Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI for March 2026 rose by 1.06% year-on-year, but dropped by 0.18% month-on-month. For the 12 months ended March this year, the average Composite CPI grew by 0.53% from the previous period (April 2024 – March 2025).

In March, the price index of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages rose by 1.12% year-on-year due to rising charges for eating out and takeaway, whereas the price index of Transport grew by 1.89% on account of higher gasoline prices. In addition, price indices of Miscellaneous Goods & Services such as personal care products, insurance, jewellery, clocks and watches (+3.12%) and Recreation, Sport & Culture (+3.02%) showed marked year-on-year growth. By contrast, the price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (-0.26%) decreased. The CPI-A and CPI-B went up by 0.97% and 1.13% year-on-year respectively.

When compared to February this year, the Composite CPI fell by 0.18% in March. Price index of Recreation, Sport & Culture (-4.63%) saw a month-on-month drop as travel-related consumption demand reduced after the Chinese New Year. Price index of Transport (-0.91%) decreased month-on-month as lower airfares offset the rise in gasoline prices, whereas the price indices of Health (+0.33%), Household Furnishings & Services (+0.24%) and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+0.11%) increased. The CPI-A and CPI-B dipped by 0.11% and 0.22% month-on-month respectively.

For the 12 months ended March this year, the average Composite CPI rose by 0.53% from the previous period. The average CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 0.46% and 0.58% respectively over the previous period. For the first quarter of 2026, the average Composite CPI went up by 0.92% year-on-year; the average CPI-A and  CPI-B grew by 0.86% and 0.97% respectively.

DSEC compiles three separate CPI series to reflect the impact of price changes for goods/services on households of different expenditure ranges. The CPI-A and CPI-B cover about 50% and 30% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP11,000 - MOP35,999 and MOP36,000 - MOP71,999 respectively. Meanwhile, the Composite CPI covers all the abovementioned households; Housing & Fuels, Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages and Transport accounted for relatively large proportions of household expenditure, with respective weights of 34.47, 29.47 and 8.33.