Romania, Lowest Prices for Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages in EU
Romania has the lowest prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages in EU, according to a study published by Eurostat. Romania’s prices were 24% below the average, followed by Slovakia (at 17% below the average) and Poland (-13%). The study was focused primarily on price levels for food, beverages and tobacco in 36 European countries. The country groups included in the analysis were the 27 European Union (EU) countries, 3 EFTA countries (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) and 6 candidate countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye).
This rather surprising conclusion employed the purchasing power parity indicator (ppp), that can be used to compare economies regarding their gross domestic product (GDP), labour productivity and actual individual consumption, and in some cases to analyse price convergence and to compare the cost of living between places.
Romania was better placed even than non-EU countries like Albania (100% relative to EU average), Serbia (96%), Montenegro (84%), Bosnia and Herzegovina (83%) and Türkiye (77%), slightly above North Macedonia (73%).
Price levels for food, beverages and tobacco vary considerably across the EU countries. In 2024, the prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages in Luxembourg were 25% above the EU average, while in Romania they were 24% below the EU average. Non-alcoholic beverages were most expensive in Ireland (at 40% above the EU average) and least expensive in Italy (at 18% below). Alcohol was priced in Finland at 110% above the EU average, while in Italy it was at 16% below. For tobacco, the highest prices were observed in Ireland (159% above the EU average), while the lowest were recorded in Bulgaria (51% below).
Among all 36 countries, Romania was the cheapest country for bread and cereals, Montenegro for meat and North Macedonia for fish. The lowest price level for dairy products (milk, cheese and eggs) was observed in Slovakia. Among the EU countries, the lowest price levels for fish were observed in Romania. Meat had the lowest price level in Slovakia.
The table below shows the price level indices for 3 further sub-groups of food products: oils and fats; fruits, vegetables and potatoes; and other food products. These sub-groups represented on average 4%, 22% and 14% of household expenditure for food, respectively. Among all 36 countries, the highest prices for oils and fats, for fruits, vegetables and potatoes and for other food products were observed in Switzerland. North Macedonia had the lowest price level for oils and fats and for fruits, vegetables and potatoes. Türkiye was the least expensive country for other food products. Among the EU countries, Malta is the most expensive country for oils and fats, Luxembourg for fruits, vegetables and potatoes and Denmark for other food. Poland was the least expensive country for oils and fats and for other food, Romania for fruits, vegetables and potatoes.
Finally, it`s worth mentioning that Romania does not have the lowest prices for alcoholic beverages and tobacco products. With a relative index of 95,4 for alcoholic beverages, it stands above Italy (83,9), Czechia (90,4), Spain (90,5) and Slovakia (91,3), just under Hungary (96,4). Regarding tobacco, the relative price in ppp is 84,2, above 13 member states, far from Bulgaria (49,1) and very close to Luxemburg (84,3).
Photo source: PxHere.com.
