Food and rent prices rise in July

FOOD and rent prices increased last month while the cost of alcohol, clothes and petrol came down.

There was also a sharp increase of almost 12% in air fares last month, bringing the annual increase to 25%.

The latest inflation figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) offered some relief for consumers with some price declines in July. However the cost of living is still up 2.7% in the last year.