Contents
- Consumer price inflation in British Columbia statistics: September 2026 and recent provincial CPI readings
- Consumer price inflation in British Columbia statistics: annual averages and historical comparisons
- consumer price inflation in British Columbia statistics: British Columbia rent inflation and accommodation prices
- consumer price inflation in British Columbia: Canadian grocery and food price inflation as context for British Columbia
- consumer price inflation in British Columbia: Canadian shelter, energy and transportation inflation context
- Sources
Consumer price inflation in British Columbia statistics: September 2026 and recent provincial CPI readings
September 2026 was the latest available monthly reference period on November 12, 2026; Statistics Canada’s release calendar said October CPI would be published November 16. British Columbia’s all-items Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 163.5 in September, on the index’s 2002=100 reference base. The index fell 0.2% from August to September and stood 3.0% above September 2025. The first percentage is a month-to-month change; the second compares the same month 1 year earlier. These provincial figures are not seasonally adjusted. Statistics Canada: Provincial CPI table, September 2026
| British Columbia all-items CPI measure | Reading | Period or basis |
|---|---|---|
| Index | 163.5 | September 2026; 2002=100 |
| Monthly change | -0.2% | August to September 2026 |
| 12-month change | 3.0% | September 2025 to September 2026 |
The available 12-month readings show CPI inflation at selected points through 2026. The rate was 1.7% in February, 2.8% in June, 2.9% in July and 3.0% in August. In September it was also 3.0%, measured against September 2025. Each rate compares a month with the same month in the previous year. The figures describe those individual comparison windows; they do not provide a reading for every intervening month. Statistics Canada: February 2026 provincial CPI table · June 2026 provincial CPI table · July 2026 provincial CPI table · August 2026 provincial CPI chart · September 2026 provincial CPI table
The all-items CPI summarizes price movement across the basket measured by the index. It is a broad provincial measure, not a claim that every item, category or household experienced a 3.0% increase. The August and September readings are both 3.0%, but their comparison periods differ: one ends in August and the other in September. Statistics Canada: August 2026 provincial CPI chart · Statistics Canada: September 2026 provincial CPI table
Consumer price inflation in British Columbia statistics: annual averages and historical comparisons
Annual-average inflation compares the average of monthly CPI indexes in 1 calendar year with the average in the preceding calendar year. British Columbia’s all-items annual-average increase was 2.6% in 2024 and 2.1% in 2025. These are calendar-year average comparisons, distinct from a 12-month rate for a particular month. Statistics Canada: Annual CPI review, note to readers · Statistics Canada: Annual provincial CPI comparison chart
| British Columbia all-items CPI comparison | Change | Comparison period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual average | 2.6% | 2024 versus 2023 |
| Annual average | 2.1% | 2025 versus 2024 |
| 12-month change | 1.9% | September 2024 to September 2025 |
| Monthly change | -0.1% | August to September 2025 |
In September 2025, the provincial all-items CPI index was 158.8 on the 2002=100 base. It was 0.1% lower than in August 2025 and 1.9% higher than in September 2024. The index level and percentage changes express different information: the index is a level relative to its reference base, while the percentages describe movement over specified periods. Statistics Canada: Provincial CPI table, September 2025
Reading these measures together requires keeping their periods straight. The 2.1% annual-average increase for 2025 compares the average index across 2025 with the 2024 average. The September 2025 figure of 1.9% compares September with September 1 year earlier, while -0.1% compares September with the immediately preceding month. None is a substitute for the others. Statistics Canada: Annual CPI review, note to readers · Statistics Canada: Provincial CPI table, September 2025
consumer price inflation in British Columbia statistics: British Columbia rent inflation and accommodation prices
The checked rent readings cover different months and show different year-over-year changes. British Columbia rent prices rose 1.8% over the 12 months to September 2025. The rate was 6.4% in March 2026 and 3.4% in April 2026, each compared with the same month 1 year earlier. These rent-price changes describe a component of the CPI rather than the all-items rate. Statistics Canada: Consumer Price Index, September 2025 · Statistics Canada: Consumer Price Index, April 2026
| British Columbia price category | Change | Period and comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Rent prices | 1.8% | 12 months to September 2025 |
| Rent prices | 6.4% | 12 months to March 2026 |
| Rent prices | 3.4% | 12 months to April 2026 |
| Traveller accommodation | -34.5% | 12 months to December 2025 |
Traveller accommodation is a separate category from rent. In December 2025, its prices in British Columbia were 34.5% below December 2024. Statistics Canada described the annual decline as influenced by a base-year effect. The release also reported a 62.0% month-over-month increase in December 2024, which coincided with high-profile concerts in Vancouver. That monthly increase and the later 12-month decline use different comparison periods. Statistics Canada: Consumer Price Index, December 2025
