DUBAI - Saudi Arabia's consumer price index rose 0.4% in July from a year earlier and was up 0.2% month on month, government data showed on Sunday.

That compared with a rise of 6.2% in June, the last month affected by the increase in value added tax (VAT) in July last year, Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Statistics said.

The July data showed the CPI rise stemmed from higher prices in the transport sector, which rose 7.8%, and a 1.2% rise in food and beverages.

(Reporting by Saeed Azhar Editing by David Goodman) ((Saeed.Azhar@thomsonreuters.com; +971 44536787; Reuters Messaging: saeed.azhar.reuters.com@reuters.net))