A worker arranges vegetables for display at a market in Maadi, a suburb of Cairo, Egypt. AFP
CAPMAS said the Egypt Consumer Price Index (CPI) reached 284.4 points in March, reflecting broad-based price increases across key sectors.
Food and beverage prices were the main driver, rising 5.2 percent month-on-month, with vegetable prices surging by 21.8 percent, alongside increases in meat and poultry (5.9 percent) and fruit (2.0 percent).
Transport costs also recorded a steep rise of 8.0 percent on a monthly basis, supported by higher spending on private transport (8.7 percent) and transport services (8.5 percent), while vehicle prices increased by 3.3 percent.
Housing-related costs added further pressure, with the housing, water, electricity, gas, and fuel segment rising 3.6 percent, driven by higher rents (2.1 percent), and electricity and fuel prices (6.5 percent).
Elsewhere, restaurant and hotel prices increased 2.1 percent, while clothing and footwear rose 1.7 percent.
In contrast, healthcare prices declined 0.6 percent during the month, as medical products and equipment fell 1.7 percent, partially offsetting increases in outpatient and hospital services.
On an annual basis, transport recorded one of the sharpest increases, rising 29.3 percent, followed by housing and utilities at 28.3 percent, highlighting persistent cost pressures in essential services.
Education prices climbed 20.0 percent year-on-year, while healthcare rose 17.1 percent, and restaurants and hotels increased 13.7 percent.
Food and beverages posted a more moderate annual increase of 6.2 percent, despite a steep 41.6 percent rise in vegetable prices, as a decline in fruit prices helped contain overall food inflation.
In March, Egypt applied a new retail fuel price hike by up to 17 percent, bringing the total hikes applied since the government launched a broad subsidy reform programme in 2016 to around 820 percent and up to 1,200 percent depending on the fuel product.
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