Saturday, Jun 11, 2011
BEIRUT (Zawya Dow Jones)--Saudi Arabia's cost-of-living index rose 0.4% to 133.7 points in May from 133.2 points in the previous month, the kingdom's Central Department of Statistics and Information, or CDSI, said Saturday.
The increase was driven by a rise of 4.9% in the prices of personal goods, a 0.7% increase in rent, and a 0.2% increase in the prices of textiles, clothing and footwear, according to the CDSI report posted on its website.
Home furnishing and transport expenses each rose 0.2% and also contributed to the hike of the cost-of-living index, the report said.
The CDSI said that the cost-of-living index in May is higher 4.6% compared with the same month a year earlier.
The oil-rich Gulf state is the largest Arab economy.
By Shikrallah Nakhoul, Zawya Dow Jones, +961 1 985757, shikrallah@zawya.com
Copyright (c) 2011 Dow Jones & Co.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
11-06-11 1159GMT
