CPI inflation in October: Telangana at 7.26%, Andhra Pradesh at 7.25%, both above India’s 6.09%; onions up 116%

Prices in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana climbed faster in October than in almost any other large state. CPI inflation stood at 7.26% in Telangana and 7.25% in Andhra Pradesh, against an all-India rate of 6.09%, in provisional figures the National Statistics Office (NSO) released on Thursday, 12 November.

Among states with a population above 50 lakh, only Tamil Nadu, at 7.29%, was higher. Madhya Pradesh (7.19%) and Odisha (7.17%) complete the top five. Both Telugu states sat lower in September, when the provisional figures published on 12 October put Telangana at 6.64% and Andhra Pradesh at 6.29%.

The national rate is now above 6%, the upper edge of the 2-6% band around the 4% target the Reserve Bank of India is required to hold. On the new 2024 base it has gone up every month of 2026, from 2.74% in January to 5.54% in September and 6.09% in October.

Villages feel it more

The climb is steeper outside the cities. Rural Telangana recorded 8.05%, the highest rural rate for any state or Union Territory in the release, and rural Andhra Pradesh was at 7.81%. Urban inflation was 6.68% in Telangana and 6.37% in Andhra Pradesh. Across India, rural prices rose 6.63% and urban prices 5.41%.

Food led the way. The Consumer Food Price Index was 8.94% higher than a year earlier, up from 7.74% in September. Onions cost 116.22% more than in October 2025, garlic 60.74% more, ginger 48.32% and lemons 47.30%. Silver jewellery was up 52.39%. A few vegetables moved the other way: potatoes were 14.24% cheaper, cauliflower 10.57% and coconut 5.60%.

What it means for a household budget

Put simply, a basket of goods and services that cost Rs 10,000 in October 2025 would cost about Rs 10,609 at the all-India rate, and close to Rs 10,725 in either Telugu state. Restaurant and accommodation services rose 10.06%. Housing, water, electricity and gas went up only 2.90%, health 2.05% and education 4.02%.

NSO field staff collected prices from 1,407 urban markets, online sellers among them, and 1,465 villages, with a full response in both, the office said in its October release. It cautioned that some state-level item indices rest on thin samples. October’s numbers are provisional, and the index for November is due on Monday, 14 December.