The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward area rose 0.4 percent during the two months ending August 2025, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Chris Rosenlund, Regional Commissioner, stated that “the index for all items less food and energy rose 0.5 percent during the two-month period.” Over the same period, the food index increased by 0.6 percent while the energy index dropped by 2.0 percent.
For the year ending in August, overall prices in the San Francisco area climbed 2.5 percent. The core index—excluding food and energy—increased by 2.4 percent over this timeframe, with food prices rising 3.5 percent and energy costs increasing slightly by 0.7 percent.
Within the food category for the past two months, grocery store purchases saw a price increase of 0.5 percent as five out of six major grocery groups recorded higher prices. Eating out costs also went up by 0.7 percent.
Annual figures show grocery store prices grew by 4.3 percent while eating out rose by 2.7 percent over twelve months.
Energy prices fell over the last two months mainly due to a drop in gasoline prices of 3.9 percent; however, on an annual basis, gasoline was down just 1.8 percent while overall energy edged up slightly at 0.7 percent.
Excluding food and energy, apparel experienced a notable price rise of 6.2 percent from June to August, shelter increased marginally at 0.2 percent, while recreation saw a decline of 1.6 percent.
Looking at annual changes within this group, household furnishings and operations were up by 5.3 percent and shelter rose by 1.7 percent; apparel decreased significantly by 11 percent over twelve months.
The Bureau noted that these local-area indexes are more volatile than national or regional indexes due to smaller sample sizes and lack of seasonal adjustment; they measure only changes in average local prices since their base period rather than differences between cities.
The next CPI release for San Francisco is scheduled for November 13, covering October data.
The San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward metropolitan area includes Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties in California.
More details about methodology can be found in the BLS data query tools, national CPI news release technical note or Handbook of Methods.
Individuals needing accessible formats may contact BLS via phone or Telecommunications Relay Service as listed in the release.
