Personal inflation
Inflation is usually defined as the average rise in prices paid by the ‘average’ consumer. The UK CPI rate of inflation is calculated by using information about how much money was spent on thousands of different goods and services in the previous year. But how applicable is the rate of inflation experienced by the average consumer to our personal experience? We’ve calculated inflation rates for different deciles of household income. We’ve done the same for different age cohorts. Historically, the difference in inflation experienced by different groups has been relatively small. The youngest and lowest income households have tended to experience a slightly higher rate of inflation because inflation has tended to be higher for fuels, food and other commodities which account for a higher proportion of their regular spending.
Interestingly, this year, that trend has reversed. Inflation has been higher in the discretionary goods and services on which wealthier and middle-aged households spend a greater proportion of their income – items such as cars, furniture, UK hotels and recreation.
Personal inflation calculator
How applicable is the national rate of inflation to you? We’ve created a personal inflation calculator to help you compare your personal inflation rate to that experienced by the average consumer.
Based on your spending, your inflation rate is
0.0%The national average is currently
4.0% (Based on CPI figure)Your inflation compared to the national average is
0.0%Your inflation rate is
0.0%Compared to national average 0.0%
2 and below: the calculator shows your indicative personal inflation rate relative to the average consumer. Your rate will be influenced by how much you spend and what you spend it on. To understand more about inflation view our inflation hub and read our report ‘Under pressure? What drives inflation and where it’s heading’ 2 – 4: the calculator shows your indicative personal inflation rate relative to the average consumer. Your rate will be influenced by how much you spend and what you spend it on. To understand more about inflation view our inflation hub and read our report ‘Under pressure? What drives inflation and where it’s heading’ 4 – 6: the calculator shows your indicative personal inflation rate relative to the average consumer. Your rate will be influenced by how much you spend and what you spend it on. To understand more about inflation view our inflation hub and read our report ‘Under pressure? What drives inflation and where it’s heading’ 6 – 8: the calculator shows your indicative personal inflation rate relative to the average consumer. Your rate will be influenced by how much you spend and what you spend it on. To understand more about inflation view our inflation hub and read our report ‘Under pressure? What drives inflation and where it’s heading’ 8 and above: the calculator shows your indicative personal inflation rate relative to the average consumer. Your rate will be influenced by how much you spend and what you spend it on. To understand more about inflation view our inflation hub and read our report ‘Under pressure? What drives inflation and where it’s heading’