Many households face higher bills after a "fresh wave" of price increases.
Energy prices have seen the biggest increase, with two suppliers - Pinergy and Panda Power - announcing their fifth price hikes of the year.
The latest Pinergy increase is expected to add nearly €300 to customers' annual bills.
Charlie Weston, personal finance editor with the Irish Independent, told The Pat Kenny Show it's "unprecedented" to see five increases from a supplier in a single year.
He said: “We’ve ended up with 14 different suppliers… but the crazy situation we’re seeing is that some of these have increased prices by up to 50%.
“They have price caps in England, but we don’t have that here.”
Meanwhile, bin collection charges are also being increased by waste management companies such as Panda Recycling and Thorntons Waste.
Sky Ireland is increasing the cost of their TV packages by 3.5% - around €32 extra per year.
Charlie said all these increases will hit households, and further increase the already high cost of living (with the inflation rate currently over 5%).
However, it's the energy prices that are seeing the biggest increases, as the global energy crisis sends the price of gas and oil through the roof.
Small operators are introducing the biggest price increases, while larger players such as Electric Ireland and Bord Gáis have introduced smaller and fewer price hikes.
When it comes to broadband, price increases typically mean customers can ‘wiggle out’ of their contracts due to the change in terms.
However, Charlie said that's not the case with electricity and gas - something he believes needs to change.
He explained: “If you’ve been hit with five price increases, you shouldn’t have to stick with that contract - it’s very different to what you signed up to originally.
“There’s often a penalty to get out of an electricity or gas contract - even if you pay that, you’d still probably be better off moving around.
"If you pay a penalty of €50-100, you could probably still save money by switching to someone else.
“I don’t like endorsing the big players, but they have the more competitive prices at the moment - there’s value to be had by moving around. Even if you’re tied into a contract, look at your switching options.”
The price increases come just weeks after a Budget that the Government said was aimed at reducing the cost of living - including increases to key social welfare rates and allowances.
