The national average price for a 2.5kg bag of potatoes increased by 61c to €4 in the year up to April 2024, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The Consumer Price Index April 2024, shows that the average price paid by consumers for 2L of full fat milk dropped by 9c to €2.19 in the period.
The cost of Irish cheddar cheese was down by 26c/kg to €10.45/kg, while butter prices dipped by 15/lb to €3.72.
The data shows that consumers paid 5c less for a large (800g) white sliced pan of bread in April, with the average price now standing at €1.64. The same size brown sliced pan reduced by 4c in the year.
The price of sirloin steak increased from €16.54/kg in April 2023 to €17.36/kg a year later, while a leg of lamb increased from €14.37 to €14.77/kg in the period.
The national average price of a take-home 50cl can of lager at €2.38 was up 8c on average from April 2023 while a take-home 50cl can of cider at €2.69 was up 15c.
In April 2024, the national average price of a pint of stout in licensed premises was €5.64, up 14c in the year, while a pint of lager was €6.07, up 10c compared with April 2023.
CSO
Commenting on the data, Anthony Dawson, statistician in the CSO prices division, said that prices for consumer goods and services in April 2024 rose by 2.6% on average when compared to a year previous.
“This is the sixth time since September 2021 that the annual growth in the CPI was below 5%. It is also the sixth consecutive month where the inflation rate was lower than 5%.
“The most significant rises in the 12 months to April 2024 were seen in recreation and culture (+5.2%) and restaurants and hotels (+4.8%).
“The annual change in recreation and culture costs reflects a rise in prices for package holidays (+16.7%).
“Clothing and footwear (-6.7%) and furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance (-0.8%) were the only divisions to show a decrease when compared with April 2023,” he said.