Is the price of groceries really skyrocketing in Hungary?
Aldi and Lidl have very different prices abroad than in Hungary. But where is it more expensive to shop?
In Austria or the United Kingdom, there are products with a cheaper price than in Hungary. Despite this, however, the overall cost of shopping was higher abroad, writes G7. However, the situation is more complicated. Prices do not seem so budget-friendly after a short analysis of the situation. The portal made some calculations regarding prices in Hungary and abroad. The conclusion was quite interesting.
In Germany, out of 29 products, 7 were cheaper in Aldi and 12 in Lidl. In the United Kingdom, 14 products were cheaper out of 31. The most attractive prices were found in Germany. There, 17 products were cheaper out of 33. Only meat and milk were more expensive. Vegetarian products in Germany are cheaper than in Hungary.
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Despite this, Aldi in Germany is actually 32% more expensive than in Hungary, while Lidl is 35% more expensive. Based on the median pay, the numbers get a different meaning. Shopping in Germany takes 2.28% of people’s wages, while in Hungary, the number is 6.28%.
This means that it has no importance whether products are cheaper in Germany and the overall cost is still higher there. Looking at the median wage and shopping cost ratio, Hungarians leave more money at the stores. Portfolio also looked into how much people spend.
In the European Union, people spent over 1,000 billion euros on food and non-alcoholic beverages in 2020. This made up 7.5% of the European Union’s GDP.
The average spending on groceries in the EU is 14.8%. Romanian households spent 26.4% of their expenses on groceries. The number is 19.4% in Slovakia, 17.1% in the Czech Republic, and 18.7% in Hungary.
People may have the impression that in countries where the cost of living is higher, prices match this standard. However, some expensive countries actually spend less of their wages on groceries.
Belgians spend 14.4%, Norwegians 13.3%, Swedes 13.2%, the Dutch 12.9%, Danes 12.3%, Germans 12%, and Austrians 11.3% on buying food and non-alcoholic beverages.
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Source: G7, Portfolio
With the exception of a handful of foods such as ice cream or confectionary, food in UK supermarkets is zero rated for VAT whereas it is not Hungary. That accounts for why most foods are in real terms, cheaper there than here.
Yes, they are. And the forint is sinking.
Only the 5XL autocrat and his gang are getting richer and richer.
27% VAT on food is a robbery used by this government to raise their ELECTION BRIBE money to certain sectors of the population.
Prices have risen but it is due to supply and demand. Globally there have been a number of crop failures and it has absolutely nothing to do with the people of Hungary or the leadership of the country. A prudent person would be stocking up for coming food shortages and planning to have their own vegetable garden in 2022.
@Mike Hall: people who live in flats (most people in Budapest) do not have gardens, let alone vegetable gardens. While true that the cost of food products have risen globally, the cost of foodstuffs is exacerbated by the VAT applied in Hungary. It is the government that determines the rates of VAT therefore IT IS something to do with the leadership of the country. Even apologists must admit that.
Yes, exactly. We pay the highest VAT in Europe. Someone’s doing very well from this. That someone being the 5XL autocrat and his gang as Mario so eloquently puts it. He’ll be up another XL before too long I shouldn’t wonder!
Mike Hall – what planet are you living on ?
“The Truth” brings you completely undone – embarrasses you somewhat in what you write.
You write – stocking up.
You write vegitable garden.
What percentage of Hungarian residence – population 9.6 million, have available to them the facility to establish there own vegitable garden ?
The bulk of 9.6 million – what percentage in the Districts of Budapest is reprented in this 9.6 million – that live in apartments & flats ?
Your comments like era 1939 – 1945 and on, in Hungary, that could stretch in years through to 1989, the tone of your commentary.
Prudency – agree in shopping wise to apply it.
Shop around just don’t purchase on instinct.
Budapest, Hungary whatever the near term from the subject of this article – provides CHOICE – without stockpiling /stocking up and creating vegitable gardens.
It sounds to me as if though Hungarian communities, towns & cities have to establish Community raised bed garden beds that can be rented at reasonable cost by individuals. They are put on property owned by churches, burocratic offices, public land, community centers, school properties. Built by volunteers & each box taken care of by individual renters. I rent mine 12km away next to some tennis courts and a soccer field. There are 20 of them, approx 1 1/2 m by 3m at height that even a person in a wheel chair can garden. They have a coupel of lower ones for the daycare nearby to plant herbs & lettuces for their kitchen. I framed up chicken wire on strong slats of wood like one would use to support porch railings. Sunk them into the soil across the center of the bed 4 peas, beans & tomato to grow up tall, freeing up space for other veggies. The squash, cucumber etc hang down over the edges so that I can get a lot of veggies from that box over the 3 seasons. I replant some stuff every 2 weeks. They have huge containers of water for us to use and we fill our own watering cans or use the 4 there. I only drive there when I have other business in the village or when we have had no rain for over a week. Then I water DEEPLY.