WASHINGTON — Housing and food cost more in October. Consumer prices rose 0.4% on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday, down from a 0.6% rise in September for the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers.
Shelter accounted for more than 30% of the October increase. Its index rose 0.3% for the month, after a 0.4% rise in September.
Food prices climbed 0.5%, after no change in September. Groceries cost more, too. The food at home index was up 0.4%, and eating out got pricier as the food away from home index rose 0.5%.
Four of the six major grocery groups rose in October. The index for other food at home jumped 0.7%, helped by a 1% rise for snacks. Meats, poultry, fish and eggs rose 0.5%, with beef up 0.9%. Fruits and vegetables and dairy products each gained 0.6%.
Not everything went up at the supermarket. Nonalcoholic beverages fell 0.3%, after a 0.9% rise in September. Cereals and bakery products were flat.
At restaurants, full service meals rose 0.7% and limited service meals rose 0.4%.
Energy rose 0.7% in October. That was a much smaller move than September’s 5.2% jump. Gasoline rose 1%, down sharply from 9.1% the month before, and electricity rose 0.9%. Natural gas went the other way, falling 0.8%.
Strip out food and energy and prices still rose 0.3%. The index for all items less food and energy rose at that same pace in September and in August.
Within shelter, owners’ equivalent rent rose 0.3% and rent rose 0.2%. Lodging away from home rose 0.6%, after a 2% rise in September.
Elsewhere, recreation rose 0.8% and motor vehicle insurance jumped 0.7%. Medical care and education each rose 0.3%. Household furnishings and operations rose 0.2%, as did new vehicles. Apparel, personal care and airline fares rose, too.
Hospital services rose 0.8% in October. Physicians’ services rose 0.4%, and prescription drugs rose 0.3%.
Two major indexes fell. Used cars and trucks dropped 1.2%, after rising 0.7% in September, and communication fell 0.1%.
The bureau could not publish most 12-month changes for October. It did not collect survey data for October 2025 because of a lapse in appropriations, so October 2025 indexes are missing for most series. Where a comparison could be made, gasoline was up 37.4% over the year, new vehicles were up 0.7%, and used cars and trucks were down 3.3%.
Before seasonal adjustment, the index rose 0.2% in October to 337.511. For urban wage earners and clerical workers, the bureau’s separate index rose 0.1% before seasonal adjustment, to 331.147.
The bureau will publish the November figures on Thursday, Dec. 10, at 8:30 a.m. ET.