Is inflation making you poorer?

Food - all food and non-alcoholic drinks consumed at home; not take aways. Meals out - include take aways, exclude alcoholic drinks. Alcohol - include all bought for consumption at home or away from home. Phone charges - include mobile phones and internet access. Clothing and footwear - exclude accessories. Fuel for transport - include lubricants. Rail and bus fares include tram/ tube fares, car hire, taxis. Other expenditure - include housekeeping, personal posessions - excluding electrical goods - and costs for professional, financial, household, health and beauty and entertainment services.

Council tax - rates if you live in N Ireland. House insurance and water - include sewage costs plus ground rent. Housing repairs - include goods and services, exclude major repairs and improvements such as extensions. Vehicle repairs - include goods and services. UK and foreign holidays and airfares - exclude work-related travel. Furnishings and electrical goods - include floor coverings, audio-visual and computer equipment, exclude gas appliances, cameras or equipment for hobbies or sports.


Value of your property - an estimated total current value, include all properties if you own more than one. Value of outstanding mortgage - total outstanding amount on any mortgages you have. Rent (per month) - exclude utilities and ground rent, include university accommodation fees. Where you live - if more than one property, choose region of principal residence.

Inflation is the rate of change in the level of prices for goods and services, which affects the purchasing power of money. The official consumer inflation figures (RPI and CPI) measure the change in prices charged for goods and services bought by households in the UK. It is based on average spending patterns for UK households.

What do my results mean?

Your personal inflation rate reflects the impact of changing prices on you or your household, taking into account your personal spending pattern.

So if you spend relatively more on items with higher price increases, such as petrol and food, you will have a personal inflation rate that is higher than the official CPI or RPI figures suggest.

Similarly, if you spend relatively more on items with lower price increases, or even price decreases, you will experience a lower personal inflation rate (examples of such items include computers, audio visual equipment and clothing).

The inflation calculator deals only with your expenditure and does not include your income. If your total income is not increasing at the same rate as your personal inflation rate then you will be worse off.

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