Prices rose 0.2 per cent from January to February, the latest Government statistics have revealed.

And year-on-year to February, the cost of a standard basket of goods used to calculate the Consumer Price Index went up by 1.6 per cent.

The health and personal care sector was the biggest contributor to the increase, going up by 7.3 per cent.

Food prices also went up 3.6 per cent in the year to February, while household goods, services and communications rose by 1.4 per cent.

The inflation level also increased, after three months of decline, increasing to 0.2 per cent to 1.6 per cent between January and February.

The transport and vehicles sector logged a 1.9 per cent increase in February after a 1.7 per cent fall in January.

But the capital cost of cars declined by 0.2 per cent.

And foreign travel costs, including airfares and accommodation, rose 5.5 per cent between the first two months of the year.

Food prices rose by 0.2 per cent in February — with pineapples, fresh wahoo and fresh and frozen pork chops all rising in price.

The cost of tobacco and liquor also rose month on month, up 0.1 per cent. A drop in the cost of liquor of 0.4 per cent was offset by an average increase of 0.5 per cent in the price of cigarettes.

Rental costs remained unchanged between January and February, although the price of repairs and maintenance increased by 0.4 per cent.