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UK CPIH inflation: 3.6% over the 12 months to September 2026

Prices measured by CPIH, which includes owner occupiers' housing costs, were 3.6% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier, up from a 12-month rate of 3.3% in August.

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  • 2026-083.3%
  • 2026-093.6%
United Kingdom CPIH inflation, including owner occupiers' housing costs (12-month change) · Office for National Statistics (UK)

UK Housing cost inflation →

The headline figure

For a typical household, the basket of goods and services tracked by CPIH cost 3.6% more in September 2026 than in September 2025. This measure includes the housing costs of people who own their homes.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

In August 2026, the same 12-month comparison stood at 3.3%. The September 12-month rate was 0.3 percentage points higher than the August 12-month rate. This is a change in the annual rate between two months, not a monthly rise in prices.

Sources for this paragraph (3)

Related official figures

Consumer price inflation (CPI), which does not include owner occupiers' housing costs, was 3.5% over the 12 months to September 2026. CPI and CPIH cover different costs, so the two rates are not interchangeable.

Sources for this paragraph (2)

Food prices were 1.3% higher over the 12 months to September 2026.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

The Bank of England's policy rate was 3.75% at the end of September 2026.

Sources for this paragraph (1)
  • C28 United Kingdom central bank policy rate (month-end) · 3.75% · 2026-09 · Bank of England

Against the previous month

The only earlier CPIH reading in this data is August 2026, at 3.3%. September's 12-month rate of 3.6% is higher. The facts do not include CPIH figures for other countries, so no international comparison is possible here.

Sources for this paragraph (2)

What it means for people in the UK

Average weekly earnings growth was 3.7% in August 2026, measured as a 3-month average compared with a year earlier. CPIH was 3.6% in September 2026. These figures use different methods and cover different periods, so this data cannot show whether pay is keeping up with prices for any particular household.

Sources for this paragraph (2)

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.7% in July 2026. A separate modelled estimate puts unemployment at 4.75% for 2025. The two figures are measured differently and should not be read as a change from one to the other.

Sources for this paragraph (2)

What the data does not show

These facts do not explain why the 12-month CPIH rate was higher in September than in August. They also do not show which categories, apart from food, contributed to the figure.

Sources for this paragraph (3)

A national average does not reflect every household. Costs vary by where people live, whether they rent or own, and what they spend money on.

Sources for this paragraph (1)

Scenarios to watch

  • Scenario, not a forecast If the next release shows the 12-month CPIH rate lower than 3.6%, September would look like a single higher reading rather than the start of a rising trend.
  • Scenario, not a forecast If the 12-month rate is higher again in the following months, the gap between price growth and earnings growth would be worth closer attention, keeping in mind that the two are measured differently.
  • Scenario, not a forecast If CPI and CPIH move apart, that would point to owner occupiers' housing costs behaving differently from the rest of the basket.

What to check next

  • The next CPIH release, and whether the 12-month rate is above or below 3.6%
  • The next CPI release, to compare it with CPIH
  • The Bank of England's policy rate at the end of the next month
  • The next average weekly earnings figures
  • The next seasonally adjusted unemployment rate

Verified data used in this report

IndicatorValuePeriodSourcesAccessed
F1United Kingdom CPIH inflation, including owner occupiers' housing costs (12-month change)3.6%2026-09Office for National Statistics (UK)
F2United Kingdom CPIH inflation, including owner occupiers' housing costs (12-month change)3.3%2026-08Office for National Statistics (UK)
F3Change from previous period (percentage points)0.3pp2026-09Office for National Statistics (UK)
C23United Kingdom GDP growth (annual %)1.39%2025World Bank
C24United Kingdom Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate)4.75%2025World Bank
C25United Kingdom Fertility rate, total (births per woman)1.552024World Bank
C26United Kingdom Population aged 65 and above (% of total population)19.7%2025World Bank
C27United Kingdom Population growth (annual %)0.3%2025World Bank
C28United Kingdom central bank policy rate (month-end)3.75%2026-09Bank of England
C29United Kingdom consumer price inflation (12-month change)3.5%2026-09Office for National Statistics (UK)
C31United Kingdom food price inflation (12-month change)1.3%2026-09Office for National Statistics (UK)
C32United Kingdom unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted)4.7%2026-07Office for National Statistics (UK)
C33United Kingdom average weekly earnings growth (3-month average, 12-month change)3.7%2026-08Office for National Statistics (UK)

Sources

  • Source: Office for National Statistics, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 — license
  • Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) — license
  • Source: Bank of England, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 — 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 10:30 UTC — created
  • 2026-10-27 10:30 UTC — approved+published

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