Annual CPI Change for Grocery Categories (Mar 2024 vs Mar 2025)

When I noticed the price of my go-to chocolate biscuit had jumped from $5 to $6 in just a year, it felt like a small but personal shock. But as this chart reveals, it was part of a larger pattern. The CPI change across grocery categories between March 2024 and March 2025 shows that while some essentials like dairy and cereal experienced slight decreases or remained stable, other categories—particularly fresh produce, fruit, and meat—saw significant increases. These aren’t premium items; they are staples in everyday meals. The sharp uptick in categories like fruit and vegetables mirrors the rising totals I encountered during routine grocery trips. What initially seemed like a singular price surge in a favorite snack was actually a reflection of broader inflationary pressures affecting daily life. This visualisation helps translate a personal observation into economic context, showing how even modest grocery items can signal systemic changes in the cost of living across Australia.

CPI Trend: All Groups (2016–2025)

This visualisation tracks Australia’s annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) trend from 2016 to 2025 and provides essential context for understanding the rising grocery costs explored in the earlier chart. The steady and moderate inflation before 2020 gives way to a dramatic spike post-2021—peaking around 2022–2023 at nearly 8%. This surge marks a significant shift in the cost of living, likely driven by post-pandemic supply chain disruptions, global economic pressures, and domestic policy responses. While inflation begins to ease by 2024, the trendline remains well above pre-2020 levels, showing persistent economic pressure on households. The red dashed lines marking March 2024 and March 2025 correspond to the period during which I personally observed the price of my favorite chocolate biscuit jump by 20%. This wasn’t an isolated product hike—it was part of a broader national economic narrative. The graph reinforces that although inflation may appear to be cooling in 2025, its lingering effects are still felt deeply in everyday purchases, validating the sense of financial strain reflected in grocery receipts and daily spending.

Quarterly CPI Change by Capital City

This visualisation breaks down how inflation impacted different product categories across Australia’s capital cities in the March 2025 quarter. What’s immediately apparent is that inflation has not been experienced equally nationwide. For example, while food and non-alcoholic beverages saw moderate increases across all cities, the spikes in categories like housing and education are particularly sharp in Brisbane and Darwin—suggesting region-specific pressures driving up the overall cost of living. The chart highlights that while a 20% rise in the price of a single grocery item (like the iconic chocolate biscuit) may seem dramatic, it is part of a broader pattern where multiple essential goods are quietly becoming less affordable depending on location. The diversity in CPI values across categories and cities illustrates the complexity of inflation’s impact—not just by what Australians buy, but also where they live. This underscores why everyday Australians may feel the pressure of inflation differently, even when national averages suggest easing. It also reinforces the need for targeted economic responses, rather than one-size-fits-all solutions, to address the uneven burden of rising costs on households.

Conclusion

The analysis of Consumer Price Index (CPI) trends across grocery categories, capital cities, and overall national inflation paints a nuanced picture of Australia’s ongoing cost-of-living challenges. Although national inflation has gradually eased since its 2022 peak, the pressures on household budgets remain evident—especially in categories like food, housing, and education. Grocery inflation, in particular, continues to affect daily life, with fresh produce and meat experiencing notable year-over-year price increases.

Moreover, the data reveals that these price pressures vary significantly across Australia’s capital cities. Residents in cities such as Brisbane and Darwin are not only paying more for food but are also disproportionately impacted by surging costs in housing and education. This regional disparity highlights that inflation is not a uniform experience across the country, reinforcing the need for place-based economic responses.

The same iconic chocolate biscuit brand is cheaper in the UK than in Australia. It’s possible that Australian supermarket chains use psychological pricing strategies—offering small discounts (e.g., weekly 50% off)—to create an illusion of savings, thereby nudging consumers to purchase during promotions.

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). (2025). Consumer Price Index, Australia – March Quarter 2025. Retrieved from: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/price-indexes-and-inflation

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). (2025). Grocery Products Annual Movement Data (CPI). Accessed via ABS Tables: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). (2025). Quarterly Percentage Change by Capital City (CPI). Accessed via ABS Data Explorer.

Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). (2024). Statement on Monetary Policy – May 2024. Retrieved from: https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/smp/

Coles and Woolworths Online Catalogues. (2024–2025). Product price tracking for branded chocolate biscuits (March comparison).

Miah, A., & Jones, K. (2023). Understanding Grocery Inflation: Causes and Effects on Australian Households. ANU Economic Research Brief.