In order to get some evidence on price changes which might be related to the cash changeover, it is informative to look at the sector level. Indeed, for specific services items, prices have increased more than usual, which could be related to the introduction of the euro.
For example, eating out, having a haircut or having clothes dry-cleaned became significantly more expensive in the first few months of 2002, and many people in the euro area have noticed this, including myself. In general, price increases have mainly taken place in sectors with a low level of competition and where products are rather differentiated.