The cost of cigarettes has more than trebled during the past 15 years while the price of televisions and computers has fallen by 74 per cent, researchers have found.

Lender Halifax said the cost of a packet of cigarettes had risen more than anything else since 1989, according to the Retail Price Index (RPI), soaring by 204 per cent.

At the same time, personal services, such as hairdressing and beauty care and dentists' charges, were 164 per cent higher, while the cost of going to the cinema or theatre and sporting activities had risen by 157 per cent.

The cost of eating out has nearly doubled during the period, with the price of restaurant meals and takeaways soaring by 94 per cent and canteen meals rising by 143 per cent.

Beer costs 94 per cent more than it did in 1989, while the price of wine is 65 per cent higher.

The cost of running a home has also been one of the fastest rises, increasing by 97 per cent over the past 15 years, with the price of repairs and maintenance rising by 147 per cent.

At the same time, the price of televisions and computers have halved in the past five years alone.