The Consumer Spending Index (CSI) Switzerland increased by 2.6% in August 2026 compared to the same month in the previous year.

Expenditures in the category Retail: Fuel stations rose sharply once more (+17.8%), particularly in Northwestern (+22.5%) and Eastern (+20.0%) Switzerland. Expenditures in Retail: Food, beverage, tobacco increased by 3.7%, less strongly than in the previous months. In Retail: Other goods, spending at the point of sale declined in almost all regions, whereas it grew via E-commerce (+7.6%), leaving expenditures in this category roughly unchanged (-0.7%).

Expenditures in Accommodation declined again (-2.4%) after a brief recovery in July. Spending at the point of sale decreased in the Lake Geneva region (-16.5%), Zurich (-27.0%) and Northwestern Switzerland (-17.9%), but continued to rise in Eastern Switzerland (+2.5%). As in previous months, the decrease was partly offset by a strong increase in spending on Accommodation via E-commerce (+25.6%).

A detailed overview and the underlying data are available here: Consumer Spending Index.

Consumer Spending Index (CSI) Switzerland

The CSI Switzerland is a joint initiative of the University of St.Gallen and its research partner Worldline Switzerland AG. The high-frequency index is granular across regions and broad product categories and allows for a consistent analysis over multiple years. It is updated monthly.

For further information, please consult our published white paper.