The headline inflation rate of around 3% masks significant variation across categories.

Some categories have seen prices stabilize or even decline — electronics, apparel, and some commodities. Others continue to climb at rates well above the headline number — housing, insurance, and services.

This means the "average" inflation experience doesn't match anyone's actual experience. Your personal inflation rate depends heavily on your spending mix.

For those whose budgets are weighted toward housing and services (younger people, renters, families), inflation remains a significant burden even as the headline number suggests the problem is nearly solved.