Consumer Price Index (CPI) in Singapore

Singapore's average annual inflation: the change over the year in the prices of a representative basket of goods and services bought by households, measured by the consumer price index (CPI) published by the Department of Statistics (SingStat). It is the city-state's main cost-of-living gauge.

SingStat regularly surveys the prices of a basket weighted by household spending and builds an index against a base year. The monthly CPI gives the year-on-year rate, and average annual inflation summarises price movements over the year as a whole.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) runs policy through the exchange rate rather than interest rates, so inflation is decisive for the Singapore dollar's trading band. Markets pay particular attention to MAS core inflation, which excludes accommodation and private transport.

Headline CPI is heavily influenced by accommodation and private transport costs (vehicle certificates of entitlement), which are volatile and unusually weighted in Singapore, so it may not reflect underlying price pressures well. It is subject to revisions and re-weightings.