Brunei’s consumer prices rose 0.1% year-on-year in May 2026, unchanged from April, marking a second straight month of inflation. Price gains were recorded in food and non-alcoholic beverages (1.2% vs 0.8% in April), furnishings and household maintenance (0.2% vs 0.8%), health (0.4% vs 0.4%), transport (0.4% vs 0.1%), and restaurants and hotels (0.4% vs 0.5%). Housing and utilities costs were up 0.2%, after a 0.4% increase in April, while education inflation was steady at 0.3%.
By contrast, several categories continued to post price declines, including communication (-3.4% vs -3.4%), recreation and culture (-1.0% vs -1.2%), and miscellaneous goods and services (-0.6% vs -0.5%). Clothing and footwear prices dropped 1.5%, reversing April’s 3.2% increase. On a monthly basis, the CPI slipped 0.1%, after a 0.5% rise in April.
