LIDL prices cheaper in Italy than in Hungary?

Telex.hu compared the prices of a total of 41 products available in Lidl, both in Hungary and Italy. It turned out that even though an average weekend visit to the supermarket to buy groceries costs more in Italy, there are a good number of products that are up to 30 per cent cheaper than in Hungary. Compared to salaries, however, we pay almost twice as much in Hungary, besides the tax content of shopping is also almost twice as much than in Italy. 

It is an old myth that in Western Europe, people not only earn more, but also shop cheaper in the same supermarket chains that we have in Hungary. One usually comes to this realisation when he goes shopping during a vacation abroad and wonders how much cheaper half a kilo of cheese costs in the west, even though it was thought to be more expensive than at home. 

Telex.hu made a list of 41 products, and with one day difference, they walked into Lidl in both countries to compare the prices. Although it is difficult to pinpoint the exchange rate of the euro in such fluctuations, they assumed the current HUF 357 rate around mid-January.

How much the average grocery shopping is going to cost?

To get a clear picture, the creators of the list filled a shopping cart with 27 products. In the compilation, they tried to model the average cart of a Hungarian household, omitting certain food articles that are seasonal, expensive or only purchased by a few. By definition, they could not compare products that were only available in one country, for example, Trappist cheese.

The average cost spent on groceries is HUF 16,731 in Hungary and HUF 21,582 in Italy, which is a 30 per cent difference. Interestingly, the difference is largely due to the meat products.

• Read also: Orbán cabinet to push out foreign supermarket chains?

What is more expensive in Italy?

• bread (+ 216%)
• chicken breast fillet (+ 118%)
• onions (+ 101%)
• pork loin (+ 66%)
• Coca-Cola (+ 62%)
• ice cream (+ 52%)
• skinned salmon fillet (+ 51%)
• potatoes (+ 37%)
• diced cheese (+ 32%)
• Milka chocolate (+ 30%)

What is cheaper in Italy?

• canned beans (-37%)
• olive oil (-34%)
• canned tomatoes (-32%)
• spaghetti pasta (-30%)
• mortadella (-24%)
• sliced ​​Edam cheese (-16%)
• tomatoes (-16%)
• Gouda cheese (-12%)
• butter (-11%)
• fruit yoghurt (-11%)

How many purchases you can afford based on your monthly salary?

Although a weekly shop in a supermarket costs less in Hungary, we also have to take into consideration how much money people earn in the two countries. Telex.hu checked the latest official net average salaries available in both countries is 2020. People earn EUR 1,770 per month in Italy, which equals HUF 631,890 at today’s exchange rate, however, the average monthly salary is only HUF 268,405 in Hungary.

To conclude, an average weekend shopping costs 6.16 percent of the average net wage in Hungary, while this rate is only 3.41 per cent in Italy, says noizz.hu.

• Read also: Foreign Minister encourages domestic supply chain for food companies

Source: Telex.hu, noizz.hu