Rate Of Inflation Drops To 4-Year Low: See How Prices In CA Compare

CALIFORNIA — Grocery prices in the Golden State remained about the same in April, according to a better-than-expected inflation report that shows President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs weren’t felt at checkout counters last month.

The Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index report released Tuesday showed inflation was up 2.3 percent from a year ago, and down slightly from 2.4 percent in March. That's the lowest 12-month inflation rate in more than four years.

However, the report showed some regional differences. In the Los Angeles region, April inflation was 3 percent, unchanged from March and down slightly from 3.1 percent in February.

In the San Francisco area, inflation rose by 1.3% over a one-year period that ended in April, according to the report.

Overall, grocery prices dipped 0.4 percent, in part by a big 12.7 percent fall in the price of eggs — the biggest decline in food costs at home since September 2020, the government said.

Here’s a look at how costs have changed on staples in California consumers’ grocery carts:

• Bacon: The cost of this standard breakfast meat is up 3.9 percent from a year ago and down 1.0 percent from March.
• Breakfast cereal: The cost of cereal has fallen 2.6 percent from this time a year ago and 2.5 percent since March.
• Bread: The cost of a slice of toast for a sandwich went up with bread prices up 1.9 percent from last April and 1.6 percent since March. White bread is the most affordable choice.
• Milk: The cost of milk increased 3.9 percent over the past year and 0.7 percent since April.
• Coffee: The price of roasted coffee is up 9.1 percent from a year ago and 2.4 percent since March.
• Lettuce: The salad staple costs 6.4 percent less than it did a year ago, but is up 0.3 percent since March.
• Fresh tomatoes: The cost is down 6.4 percent from a year ago and 1.1 percent from March.
• Potatoes: The cost is 0.5 percent less than in April 2024, but 0.3 percent more than in March.
• Other fresh vegetables: It costs 0.6 percent less than a year ago to put fresh vegetables on the table. Prices declined 1.3 percent from March.
• Apples: The cost of apples increased 6.8 percent from April 2024, and were up 2.8 percent since March.
• Bananas: Prices were unchanged from April 2024 to April 2025 overall, but went up 1.2 percent from March to April of this year.
• Citrus fruits (including oranges and tangerines): Prices decreased 0.7 percent over the past year and by 2.8 percent since March.
• Ground beef: The cost of this staple is up 10 percent from this time last year, and remained uncharged from March to April.
• Fresh chicken: The cost of a bird, whether whole or cut up, has increased 2.7 percent since last year, and 0.3 percent since March. Whole chickens are the most affordable option.
• Wine at home: The cost of wine is down 0.4 percent from last April and 0.8 percent from March.
• Beer at home: Beer costs 1.4 percent more than it did a year ago, but 0.8 percent less than in March.
• Distilled spirits at home: Whiskey costs 2.6 percent more than a year ago, but 0.5 percent less than it did in March. Other spirits cost 2.4 percent more than a year ago and 0.7 percent more than in March.
• Baby food and formula: Prices are up 1.2 percent from a year ago and 0.9 percent from March.

The report suggests the tariffs haven't yet impacted the prices of many items. Clothing costs fell 0.2 percent from March to April, while new car prices were unchanged. Furniture costs jumped 1.5 percent, however.

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices were also muted, rising 2.8 percent in April compared with a year ago, the same as in March. On a monthly basis, they increased a mild 0.2 percent. Economists watch core prices because they typically provide a better read on where prices are headed.

Only some early tariffs imposed by Trump were in effect in April, including 25 percent duties on steel and aluminum and 25 percent on some imports from Canada and Mexico. Trump's initial 20 percent import taxes on goods from China were also in place. The steel and aluminum duties will take time to affect consumer products, such as cars, and may not affect retail prices for months.

Trump announced a universal 10 percent tariff that took effect April 5. His huge 145 percent import taxes on Chinese goods were reduced to 30 percent in a deal announced Monday.

Still, economists say average tariffs are now at about 18 percent, roughly six times higher than before Trump took office and the highest in about 90 years.

Items that were already in transit when the tariffs were imposed won’t have to pay the duties, while many companies have built a stockpile of goods and could hold off on price hikes in hopes that tariffs will ultimately be reduced.

Still, some companies have raised prices and others have said they plan to do so as a result of the duties. Mattel Inc., the maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars, said earlier this month it would have to raise prices on some products to offset tariffs. The company makes 40 percent of its products in China.

Tool maker Stanley Black & Decker said it raised prices in April and plans to do so again in the July-September quarter because of higher tariffs. And executives at Procter & Gamble, the consumer products giant that makes household name brands such as Crest toothpaste, Tide detergent, and Charmin toilet paper said last month it will likely have to pass on higher prices to consumers as soon as July.

Consumer prices cooled noticeably in February and March, prompting Trump to claim repeatedly on social media that there is “NO INFLATION.” Inflation has fallen to nearly the 2 percent target set by the Federal Reserve, the agency charged with fighting higher prices.

The smaller import taxes on Chinese goods will limit the damage to the U.S. economy, but combined with all the other tariffs, economists forecast they will still slow growth this year and worsen inflation.

The Yale Budget Lab, for example, estimates the tariffs will lift prices 1.7% and cost the average household about $2,800 this year.

And while Trump may tout his trade deals — such as the one with the United Kingdom reached last week — he has also said “tariffs is the most beautiful word” in the dictionary, and is counting on revenue from duties to narrow the budget deficit, suggesting tariffs will likely remain high.

The tariffs have also put the Federal Reserve in an exceedingly difficult spot, as Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged in a news conference last week. Powell said the duties have raised the risk of both higher inflation and higher unemployment, two challenges that rarely occur simultaneously. If unemployment rose, the Fed would typically cut rates to boost the economy, while if inflation worsened, the central bank would usually raise rates or leave them elevated.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.