You'll have to pay more for this Leisure time is getting more expensive - electronics cheaper

In September 2024, prices for leisure goods in Switzerland rose by 1.4%. While travel has become cheaper in the short term, the cost of culture and entertainment has continued to rise in the long term.

In September 2024, prices for leisure goods in Switzerland rose by 1.4% compared to the same month last year. This is shown by the leisure price index from the online comparison service comparis.ch. It shows how inflation has developed in the areas of leisure and culture as well as gastronomy and travel in Switzerland.

The national consumer price index (CPI) of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) shows a current annual inflation rate of 0.8 percent*. However, leisure goods have become cheaper in the short term: Compared to August 2024, prices in the index basket of goods have fallen disproportionately, namely by 1.7% (CPI: minus 0.3%).

Travel pulls leisure index down in the short term

"Travel prices in particular are subject to seasonal fluctuations. This pulls the leisure index down compared to the previous month," says Comparis expert Adi Kolecic. Consumers paid 7.1 percent less for air travel than in August. Package tours also became cheaper, namely by 7.0 percent. The most significant short-term price decline was in the para-hotel sector, where prices fell by 11.2 percent. The para-hotel sector includes vacation apartments, campsites and youth hostels.

In the long term, however, leisure prices have risen significantly. Compared to September 2019, the Comparis Leisure Price Index rose by 7.6% (CPI: plus 6.0%).

Price war in the electronics trade lowers prices

People who spent money on radio and television reception last month had to dig much deeper into their wallets than a year ago. The price rose by 7.8 percent. This is mainly due to price increases for streaming services such as Netflix and Spotify. Prices for mountain railroads and ski lifts have also risen by 4.1 percent. This puts us in second place in the inflation charts. The price increase for package tours (plus 3.4 percent) was the third highest.

Electronic goods, on the other hand, became cheaper: 12 months ago, consumers paid significantly more for computers and accessories than in September 2024. According to the Comparis analysis, prices have fallen by 7.9% compared to the previous year. The prices of television and audio-visual equipment fell the second most, by 6.9% compared to September 2023.

"An important reason for the falling prices of electronic goods is the fierce competition among online retailers and large electronics markets. Costs have also been reduced by relocating production to Asia," says Kolecic. In the long term, the price erosion for electronic goods is even more pronounced: prices for computers and accessories have fallen by 22.6% within five years. TV and audio-video devices are 18.4 percent cheaper than in September 2019. In the last 20 years, electronics prices have even fallen by around 80 percent.

"Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets are increasingly taking over the functions of traditional computers, as well as some televisions and audio devices. This is leading to lower demand for electronic goods," says the Comparis expert. The markets for PCs and consumer electronics in particular have been very volatile in recent years. "During the Covid pandemic, there was a huge boom in demand for electronics due to working from home and home entertainment. After that, PC sales in particular fell sharply," says Kolecic.

Highest inflation among single-person households aged 65 and over

Over the last 12 months, single-person households aged 65 and over have experienced the highest inflation. They are currently experiencing an inflation rate of 1.9 percent compared to the previous year.

However, life became cheaper for them in September compared to the previous month, with a drop of 1.5%.

In purely arithmetical terms, couples with children felt the least impact in percentage terms by household type. With an index level of 108.0, the perceived inflation for them over the last 12 months was 1.2 percent.