Consumer prices in Rwanda’s urban areas rose by 19.5% in October 2026, up from 17.2% in September, as fresh product prices recorded a sharp annual increase of 39.9%, according to the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR).
The figures, published in Kigali on Tuesday, November 10, showed that consumer prices continued to rise, with food and non-alcoholic beverages among the main contributors to the increase.
NISR reported that food and non-alcoholic beverage prices increased by 28.9% compared with October 2025, up from an annual increase of 20.9% recorded in September.
The latest figures also showed that transport prices rose by 22.4%, while restaurant and hotel prices increased by 20.6%. Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels recorded a 14.2% increase over the same period.
On a monthly basis, consumer prices in urban areas increased by 3.3% between September and October 2026, largely driven by a 7.8% rise in food and non-alcoholic beverage prices.
The report further indicated that locally produced goods recorded an annual price increase of 22.8%, compared with 9.5% for imported products.
Fresh products experienced an even sharper increase, with prices rising by 39.9% over the year and 11.1% compared with September.
Meanwhile, inflation excluding fresh products and energy reached 11.5%, indicating that price increases extended beyond the most volatile categories.
The situation was more pronounced in rural areas, where inflation rose from 22% in September to 31.3% in October, an increase of 9.3 percentage points in just one month.
This contrasts with urban areas, where annual inflation increased by 2.3 percentage points over the same period.
The figures highlight growing pressure on household purchasing power, particularly as rising food and essential service costs continue to affect everyday spending across the country.
RADIOTV10