Smartphones get cheaper but the price of books goes up

Fruit rose in price 4.3% last year

The average cost of a smartphone in the Netherlands fell by 12% last year, while phone subscriptions were down 4% in price, the national statistics office CBS said on Friday.

Dog tax and financial services completed the top three biggest price drops in 2016, the CBS said.

Top of the list of price rises were books and newspapers, which cost an additional 6% on average over the year. Cigarettes and tobacco were in second place, with an average rise of 3.2%.

Food, clothing and housing rents all became more expensive over the year as well. The price of vegetables (up 4.5%) and fruit (4.3%) were among the stand-out increases, the CBS said.

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