We can now show you where cigarette and alcohol are the cheapest in Europe

One can drink alcoholic beverages in Romania for just cents, while cigarettes are the cheapest in Bulgaria. The differences between the member states of the European Union are astonishing. For example, one can drink almost twice as much in Hungary or Slovakia than in Scandinavia for the same price. After all, it is no wonder bachelor parties, for example, were so popular in Hungary.

According to bumm.sk, the differences are significant between the different EU member states in this regard. For example, in Finland, one can buy alcoholic beverages for twice the price than in Slovakia, and cigarettes also cost 100 pc more. Based on the latest report of the EU’s statistical office (Eurostat), last year, alcoholic beverages were the most expensive in Finland (price index 190.7 pc), Ireland (182.3 pc), Greece, and Sweden. Meanwhile, on

the other end of the list there is Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Spain, and Poland.

In Hungary, the price index of alcohol was 78 pc (EU average 100 pc), which means that it is relatively cheap to drink such beverages in the country. Furthermore, the price of alcohol is lower than the EU average not only in Hungary but also in the V4 countries: Slovakia, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Interestingly, among these four states, Slovakia is the most expensive.

• Hungarian wine regions explained: Yield such an alcohol!
• Hungary: home of a million alcoholics?
• EC refers Hungary to Court of Justice over cigarette excise tax

Moreover, regarding tobacco products, price differences in the EU are even more significant. In Ireland, cigarettes cost four times more than in

Romania which is currently the cheapest country in this regard. 

The price level in Ireland is 224.9 pc, while this rate is 163.8 pc in France, 134.1 pc in Finland, 118.6 pc in the Netherlands, and 113.5 pc in Belgium. On the opposite end of the list is Romania with only 52.5 pc, Poland with 62.9 pc, and Croatia together with Slovakia (68.2 pc). 

In the V4 region, the Czech Republic is the most expensive with 72.9 pc,

but the difference is only subtle in the case of Hungary. However, tobacco products are cheap in the V4 countries compared to Western and Northern Europe.

Of course, wages are much higher in Scandinavia, France, or Ireland. Thus, the relative price of alcohol or tobacco products are lower if one gets a salary in those countries. Moreover, wages are the lowest in Romania and Bulgaria, so the relative price of these products is higher than it seems. Therefore, it is understandable why people came to these countries for a bachelor party, for example, or why German and Austrian pensioners like to spend the summer months near Lake Balaton or in Budapest.

Source: bumm.sk, ec.europa.eu/eurostat