The price of milk, beer and eggs has increased faster in Canberra than any other Australian capital city since June 2011, while beef is more expensive here than elsewhere.
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On the flipside, pork is cheapest in Canberra and the price is falling at a more rapid rate than in other capital cities. The price of bread also decreased faster here than elsewhere during a 7½-year period.
The Sunday Canberra Times analysed the Australian Bureau of Statistics' last average retail prices data, from June 2011, and used the bureau's consumer price index figures from the December 2018 quarter to determine how the price of some products changed over time.
Only goods that were in both datasets were used in the analysis.
The analysis showed Canberra's petrol prices went up 13.4 per cent over the 7½ years – easily the biggest increase among capital cities.
The ACT's stubbornly high fuel prices have angered drivers so much they're now the subject of a Legislative Assembly inquiry, and, as Chief Minister Andrew Barr has warned, could lead to a "dramatic government intervention".
While petrol prices are squarely in our politicians' sights, it seems Canberrans also get a rough deal on other products.
Eggs are more expensive here than in other cities – their price rose 9.7 per cent, the most during the analysis period.
Beer cost an average 35.5 per cent more here in the December 2018 quarter than it did in the July 2011 quarter. But despite the fastest price growth, Canberra's beer is still cheaper than that of Darwin or Hobart.
The price of milk also jumped 5.3 per cent; more than double the 2.2 per cent growth rate in Sydney, which had the next biggest gains. The price even decreased significantly in Darwin, where it fell 8.4 per cent, and Brisbane, where it dropped 5.9 per cent.
Beef prices increased by 25 per cent – the second slowest growth rate across the board. However, it's more expensive in Canberra than elsewhere, with Brisbane's prices the next highest.
Breakfast cereal became cheaper in all Australian capital cities, but it's more more expensive in Canberra than any of the others.
It's not all bad news though. Pork prices dropped 10.5 per cent during the analysis period, giving Canberrans the cheapest chops of all Australian capital cities. The cost rose in every other capital city except Adelaide, which had a marginal decrease of 1.3 per cent.
Bread, meanwhile, was 7.9 per cent cheaper in Canberra during the final quarter of 2018 than it was midway through 2011. You can still find more affordable loaves in Brisbane and Perth, though.
AMP chief economist Shane Oliver said income levels, transportation costs and levels of competition were the main factors that caused discrepancies in prices between different areas.
Mr Oliver said in some cases retailers were likely taking note of what Canberrans, with the highest average incomes in Australia, were willing to pay for a product and charging higher prices accordingly.
He said smaller cities like the capital also generally had less competition than larger cities like Sydney and Melbourne, meaning there was not as much pressure on retailers to charge competitive prices.
"My best guess is that [the products increasing in price faster in Canberra] reflect the higher income levels," Mr Oliver said.
"I think that would account for a lot of it, but there are other factors that go into it."
Transportation costs could explain the higher price of eggs in Canberra. The ACT government has banned battery-cage egg production, but can't prevent cage eggs produced elsewhere being sold here.
with Markus Mannheim
