WASHINGTON, Shawwal 17, 1436, Aug 2, 2015, SPA -- Apartment rents are up. So are prices for restaurant meals, haircuts, gym memberships and a cup of coffee, AP reported. For American consumers who have become used to flat or even falling prices for several years, an unfamiliar sight has emerged in many corners of the economy: Inflation is ticking up. The price increases remain modest. And in many cases, they're canceled out by price declines for other items that are keeping overall inflation historically low. Yet the stepped-up price tags for a range of consumer items are the largest since the Great Recession ended six years ago. They actually reflect a healthier economy. Many businesses have finally grown confident enough to pass their own higher costs on to consumers without fear of losing customers. Inflation as measured by the consumer price index has barely risen in the past 12 months, mostly because cheaper gas has held down the index. But prices are rising. If you exclude food and energy, which tend to fluctuate sharply, "core" inflation has risen 2.3 percent at an annual rate in the past three months. -- SPA 02:48 LOCAL TIME 23:48 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w