Price levels of food, beverages and tobacco in European countries in 2015

In 2015, the price level of a comparable basket of food and non-alcoholic beverages was more than twice as high in the most expensive EU-28 Member State than in the cheapest one.

Denmark had the highest price level for food and non-alcoholic beverages in the EU-28 in 2015, at 145% of the EU-28 average, followed by Sweden (124%), Austria and Ireland (120%) and Finland (119%).

The lowest price levels were observed in Poland (63%), Romania (64%), Bulgaria (70%) and Lithuania (78%).

These data come from the survey on food, beverage and tobacco prices carried out in 2015 in the 38 participating countries. This survey covered a total of approximately 440 comparable products.

Highest price disparities monitored for tobacco.

For bread and cereals, price levels ranged from 53% of the EU-28 average in Romania to 161% in Denmark; for meat from 54% in Poland to 136% in Denmark; for milk, cheese & eggs from 65% in Poland to 140% in Cyprus.

The price levels for alcoholic beverages are the highest in Ireland (175%), Finland (172%), the United Kingdom (162%), Sweden (141%) and Denmark (138%) and the lowest price levels for alcoholic beverages were registered in Bulgaria (64% of the EU-28 average), Romania (72%), Hungary (74%) and Czech Republic (79%).

For tobacco, the price levels were almost four times higher in the most expensive Member State than in the cheapest. The lowest price levels were observed in Bulgaria (50% of the EU-28 average), Lithuania and Croatia (56%), Latvia, Czech Republic and Hungary (60%), and the highest in the United Kingdom (219%), Ireland (190%) and France (127%).