2023-08-15 18:29:09
After the domestic public, including the World Economy, has been dealing with food prices rising at an astonishing rate for a long time, the EU survey reached a surprising result:
Hungary is one of the cheapest on the continent.
However, the range of countries examined was really extensive. Not only the 27 member states of the European Union (EU), but also three European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland), as well as six other candidate countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey ) was also part of the EU survey.
Comparing the prices of these countries, it turned out that Hungary is the 9th cheapest out of 36 countries in the ranking of the price index of food and non-alcoholic beverages, reaching 90 percent of the average price of the European Union as a whole.
The lowest prices were found in Turkey, where in 2022 the prices were barely 64 percent of the EU price level. The most expensive in this ranking is Switzerland,
the inhabitants of the Alpine country can buy food and non-alcoholic beverages at 163 percent of the EU average.
In the region, Romania and Poland are cheaper than Hungary, but the Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovenia and Slovakia are also more expensive. The latter three also exceed the EU average, as do Germany and Austria.
From a health point of view, it is not necessarily pleasant, regardless of this, it is a fact that you can buy the cheapest alcohol in Hungary,
prices were about 18 percent lower than the EU average in 2022. The top is Iceland, with 297.4 percent. Consumers have no complaints about the pricing of Hungarian tobacco products either, which is 76.2 percent of the Union. This is also favorable, but not nearly the most favorable:
In Turkey, traders charge only 26.2 percent of the average EU price for tobacco products.
Ireland is the other extreme, where the price is 260 percent.
Eurostat’s comprehensive analysis also includes data broken down into individual food categories. Considering these, although the picture is more nuanced, Hungary still belongs to the countries with the lowest price category.
Compared to the EU average price, bread is available at 90 percent, meat at 72.9 percent, and fish at 88.6 percent.
For comparison, in Switzerland (the most expensive here) the same is 164.1, 233 and 182.6 percent. In Turkey (the cheapest here) 59.6, 53 and 58.9 percent.
But, for example, Hungarian prices in the milk-cheese-eggs category are already above the EU average and stood at 107 percent last year. The situation is similar for oils (112.1 percent), in which Hungary is also more expensive than the European level.
In return, it is 8 percent cheaper than vegetables and fruits. Of these, we find the worst prices to buy in Norway, 153.6 percent. Turkey, on the other hand, is also the cheapest with its 52.4 percent rate.
Is food the most expensive in Hungary? Világgazdaság looked into it – the result is surprising
Chicken breast for 3,000 forints, cooking oil for 1,000 forints and eggs for almost 90 forints – such prices can be found in shops in neighboring countries. Based on the webshops and discount newspapers available online, vg.hu found out what is true about the fact that shopping in Romania, Slovakia or Croatia costs much less than here at home.
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