Food and non-food prices each increased by 0.9% on the month in January, while service prices advanced 0.7%, the statistics institute INS said.
Romanians paid by 6.4% more for fresh and canned vegetables in January compared with a month earlier, while fresh fruit prices increased 3.1%.
Tobacco and cigarette prices rose 3% on the month, while fuel prices were up 1.1%, the data showed.
In the services sector, postal service prices increased 5.5% in January from a month earlier, while water and sewage services were 1.3% more expensive.
Romania’s harmonized index of consumer prices, or HICP, inched up 3.6% at the end of January, from 3.2% the month before.
The central bank last week revised upward its year-end inflation forecast to 3.5% this year from 3% previously, citing upside pressure from higher excise duties and a newly announced tax on fuels, as well as external uncertainties.
The bank expects the annual rate will slow to historical lows of 0.6%-0.7% in the first quarter of 2014 before returning inside the bank’s target range of 1.5%-3.5%.