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Australian food prices: what the 12-month figures show to September 2026

Food prices in Australia were 3.2% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier, and the annual rate has stayed between 2.8% and 3.3% since February 2026.

Published 2 min read

  • 2026-023.1%
  • 2026-033.1%
  • 2026-042.8%
  • 2026-053.3%
  • 2026-063.3%
  • 2026-073.2%
  • 2026-083%
  • 2026-093.2%
Australia food price inflation (12-month change) · Australian Bureau of Statistics

Australia Food price inflation →

The latest reading

On average, food in Australia cost more in September 2026 than it did 12 months earlier. The official food price inflation figure for September 2026 was 3.2%, measured as a change over 12 months.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

That is a little higher than the August 2026 reading of 3%. Both figures compare prices with the same month a year before, so the move from August to September is a change in the annual rate, not a monthly price change.

Sources for this paragraph (2)

What the official figures show

The series covers eight months, from February 2026 to September 2026. Each value is the percentage change in food prices over the previous 12 months.

Sources for this paragraph (2)

The rate was 3.1% in February and 3.1% in March. It dropped to 2.8% in April, the lowest point in the series. It then rose to 3.3% in May and held at 3.3% in June, the highest readings.

Sources for this paragraph (5)

After June the rate eased to 3.2% in July and 3% in August, before returning to 3.2% in September.

Sources for this paragraph (3)

How September compares with earlier months

September's 3.2% is higher than February's 3.1% and April's 2.8%. It is lower than the 3.3% recorded in May and June. It matches the July figure.

Sources for this paragraph (6)

Across the whole period the annual rate stayed in a narrow band, never below 2.8% and never above 3.3%. The figures show food prices kept rising compared with a year earlier in every month, without a clear upward or downward trend.

Sources for this paragraph (3)

What it means for people in Australia

For Australian households, the figures mean food prices were higher in every month of the series than in the same month of the previous year. In September 2026 the average increase was 3.2%.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

A falling annual rate, as between June and August, does not mean food got cheaper. It means prices were still rising, but by a smaller amount over 12 months.

Sources for this paragraph (2)

The data cannot tell any one household how much its own food spending has changed.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

What the data does not tell us

These figures are an average across food items. They do not show which foods rose faster or slower, or how prices differ between cities and regions.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

The facts here do not explain why the rate moved from month to month, so this analysis does not assign causes. The series starts in February 2026, so it cannot show how the current rate compares with earlier years.

Sources for this paragraph (2)

Other price measures, such as overall consumer prices, electricity and rent, are separate statistics with different definitions, so they are not compared with food prices here.

Sources for this paragraph (3)

Scenarios to watch

  • Scenario, not a forecast If the annual rate keeps moving within the band seen since February 2026, food prices would continue to rise at a broadly steady pace compared with a year earlier.
  • Scenario, not a forecast If upcoming readings fall below the April 2026 low, that would point to food price growth slowing compared with a year earlier, though prices would still be rising while the rate stays above zero.
  • Scenario, not a forecast If upcoming readings rise above the May and June 2026 highs, that would point to food price growth picking up.

What to check next

  • The October 2026 food price inflation figure, and whether it stays between 2.8% and 3.3%
  • Whether the annual rate moves above or below September's 3.2%
  • Breakdowns by food category, if published, to see which items are driving the average

Verified data used in this report

IndicatorValuePeriodSourcesAccessed
F1Australia food price inflation (12-month change)3.1%2026-02Australian Bureau of Statistics
F2Australia food price inflation (12-month change)3.1%2026-03Australian Bureau of Statistics
F3Australia food price inflation (12-month change)2.8%2026-04Australian Bureau of Statistics
F4Australia food price inflation (12-month change)3.3%2026-05Australian Bureau of Statistics
F5Australia food price inflation (12-month change)3.3%2026-06Australian Bureau of Statistics
F6Australia food price inflation (12-month change)3.2%2026-07Australian Bureau of Statistics
F7Australia food price inflation (12-month change)3%2026-08Australian Bureau of Statistics
F8Australia food price inflation (12-month change)3.2%2026-09Australian Bureau of Statistics
C1Australia consumer price inflation (12-month change)4.3%2026-09Australian Bureau of Statistics
C2Australia electricity price inflation (12-month change)12.8%2026-09Australian Bureau of Statistics
C4Australia rent prices (CPI, 12-month change)3.6%2026-09Australian 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 found no unsupported or speculative sentences.
  • No person reviewed this report before publication. Automatic checks confirm the numbers, not every interpretation.
Update history
  • 2026-10-30 21:01 UTC — created
  • 2026-10-30 21:01 UTC — approved+published

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