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Summer is knocking on the door and thousands of Slovaks are already counting down the days when they can relax by the sea again. For many of us, the good old Croatia remains the obvious choice, but until some tourists allow the convenience of all-inclusive services, a large group of Slovaks still belong to traditional vacation cooks. They pack basic supplies in the trunk of the car and plan to cook or buy groceries on the spot so that the family budget shows some savings.
The question is whether such an approach is still worthwhile. The latest data from Croatian stores show a harsh reality, and if you think that you will save money by buying food locally, get ready for a real shock. because prices there are growing at a rocket pace, reports the website.
Prices in Croatian supermarkets are climbing to absurd heights, while analysts have been following two types of shopping baskets for a family of four for a long time. The first is a basic so-called survival basket with 51 items, which includes only the most necessary ingredients such as flour, bread, potatoes, some meat and basic hygiene. The second is a standard basket with 77 items, where you can also find small snacks, juices, beer or wine and which more faithfully reflects the real habits of families.
The results of these measurements make forehead wrinkles because the standard monthly basket for a family exceeded the threshold of 736 euros. Even the poorer basket of survival is not better off, since a family of four will cost almost 499 euros per month. Representatives of consumer protection associations helplessly state that although the government promises to stabilize inflation, people go to cash registers with fear, pay more and more and carry less and less in their bags.
If you are going to the sea, the situation is even worse because the most expensive regions are the most attractive for tourists. The absolute record holder in expensiveness is the Split-Dalmatia and Dubrovnik-Neretva counties, while the cheapest purchases can be made deep inland, for example in the Sisak-Moslavina county. The difference in the price of the same purchase can be almost 30 euros, depending on the region, which means that if you plan to cook in an apartment in Makarska or Dubrovnik, you will pay the most for the same ingredients in the entire country.
In addition to regional differences, the Croatian market currently resembles the wild west due to the pricing policy of individual retail chains. The prices of the same products differ so wildly in individual stores that it makes one’s head spin, and without constant price comparison via mobile applications, you can unknowingly overpay tens of percent.
Concrete examples from the shelves show that the same you can buy a package of cocoa in one store for 1.85 euros, while in another chain they ask for it for 3.25 euros. There is a similarly crazy difference with the popular children’s semolina, where a one-kilogram package costs less than 6 euros in a discount store, but in another store its price climbs to almost 10 euros. If you would like to treat your family to traditional Paž cheese, depending on the chosen branch of the supermarket, you will pay either less than 3 euros or up to 5 euros for it.
The days when cooking on holiday in Croatia was a guaranteed way to save hundreds of euros are probably gone forever. With inflation there, which has been among the highest in the European Union for a long time, food prices have risen to heights that surprise the average Slovak vacationer.
When you add to the high prices on blocks the precious time spent by the stove in a heated apartment and the nerves associated with running around the shops and looking for cheaper milk or butterprepaid food in a hotel or an all-inclusive stay are starting to look like an increasingly attractive and ultimately more economical alternative. Therefore, before traveling to the Adriatic, think carefully about whether you would rather hold a cold drink in your hand instead of a cooker and enjoy carefree relaxation.
