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Electricity and overall consumer prices in Australia: the 12-month figures from May to August 2026

Electricity prices in August 2026 were 13.2% above their level a year earlier, while overall consumer prices were 4% higher; these are separate series and each is best read on its own trend.

Published 2 min read

  • 2026-0521.1%
  • 2026-0622.4%
  • 2026-076.1%
  • 2026-0813.2%
Australia electricity price inflation (12-month change) · Australian Bureau of Statistics

Australia Electricity price inflation →

What the latest figures say

If you pay a power bill, electricity prices are still well above where they were a year ago. In August 2026, electricity prices were 13.2% above their level 12 months earlier.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

Prices across the whole consumer basket also kept rising over the year. In August 2026, overall consumer prices were 4% above their level 12 months earlier.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

These are two different statistics. One tracks electricity alone. The other tracks the full range of goods and services households buy. This report follows each series over time rather than lining them up as if they measured the same thing.

Sources for this paragraph (2)

Electricity prices, month by month

Each figure below compares electricity prices with the same month a year earlier. None of them is a change from the previous month.

Sources for this paragraph (4)

May 2026: 21.1% higher than 12 months earlier. June 2026: 22.4%. July 2026: 6.1%. August 2026: 13.2%.

Sources for this paragraph (4)

The annual rate went up from May to June, dropped sharply in July, then went up again in August. The August rate is higher than July's but lower than both May's and June's.

Sources for this paragraph (4)

Overall consumer prices, month by month

These figures also compare each month with the same month a year earlier.

Sources for this paragraph (4)

May 2026: 4% higher than 12 months earlier. June 2026: 3.8%. July 2026: 3.5%. August 2026: 4%.

Sources for this paragraph (4)

The annual rate eased from May through July, then went back up in August to the same rate as in May.

Sources for this paragraph (4)

How August compares with earlier months

For electricity, the annual rate in August 2026 was below the 22.4% recorded in June 2026, but above the 6.1% recorded in July 2026. Annual electricity price growth has therefore moved up and down considerably within a few months.

Sources for this paragraph (3)

For overall consumer prices, the annual rate in August 2026 matched May 2026 at 4%, after a low of 3.5% in July 2026. The swings in this series were much smaller.

Sources for this paragraph (3)

What this means for households in Australia

For a household, the electricity figure means the same amount of power cost 13.2% more in August 2026 than it did in August 2025. How much that adds to any one bill depends on how much electricity the household uses and its plan, which these figures do not show.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

The overall figure means a typical mix of household spending cost 4% more in August 2026 than a year earlier. It sums up the general cost of living rather than any single bill.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

Two other separate series give more detail on the same month. Food prices in August 2026 were 3% above their level 12 months earlier. Rents measured in the consumer price index were 3.6% above their level 12 months earlier. Each describes a different part of the household budget.

Sources for this paragraph (2)

What the data does not tell us

The figures cover May to August 2026 only, and every one is a 12-month change. They do not show how prices moved from one month to the next.

Sources for this paragraph (4)

The data does not explain why the annual electricity rate dropped in July and went back up in August. It also does not break prices down by state, retailer or household type.

Sources for this paragraph (2)

Electricity, food, rent and the overall index are separate statistics with their own definitions. They should not be read as directly comparable measures.

Sources for this paragraph (4)

Scenarios to watch

  • Scenario, not a forecast If the next monthly releases show annual electricity rates moving in the same direction for several months in a row, it would suggest the recent swings are settling into a clearer trend.
  • Scenario, not a forecast If the annual electricity rate keeps changing sharply from month to month, the August figure may say little about where power prices are heading over a longer period.
  • Scenario, not a forecast If the overall annual rate stays near the levels seen from May to August 2026, the general cost-of-living picture would look broadly steady, whatever happens to individual items.

What to check next

  • The next monthly consumer price release, for the 12-month change in electricity prices after August 2026
  • Whether the overall 12-month consumer price rate moves away from 4% in later months
  • The 12-month changes in food and rent in coming releases, read as separate series
  • Any official breakdown that explains the month-to-month swings in electricity prices

Verified data used in this report

IndicatorValuePeriodSourcesAccessed
F1Australia electricity price inflation (12-month change)21.1%2026-05Australian Bureau of Statistics
F2Australia electricity price inflation (12-month change)22.4%2026-06Australian Bureau of Statistics
F3Australia electricity price inflation (12-month change)6.1%2026-07Australian Bureau of Statistics
F4Australia electricity price inflation (12-month change)13.2%2026-08Australian Bureau of Statistics
F5Australia consumer price inflation (12-month change)4%2026-05Australian Bureau of Statistics
F6Australia consumer price inflation (12-month change)3.8%2026-06Australian Bureau of Statistics
F7Australia consumer price inflation (12-month change)3.5%2026-07Australian Bureau of Statistics
F8Australia consumer price inflation (12-month change)4%2026-08Australian Bureau of Statistics
C3Australia food price inflation (12-month change)3%2026-08Australian Bureau of Statistics
C4Australia rent prices (CPI, 12-month change)3.6%2026-08Australian Bureau of Statistics
C5Australia unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted)4.72%2026-09Australian Bureau of Statistics
C6Australia GDP growth (annual %)1.35%2025World Bank
C7Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate)4.09%2025World Bank
C8Australia Fertility rate, total (births per woman)1.482024World Bank
C9Australia Population aged 65 and above (% of total population)18.09%2025World Bank
C10Australia Population growth (annual %)1.53%2025World Bank

Sources

  • Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (CC BY 4.0) — license
  • Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) — license

How this report was checked

  • Data: the newest reference period cited is 2026-09.
  • Figures were collected from the source on
  • Written by an AI model (claude-opus-5-5) using only the official figures listed in this report.
  • Automatic checks passed: every number matches a cited figure, every paragraph names its evidence, and there is no investment advice or copied source text.
  • A separate quality-check model raised concerns, and the report was rewritten once to address them.
  • No person reviewed this report before publication. Automatic checks confirm the numbers, not every interpretation.
Update history
  • 2026-10-27 11:00 UTC — created
  • 2026-10-27 11:00 UTC — approved+published

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