Madeira's annual inflation rate held at 4.6% in October, the same level as September, the regional statistics office said Wednesday. The rate stayed above mainland Portugal's national average of 3.8%.
The Direção Regional de EstatĂstica da Madeira, known as DREM, also reported that energy prices rose 20.3% compared with October last year. Energy was the single biggest driver of the region's higher cost of living.
The 4.6% figure is the year-on-year rate, comparing prices in October 2026 with October 2025. A separate measure, the 12-month average rate, stayed at 3.8% in October, unchanged from September. Core inflation, which strips out unprocessed food and energy, held at 3.3%.
Within that 12-month average, services kept rising faster than goods. Services prices increased 5.2% on average, while goods rose 2.6%. Transport and the restaurant and accommodation sector posted the steepest average increases, at 7.4% and 7.1%.
| Indicator | Average rate |
|---|---|
| All items (average rate) | +3.8% |
| Core inflation (underlying) | +3.3% |
| Services | +5.2% |
| Goods | +2.6% |
| Transport | +7.4% |
| Restaurants & accommodation | +7.1% |
| Housing, water & energy | +4.3% |
| Information & communication | -1.4% |
Information and communication was the only class with a notably negative average rate, falling 1.4%.
Energy Prices Surge 20.3% Over the Past Year
Energy products showed the sharpest yearly increase of any group, up 20.3% compared with October 2025. DREM listed energy as the standout figure among the aggregates it tracks.
On the same year-on-year basis, services rose 6.2% and goods rose 3.2%. Both figures are higher than their 12-month average counterparts, showing prices accelerated more recently.
Transport Costs Climb 12.1% in Yearly Comparison
Transport led all categories in the year-on-year comparison, with prices up 12.1% from October 2025. It was also the single largest contributor to the region's overall inflation rate.
DREM said transport added 2.3 percentage points to the 4.6% annual rate, the biggest contribution of any category. Restaurants and accommodation added a further 0.8 percentage points.
Restaurant and Hotel Prices Rise 7.6% Annually
Restaurants and accommodation services cost 7.6% more than a year earlier, the second-steepest annual rise after transport. Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels rose 5.5% over the same period.
| Indicator | Change |
|---|---|
| All items (annual rate) | +4.6% |
| Energy products | +20.3% |
| Transport | +12.1% |
| Restaurants & accommodation | +7.6% |
| Housing, water & energy | +5.5% |
| Services | +6.2% |
| Goods | +3.2% |
| Clothing & footwear | -2.6% |
Clothing Is the Only Category to Fall, Down 2.6%
Clothing and footwear was the only category to fall, with prices down 2.6% from October 2025. Every other class DREM measured rose over the same period.
Monthly Consumer Prices Fall 0.7% in October
Measured month on month, Madeira's consumer price index fell 0.7% in October, reversing a 1.2% rise in September. Nationally, prices moved the opposite way, rising 0.2% in October after a 1.2% increase the month before.
Average Rents Climb 6.7% From a Year Earlier
The average rent per square metre of usable floor space in Madeira rose 0.4% in October compared with September, and 6.7% compared with October 2025. Both figures eased slightly from September, when rents had risen 0.6% monthly and 6.9% annually.
| October 2026 | September 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly CPI change - Madeira | -0.7% | +1.2% |
| Monthly CPI change - Portugal | +0.2% | +1.2% |
| Average rent per m² (monthly) | +0.4% | +0.6% |
| Average rent per m² (yearly) | +6.7% | +6.9% |
Source: dnoticias.pt
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