Consumer Price Index Monthly
Consumer Price Index, May 2026
This monthly release of the The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Canada, the provinces, Whitehorse and Yellowknife, provides a descriptive summary of retail price movements, inflation rates and the factors underlying them.
PEI and Canada Consumer Price Index
All-Items Consumer Price Index by Province
| May-26 | Apr-26 | May-25 | Year Over year Change (%) | Monthly Change (%) | |
| CA | 169.6 | 168.0 | 164.3 | 3.2% | 1.0% |
| NL | 170.7 | 168.9 | 163.5 | 4.4% | 1.1% |
| PE | 173.9 | 172.6 | 167.5 | 3.8% | 0.8% |
| NS | 175.5 | 173.7 | 166.9 | 5.2% | 1.0% |
| NB | 171.0 | 169.2 | 163.4 | 4.7% | 1.1% |
| QC | 166.7 | 165.2 | 160.9 | 3.6% | 0.9% |
| ON | 170.2 | 168.8 | 165.9 | 2.6% | 0.8% |
| MB | 171.8 | 170.3 | 164.2 | 4.6% | 0.9% |
| SK | 172.7 | 171.3 | 165.4 | 4.4% | 0.8% |
| AB | 178.3 | 176.6 | 171.9 | 3.7% | 1.0% |
| BC | 163.6 | 161.7 | 159.0 | 2.9% | 1.2% |
Statistics Canada reported that the year-over-year change in the All-Items Consumer Price Index (CPI) for P.E.I. was 3.8 percent in May 2026. This was the fifth lowest year-over-year increase among provinces. This is up from a 3.4 percent increase in April. Year-over-year prices rose at a faster pace in May than in April in all 10 provinces. Faster price growth continued to be driven by higher fuel prices due to the conflict in the Middle East. The change to the All-items index for P.E.I. as compared to April 2026 was 0.8 percent. This compares to 3.2 percent year-over-year and 1.0 percent monthly changes for Canada.
Leading contributors to year-over-year price increases for P.E.I. were gasoline (34.0%), followed by fuel oil and other fuels (59.3%), food purchased from restaurants (4.7%), purchase and operation of recreational vehicles (11.6%), and purchase and leasing of passenger vehicles (2.4%). These increases were partially offset by year-over-year declines for rent (-4.4%), traveler accommodation (-23.2%), mortgage interest cost1, financial services (-4.0%), and household appliances (-6.0%).
The monthly change in the All-Items CPI for PEI in May 2026 was 0.8 percent. Higher prices for gasoline (5.8%), telephone services (6.2%), inter-city transportation (5.5%), food purchased from restaurants (0.9%), and traveler accommodation (5.4%) were partially offset by declines for processed meat (-6.1%), rent (-0.5%), other food preparations1, household appliances (-2.3%), and fresh or frozen chicken (-7.6%).
Prices increased year-over-year in 6 of the 8 major CPI components, led by an 11.4 percent increase in transportation costs and 2.7 percent increases in both shelter and health and personal care costs. Energy2 costs increased 32.0 percent year-over-year, following a 26.6 percent increase in April.
The cost for food (from both stores and restaurants) increased by 2.4 percent as compared to May 2025. Food purchased from restaurants was up 4.7 percent year-over-year in May, up from a 4.0 percent increase in April. Food purchased from stores increased 0.7 percent, a slowdown from the 2.1 percent increase seen in April. Prices for meat products (2.8%), fish, seafood and other marine products (6.3%), dairy products and eggs (0.9%), bakery and cereal products excluding baby food (1.2%), and vegetables and vegetable preparations (0.4%) rose at a slower pace in May than in April, while price growth increased for fruit, fruit preparations and nuts (0.7%). Prices for other food products and non-alcoholic beverages (-0.8%) declined on a year-over-year basis in May.
May 2026 Prince Edward Island CPI, Eight Major Components and Energy
| Prince Edward Island CPI Major Components and Energy | |||||||||
| Food | Household operations, furnishings & equipment | Shelter | Clothing & Footwear | Transportation | Health & Personal Care | Recreation, Education, & Reading | Alcohol, Tobacco, & Cannibis | Energy | |
| May-26 | 213.4 | 141.3 | 184.9 | 103.9 | 191.3 | 162.0 | 130.8 | 236.8 | 295.0 |
| Apr-26 | 212.9 | 140.3 | 185.7 | 102.0 | 187.0 | 163.1 | 128.5 | 234.4 | 284.8 |
| May-25 | 208.5 | 141.5 | 180.0 | 101.9 | 171.7 | 157.7 | 128.1 | 237.9 | 223.5 |
| Year Over year Change (%) | 2.4% | -0.1% | 2.7% | 2.0% | 11.4% | 2.7% | 2.1% | -0.5% | 32.0% |
| Monthly Change (%) | 0.2% | 0.7% | -0.4% | 1.9% | 2.3% | -0.7% | 1.8% | 1.0% | 3.6% |
Excluding energy, PEI’s CPI increased 1.1 percent year-over-year, the lowest among provinces. The year-over-year increase in the All-items excluding energy index for Canada was 2.1 percent.
May 2026 CPI All-Items and All-Items Excluding Energy, Year-Over-Year Change, Canada and Provinces
NATIONAL
Nationally, the All-Items CPI rose 3.2 percent on a year-over-year basis in May, up from a 2.8 percent increase in April. Faster price growth was due mainly to an increase in gasoline prices. However, excluding gasoline, the national CPI still rose at a faster pace year-over-year in May (2.2%) than in April (2.0%).
Consumers paid 5.6 percent more at the pump in May as compared to April. Supply uncertainty stemming from the conflict in the Middle East, specifically the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, put upward pressure on gasoline prices for the third consecutive month.
Year-over-year prices rose at a faster pace in May as compared to April in four of the eight major components.
On a monthly basis nationally, the All-Items CPI increased 1.0 percent following a 0.4 percent increase in April.
For more information on the May 2026 CPI, as well as links to data tables, please refer to Statistics Canada’s release for the Consumer Price Index, May 2026.
Related downloads for this release:
Monthly Consumer Price Index Report PDF (87KB)
1 Data not published at the provincial level.
2 The special aggregate "energy" includes: "electricity", "natural gas", "fuel oil and other fuels", "gasoline", and "fuel, parts and accessories for recreational vehicles".
Visit the Consumer Price Index Portal to find all CPI data, publications, interactive tools, and announcements highlighting new products and upcoming changes to the CPI in one convenient location.
The CPI for June 2026 will be released on July 20, 2026.
Source: Statistics Canada.
Table 18-10-0004-01, Consumer Price Index, monthly, not seasonally adjusted