Czechs, like Slovaks, have been indignant over butter prices for weeks. According to the data its value rose to 242.3 Czech crowns (9.68 euros) per kilogram in November, but in Poland it is not any more advantageous.
“We’ve been seeing each other lately with reduced milk productionwhich translates into record prices for dairy products on the European stock market. Lower supply on the market is a strong impetus for increasing butter prices, which we are currently observing,” explained Polish analyst Dr. Krzysztof Łuczak for .
Even if the difference is not so visible, many people decide to shop with their neighbors just out of principle. “I’d rather buy in Poland than support foreign chains operating in the Czech Republic,” wrote one of users in . “Why support thieves?” another chose strong words.
Bargain shopping in Poland
In the surrounding countries, it is worthwhile for Slovaks to buy food in particular. They are on average cheaper by around 2% even in Austria. UniCredit Bank analyst Ľubomír Koršňák stated this in the analysis.
According to him, Slovaks buy them most advantageously in Poland, where on average their prices are almost a quarter lower. On average, however, food is cheaper by 4 to 7% in the Czech Republic and Hungary. Of the neighboring countries, only bread (5%), meat (34%) and fish (10%) in Austria are more expensive than in Slovakia, milk, cheese and eggs in Hungary have a comparable price tag (0.2% more expensive).
He emphasized that oils and fats, including butter, are significantly cheaper in neighboring countries than in Slovakia (by 30 to 40%). Slovakia even currently has the highest average prices in this food category among all EU countries.
Most food is the cheapest in Poland among the surrounding countries. “The only exception is fish, which is often part of our Christmas dinner tables. They are the cheapest in Hungary (by 17% compared to Slovakia) and in the Czech Republic (by 16%), he specified.
He noted that food prices (including soft drinks) in Slovakia are already more than 8% higher than the average in EU countries and are among the most expensive in the EU. “Higher food prices than in Slovakia can be found in only six EU countries, with the exception of Estonia, exclusively from the region of Western Europe. Similarly, as in the case of Slovakia, these are rather smaller countries – Malta, Luxembourg, Estonia, Cyprus, or Slovakia, similar in population to Denmark and Ireland. A similar average level of food prices as in Slovakia can also be found in Latvia, Finland and Greece,” he added.
According to the analyst, Slovaks pay the most for food in Malta and Luxembourg (by 9 to 10%). “However, even more expensive food can be found in European countries outside the EU – in Switzerland they are almost half as expensive as in Slovakia, in Iceland by 32% and in Norway by 19%,” he underlined.
“On the contrary, the cheapest food in Europe can be found in Macedonia and Turkey, from the EU countries in Romania (by 36% lower than in Slovakia), but also in neighboring Poland (by 24%). Even for goods, the highest price tags can be found in the EFTA countries (Norway, Switzerland and Iceland), 21 to 48% higher than in Slovakia. From the EU countries in Denmark, Ireland and Finland (by 22 to 26%), i.e. in countries with a population similar in size to Slovakia,” added the UniCredit Bank analyst.
