The Extended National Consumer Price Index 15 (IPCA-15) is 0.76% in February, standing 0.21 percentage points (p.p.) above the January figure (0.55%).

In the year, the IPCA-15 has a cumulative increase of 1.31%. The cumulative IPCA-15 in the last 12 months is 5.63%, below the rate of 5.87% recorded in the immediately previous 12 months. In February 2022, the IPCA-15 was 0.99%.

Dos nove grupos de produtos e serviços pesquisados, oito tiveram alta em fevereiro. A exceção foi Vestuário, cujos preços recuaram 0,05% após a alta de 0,42% em janeiro. A maior variação e o maior impacto no índice do mês vieram de Education accounted for the biggest change and impact in the month (6.41% and 0.36 p.p), respectively). In the second position is Housing (0,63% e 0,10 p.p.), (0.63% and 0.10 p.p.), which accelerated from the previous month (0.17%), followed by Food and beverages, which rose 0.39% and accounted for 0.08 p.p. in February. The other groups stood between 0.08% in Transportation and 0.078% in Communication.

The main contribution to Education (6.41%) came from regular courses (7.64%), due to price adjustments usually effected in the start of the school year.  The main changes were those in high school (10.29%),  elementary school (10.04%),  pre-school (9.58%) and  nursery school (7.28%). Higher education (5.33%), technical course (4.50%) and post-graduate courses (3.47%) also registered increases.

Housing (0.63%) accelerated in relation to the previous month (0.17%), influenced by hikes in  residential rent (0.89%) and condominium fees (0.62%).  Water and sewage rate (1.32%) also registered increases in February, as a consequence of the price adjustment: Belo Horizonte (8.28%): 14.62%, starting on January 1st;  Brasília (5.50%): 9.51%, on January 1st; Fortaleza (1.72%): 3.54%, on January 28; Salvador (4.89%): 11.81%, on January 30.

In addition to that, it is worth mentioning the result of the subitem  piped gas (1.50%), as a result of the rise of 4.22% in Rio de Janeiro, where the rise of 9.00% was registered on January 1st, and afterwards, a decrease of 2.86% starting on February 1st, and 4.60% in Curitiba, which recorded an increase of  13.34% as a result of the price adjustment in fares and the change in the form of chanrge, from February 1st on.  In São Paulo (-0.71%), the decrease of 0.71% from January 1st on had not been incorporated into IPCA-15 in January and was fully integrated into the IPCA-15 of February.

Also in Housing, electricity rose 0.35%, after a decrease of 0.16% in the previous months.  The results by area ranged between -3.44% in Brasília and 5.99% in Salvador, where the ICMS tax went back to the level of 27% on January 1st.

The change in Food and beverages (0.39%) stood below that registered in January (0.55%). The prices of  food at home rose 0.38%, influenced by rises in  carrots (24.25%),  green vegetables  (8.71%),  long life milk (3.63%),  rice (2.75%) and  fruit (2.33%). In terms of decreases, the fall of prices of onions (-19.11%),  tomato (-4.56%),  chicken pieces (-1.98%) and meat (-0.87%) stood out. 

Food away from home (0.40%) stood close to that result in the previous month (0.39%). Snacks rose 0.78% and meals, 0.16%. 

Transportion decelerated from January  (0.17%) to February (0.08%), as a result of the decrease of 9.45% in the prices of airfares. All fuels  (-0.28%) recorded fall of prices in February: ethanol (-1.65%), vehicle gas (-1.59%), diesel (-0.59%) and gasoline (-0.04%). It is worth highlighting the rise in the sub-item car licensing (1.62%) stood as as it incorporated the monhtly share relative to the IPVA (vehicle tax) of 2023.

Also in the case of  Transportation, the rise of 0.99% in urban buses resulted from the increase of 6.17% in fares in  Rio de Janeiro (4.88%), in effect since January 7th. The rise of 1.34% in the subitem train fares also reflects price adjustment observed in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro (3.40%): the fares for the population in general were revised by 48% from February 9 on.  It is worth mentioning the change of 2.11% in taxis, as a result of price adjustments of 16.74% in Salvador (8.28%), in effect since December 30, and of 8.88% in Rio de Janeiro (5.15%), since January 1st. 

In the group of Communication (0.78%), the result was influenced by the rises in subscription TV (2.50%), telephone, Internet and subscription TV combo (1.35%), Internet access (0.66%).

Regarding regional indexes, all the areas surveyed recorded rises of prices in February.  The highest change was reported in Salvador (1.19%), due to the rises in regular courses (7.84%),  electricity (5.99%) and gasoline (5.16%). The lowest result was regiatered in Goiânia (0.41%), with contributions of gasoline (3.07%) and electricity (2.49%).  

In order to measure IPCA-15, prices collected from January 13 to February 10, 2023 (reference) were compared with the ones in effect from December 14 2022 to January 12, 2023 (base). The indicator refers to households with monthly income of 1 to 40 minimum wages and it encompasses the metropolitan areas of Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, Recife, São Paulo, Belém, Fortaleza, Salvador, Curitiba, besides Brasília and the municipality of Goiânia. The methodology is the same as the one used for the IPCA; the difference lies in the period of price collection and in the geographic coverage.