SINGAPORE - Households had to shell out more for cars, food, petrol, accommodation and tuition, plus other fees, in the first half of this year as overall inflation rose 1.5 per cent year on year.

These price increases were partially offset by cheaper electricity, clothing and footwear.

The growth in overall inflation was partly due to low base effects as all-items inflation had fallen by 0.2 per cent year on year in the same period last year, said the Department of Statistics (SingStat) on Friday (July 23).

Inflation climbed by 0.9 per cent year on year for the lowest 20 per cent of household income groups and 1.4 per cent for the middle 60 per cent.

The hike was 1.9 per cent for the highest 20 per cent of household income groups.

If imputed rents on owner-occupied accommodation are excluded, inflation increased by 0.8 per cent for the lowest 20 per cent of income groups, stayed the same at 1.4 per cent for the middle group and rose to 2.2 per cent for the top 20 per cent.

SingStat noted that the bottom 20 per cent of income groups saw the smallest increase excluding owner-occupied accommodation, compared with the middle and highest groups.

This was because lower costs of electricity had a larger dampening impact on the bottom group, since electricity constituted a higher share of the group's expenditure basket.

Higher car and petrol prices had a smaller impact, given that these items accounted for a smaller share of the group's expenditure basket.