On July 15th, it was learned from the city's semi-annual press briefing about the price situation that from January to June 2016, Changzhou’s consumer price index (CPI) rose 2.8%, 0.9 percentage points higher than the pace of growth registered in the same period last year.

The prices of food, tobacco and liquor, clothing, housing, household goods and services, medical care and personal products, and other supplies and services increased by 4.4%, 4.1%, 2.9%, 2.6%, 13.6% and 2.2% respectively. The prices of transportation and communication, and education and culture reduced by 3.0% and 0.3% respectively.

In June 18th Changzhou entered the rainy season. Subject to continuous heavy rainfall, prices of vegetable and freshwater products kept increasing. On July 13th, the average retail price of vegetable reached 4.25 yuan, 25% higher than the period before the rainy season; and the average price of freshwater products reached 14.86 yuan, 65% higher than the period before the rainy season. It is estimated that vegetable prices will continue to grow in the third quarter, but will come down quickly in the fourth quarter as the weather turns cooler.

In tourism, the prices rose about 15% in summer, while the prices of outbound travel decreased by 10% -20% over the same period last year. By late August, as students are going to schools or universities, tour prices will gradually decline.