More and more Hungarians are shopping in Slovakia: Is it really worth it?
Recently, several supermarkets have announced price cuts in Hungary, yet Hungarian shoppers are still feeling the impact of high inflation. Given the high prices, many people living near the border may decide to go shopping in the neighbouring countries in the hope of lower prices.
The Hungarian portal HelloVidék looked into whether it paid back for Hungarians to shop in neighbouring Slovakia.
Whether it is worth it depends on the current HUF/EUR exchange rate
More and more Hungarians see the opportunity to save money by doing their weekly shopping in neighbouring Austria or Romania. According to HelloVidék, a number of products are also cheaper in Slovak shops than in Hungary. However, the portal points out that those who want to save money by shopping in the neighbouring country will probably be disappointed.
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About 10 years ago, and also when the price freeze was introduced, it was usual for Slovaks to cross the border and buy certain foodstuffs in Hungary at a lower price. But the situation has now completely changed. Nowadays, it is mostly the HUF/EUR exchange rate that determines where it is more cost-effective to shop. HelloVidék asked a Hungarian man living near the Hungarian-Slovakian border how he sees the situation. According to him, some foodstuffs are definitely worth buying in Slovakia. One such food is bread. While the average price of one kilo of bread in Hungary is around HUF 1,000 (approx. EUR 2.51), in Slovakian shops you can find it for around EUR 1.55 (around HUF 600). The interviewee added that he also bought cheese and pasta in Slovakia, but some hygiene products, such as deodorant or shower gel, are cheaper there than in Hungary. However, he says it was only worth shopping in Slovakia if you did your weekly shopping.
How much exactly can one save?
HelloVidék wrote a shopping list containing basic groceries and then compared the online prices of Tesco in Slovakia and Hungary.
As for fruit and vegetables, they found that almost everything is slightly cheaper in Slovakia than in Hungary. Iceberg lettuce in the Hungarian supermarket is equivalent to EUR 2.00/kg, compared to EUR 1.89 in Slovakia. Tesco Tomatoes are EUR 5.00/kg in Hungary, compared to EUR 3.99/kg in Slovakia. In the Hungarian Tesco, bananas are sold at EUR 1.75/kg, while in the Slovak supermarket, they are EUR 1.69/kg. Prices for other fruit and vegetables vary similarly, with one exception. Broccoli is cheaper in the Hungarian Tesco. In Hungary, 500 g of broccoli costs EUR 2.00, while it costs EUR 2.29 in Slovakia.
There are similar price differences for bakery products, too. There are similar price differences for bakery products. For example, one piece of bread roll is EUR 0.19 in Hungary, while it costs EUR 0.14 in Slovakia.
One thing that HelloVidék suggests is much cheaper to buy from the food section is spaghetti. A 500-gram Hearty Food Co. spaghetti dry pasta at Tesco in Hungary is EUR 1.75, while at Tesco in Slovakia, it is EUR 0.79.
Moreover, it is also worth buying pantyliners and shower gel in Slovakia. The price of Always pantyliners is EUR 3.87 (EUR 0.08/piece) in Hungarian shops. In Slovakia, the same brand of pantyliners costs EUR 3.89 (EUR 0.07/piece). NIVEA cream shower gel (500 ml) costs EUR 5.47 in Hungary and EUR 4.49 in Slovakia.
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Source: hellovidek.hu