The cost of living index for August rose to 117.9 compared to 117.3 in July, recording a 0.5 percent increase, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said. The Department of Public Statistics and Information at the Ministry of Economy and Planning has attributed the rise to increases in the main classification groups of the index. The classification group that includes renovation, rent, fuel and water increased by 0.8%; food and drinks rose 1.0%; home furniture rose by 0.4%; textiles, clothes and shoes rose 0.2% ; medical care group increased by 0.1 %, while education, recreation and other commodities and services remained at their previous prices. Compared to 2007, the Kingdom's August 2008 cost of living index recorded a 10.9 percent increase, an increase which has been put down to price rises in the main eight classification groups constituting the index. The group of renovation, rent, fuel and water increased by 18.5%; food and drinks increased by 15.8 percent. Other commodities and services increased by 13.4 percent; medical care increased by 2.6 percent; home furniture rose 6.7 percent; education and recreation rose by 3.1 percent; textiles, clothes, and shoes rose 0.9 percent, while transportation saw an increase of 0.3 percent. __
