U.S. consumer prices rose 0.6%, the fastest clip in five months, during October amid a surge in energy and food prices.

The consumer-price index rose by a larger-than-expected 0.6% last month, three times the rate in September, the U.S. Labor Department said today. More than half the increase was due to surging energy prices, the department said.

The core index, which excludes energy and food prices, moderated to a 0.2% rate of growth from 0.3% in September.

Economists had called for a 0.4% gain in the overall index and a 0.1% increase in the core index.

The report showed that energy prices rose 4.2% in October, the largest increase since May. Gasoline prices registered an 8.6% increase that was the biggest in 20 months. Fuel-oil prices rose 9.4%, also the biggest increase in 20 months. However, those increases may not persist in the months to come. Oil prices, which hit an all-time high of about $55 a barrel in late October, have since dropped below $47.

Food prices also surged, climbing 0.6% in the biggest increase since May. Prices of fresh fruits rose 6.3%, the biggest increase in more than 20 years. Prices of fresh vegetables rose 8.8%, the biggest increase since early 1997. Patrick Jackman, a Labor Department economist, said some of those increases were “associated with the hurricanes in Florida.”

Consumer prices were up 3.2% in the year through October, up from a 2.5% rate in the year through September. But the core index showed no acceleration in the growth of prices: that index was up 2% in the year through October, the same as in September.

Meanwhile, U.S. housing starts rebounded sharply in October, jumping 6.4%. However, building permits, an indicator of future activity, fell mildly, decreasing by 0.7%.