Inflation rises to 3.3 percent in August

In August 2026, goods and services for consumers in the Netherlands were 3.3 percent more expensive than in August 2025. This is according to the Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) (Central Bureau of Statistics). In July 2026, inflation was still 3.2 percent.

The inflation in August is the same as in the previously published quick estimate. Each month, the CBS looks at how much more expensive goods and services have become compared to the same month a year earlier. In August, people in the Netherlands paid on average 0.3 percent more than in July 2026.

Prices rose mainly due to purchases that the Dutch made abroad, for example on vacation. Hotels, restaurants, groceries, and gasoline were more expensive there. These foreign prices were 7.4 percent higher than last year.

Gas in the Netherlands also became more expensive, which contributed to higher inflation. Looking at July and August 2026, prices rose by 0.3 percent in August. Normally, prices increase by 0.4 percent in August compared to July.

Due to sales, clothing is sometimes temporarily cheaper, but this is not permanent. The CBS calculates inflation in two ways: using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the European Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP). Inflation according to the HICP decreased in the Netherlands, from 3.0 percent in July to 2.8 percent in August.

This is because the HICP does not measure expenditures abroad. Across Europe, inflation actually increased, from 2.9 percent in July to 3.3 percent in August. Inflation in the eurozone was thus higher than in the Netherlands.

Prices of food, beverages, and tobacco fell in the Netherlands but rose in the eurozone. Energy prices rose more sharply in the eurozone than in the Netherlands. Starting from 2026, the CBS uses a new base year for the price index.

Until now, that was 2015; from 2026, it will be 2025.