greens increased by 14 per cent, although still 14.2 per cent lower than the previous year.
Other notable increases included flour, which rose by 9 per cent, frozen fish by 8.5 per cent, and baby food by 5.5 per cent. There were also increases in oil (5.2 per cent), juices (4.9 per cent), biscuits (4 per cent), yogurt (3.2 per cent), pasta (3.1 per cent), and rice (3 per cent). Most of these annual changes have been relatively modest.
Declining Prices for Select Items
Conversely, sugar saw the steepest monthly drop at 13.4 per cent, although it remains 4.9 per cent higher than in January 2025. Additionally, frozen breaded and pre-cooked meats decreased by 11 per cent and were 17 per cent lower compared to the same time last year. Other products like bread, fresh fish, and shellfish also experienced slight declines.
Consumer Insights and Price Comparisons
The service has provided updated comparisons for products tracked on the digital ‘e-kalathi’ platform, which monitors common items across seven major supermarkets. As of 19 February 2026, the number of common products tracked has grown to 255, up from 248 in mid-January and 228 in October 2025. This gradual increase signifies a broader range of comparable items available to consumers.
The disparity between the most expensive and cheapest supermarket baskets for the 255 common products amounted to €138.60, which reflects a difference of 14.5 per cent. The rankings of supermarkets have remained consistent across the five recording periods, highlighting ongoing pricing trends in the retail sector.
The service emphasised that the observatory is designed solely for informational purposes and does not provide pricing advice. Consumers are encouraged to conduct their own market research, as qualitative differences between products may not be evident in price comparisons.