The rent figures track changes in rent prices; the traveller-accommodation figures track another price category. Neither series alone describes the cost experience of every renter or visitor. The large accommodation movements also illustrate why the comparison window matters: a single month can move sharply, while a 12-month comparison may reflect the level in the corresponding month a year earlier. Statistics Canada: Consumer Price Index, April 2026 · Statistics Canada: Consumer Price Index, December 2025
consumer price inflation in British Columbia: Canadian grocery and food price inflation as context for British Columbia
The food figures here are Canada-wide context, not estimates for British Columbia. Food purchased from stores was 5.0% more expensive nationally over the 12 months to December 2025. On an annual-average basis, Canadian grocery prices rose 3.5% in 2025, compared with 2.2% in 2024. The December rate compares December with December; annual averages compare calendar-year average indexes. Statistics Canada: Consumer Price Index, December 2025 · Statistics Canada: Annual CPI review, grocery prices
Among national food categories, 2025 annual-average prices rose 20.3% for coffee, 7.1% for confectionery and 5.8% for meat. Fresh or frozen beef increased 13.5%, while fresh fruit rose 2.5% and oranges rose 10.4%. These differences show that national price movement varied by food category. Statistics Canada: Annual CPI review, grocery prices
| Canada-wide food measure | Change | Period and basis |
|---|---|---|
| Food purchased from stores | 5.0% | 12 months to December 2025 |
| Grocery prices | 3.5% | 2025 annual average |
| Coffee | 20.3% | 2025 annual average |
| Confectionery | 7.1% | 2025 annual average |
| Meat | 5.8% | 2025 annual average |
| Fresh or frozen beef | 13.5% | 2025 annual average |
| Fresh fruit | 2.5% | 2025 annual average |
| Oranges | 10.4% | 2025 annual average |
These national food observations cannot establish whether the same categories in British Columbia changed by the same amounts. They are useful as Canadian context alongside the provincial all-items CPI, but the geography and level of detail differ: the provincial figure covers all items, whereas the food readings concern national aggregates or selected categories. Statistics Canada: Consumer Price Index, December 2025 · Statistics Canada: Annual CPI review
consumer price inflation in British Columbia: Canadian shelter, energy and transportation inflation context
Canada-wide shelter prices rose 3.0% on an annual-average basis in 2025. Within that national category, mortgage interest cost increased 5.3% and rent prices increased 5.0%. The national rent figure is separate from the British Columbia month-specific rent readings above. Statistics Canada: Annual CPI review, shelter prices
National energy prices declined 5.7% on an annual-average basis in 2025. Gasoline prices fell 8.6% and natural-gas prices fell 8.4% on that same basis. In a separate 12-month comparison, Canadian gasoline prices were down 13.8% in December 2025 from December 2024. The annual-average and December-to-December readings describe different periods. Statistics Canada: Annual CPI review, energy prices · Statistics Canada: Consumer Price Index, December 2025
| Canada-wide component | Change | Period and basis |
|---|---|---|
| Shelter prices | 3.0% | 2025 annual average |
| Mortgage interest cost | 5.3% | 2025 annual average |
| Rent prices | 5.0% | 2025 annual average |
| Energy prices | -5.7% | 2025 annual average |
| Gasoline prices | -8.6% | 2025 annual average |
| Natural-gas prices | -8.4% | 2025 annual average |
| Gasoline prices | -13.8% | 12 months to December 2025 |
In December 2025, Canadian air-transportation prices were down 0.8% year over year, and travel-tour prices were down 3.2%. These national transportation measures sit alongside the gasoline figures as context; they are not British Columbia estimates. Air transportation, travel tours and gasoline are distinct CPI categories, so their changes should be read separately. Statistics Canada: Consumer Price Index, December 2025
Across these readings, geography, category and time period define what each percentage means. British Columbia’s all-items CPI is a provincial measure; the food, shelter, energy and transportation figures in this section are national component readings. The reported declines in some categories do not establish a shared cause or imply that each household’s expenses changed by those percentages. Statistics Canada: Consumer Price Index, December 2025
Sources
- Consumer Price Index for the provinces and for Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit – Not seasonally adjusted
- The Consumer Price Index increases at a faster pace in six provinces
- Consumer Price Index for the provinces and for Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit – Not seasonally adjusted
- Consumer Price Index for the provinces and for Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit – Not seasonally adjusted
- Consumer Price Index for the provinces and for Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit – Not seasonally adjusted
- Prices increase at a slower pace on an annual average basis in seven provinces
- Consumer Price Index, September 2025
- Consumer Price Index, April 2026
- Consumer Price Index, December 2025
- Consumer Price Index: Annual review, 2025