Is life really cheaper abroad?

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Is life really cheaper abroad?
Is life really cheaper abroad?
Anonim

Opinions appear from time to time that even in hypermarkets abroad, the price level is lower than at home, not to mention that the minimum wage is also higher. We recently saw the fact that the fence is not made of sausages there either, with the example of Vienna: although the selection in the grocery stores of the Austrian capital is much larger, the prices are also higher (even if the difference is not really glaring). But what about other European countries?

We have looked at the non-discount prices of major hypermarkets everywhere, on products that are generally popular and are included in most people's baskets during an average shopping trip. We tried to choose mid-range price and quality brands that can be purchased in most European countries as well as at home, and we not only looked at food, but also compared shampoo, washing powder and toothpaste.

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Overall, England and France turned out to be the most expensive, but at the same time, this difference is noticeably reduced if you explicitly only buy discount products and plan your life and weekly meals accordingly. It's true, you can do this at home, and you can also save money for the family coffers.

England

One of the popular destinations for young people trying their luck in Europe. First we looked around at Tesco, where the basic foods are definitely more expensive. The price of milk is around HUF 372 per liter, and bread is HUF 372. The prices of fruits are already more varied, you have to pay a lot for British strawberries: the price per kilo is almost two thousand forints. A kilo of bananas costs HUF 388, and a kilo of apples is around HUF 850. Grapes, even though they are expensive even at home, cost HUF 1,350 per kilo abroad. Meats are also much more expensive: the price of chicken breast fillet is around HUF 2,600 per kilo, and pork shoulder can be bought for around HUF 1,200. Toiletries are also more expensive, the Elseve shampoo just doesn't reach the HUF 1,000 price tag, but the Domestos disinfectant is the cheapest here in Europe. The biggest difference, however, is with alcoholic drinks: abroad, a liter of Absolut vodka costs HUF 8,540.

France

We looked at the prices at the French-based Auchan (where you can also request home delivery). By the way, the structure of the site is roughly similar to that of the domestic Tescos delivery service. The price of meat and milk is close to the English standard, and compared to domestic prices, it is particularly high, since a kilo of chicken breast fillet costs HUF 2,413, and a liter of milk costs HUF 322. In terms of fruits, strawberries are available at a surprisingly low price of HUF 965, while domestic strawberries can be purchased at the Hungarian Tesco for HUF 1,396 per kilo. When it comes to oral hygiene, the French are the most expensive based on the overview, a Cologate Total toothpaste costs HUF 687, and an Aquafresh toothbrush costs HUF 731.

Germany

We looked at the Edeka site, which includes Spar stores, to see what the situation is in Germany. In terms of meat, the difference here is also significant, but it is not as expensive as in England: a kilo of chicken breast fillet here is, for example, HUF 2,052. The price level of fruits is similar to the domestic ones. We saw eggs at a price of 44 forints per piece, it costs roughly the same here. The cleaning products are cheaper, the Elséve shampoo was not on sale, but it cost 819 forints, while at home it was 969 forints, and we even found washing powder at a very good price, not even on sale: the price of Ariel was 665 forints per kilo. So in Germany, hypermarkets sell products at roughly the same price level in terms of food prices (in fact, you can often get some things even cheaper) than here, especially if you catch a good sale.

Italy

For the Italians, we mostly used Auchan's prices as a basis, but we also looked at the Coop and Conad websites. The price of chicken is already close to the domestic level, filleted chicken breast costs HUF 1,583 per kilo, and pork loin costs HUF 1,754. Fruits and vegetables are not significantly more expensive than in the offer of any hypermarket here, but cooking oil is significantly cheaper, we saw a one-liter package for only HUF 408 - it is true that Italian cuisine is more characterized by olive oil than sunflower oil.

Czech Republic

The Czechs come closest to our prices, albeit from below, that is, the difference of a few forints is usually in their favor. Milk is roughly the same as ours, but margarine is available with a difference of almost HUF 100, in their favor. While we saw Flora margarine for HUF 508 on the website of the Czech Tesco, the same product cost HUF 599 at home. Sugar, eggs and fruits are also cheaper by a few forints. In edible oil, we found Kunsági oil on offer for HUF 565, the same at Tesco at home for HUF 479. This is somewhat reassuring, although it is unlikely that Czechs will flood the domestic stores en masse in the hope of cheaper oil, because there were also much cheaper types on offer.

Romania

In Romania, we mostly reviewed Carrefour's offer, but we also took Cora's prices into account, because there is still one there. And not only because of this it is good for the Romanians, but also because they are the winners in the competition for cheapness. A liter of milk costs HUF 211 in the medium price category, cooking oil HUF 330, and chicken breast fillet HUF 934. Persil washing powder in a 5.6 kilo package costs HUF 3,470. Fruit and vegetables are also cheaper, a kilo of strawberries can be bought for HUF 666, for example. Although it is certain that you can save thousands of forints on a weekend shopping trip if you do it in a Romanian hypermarket, it should also be noted that the minimum wage for Romanians and Czechs is lower than ours, even for the latter the difference is very little.

England (Tesco) France (Auchan) Germany Italy Czech Republic Romania Hungary (Tesco)
Milk (liter) 372 Ft 322 Ft 180 Ft 220 Ft 225 Ft 211 HUF HUF 225 (Kuntej)
Chicken breast (kg) 2607 Ft 2413 Ft 2052 Ft 1538 HUF 1700 HUF 934 Ft 1349 HUF
Pork (shoulder kg) 1113 Ft 1784 HUF 1629 Ft HUF 1754 (chop) 1235 Ft HUF 1069 (Auchan, discount)
Edible oil (liter) HUF 675 (Flora) 615 Ft 449 Ft 408 Ft HUF 565 (Kunsági) 330 Ft HUF 479 (Kunsági)
Banana (kg) 388 Ft 524 HUF 378 Ft 225 Ft 399 Ft
Strawberries (kg) 1934 Ft 965 HUF 1028 Ft 1000 HUF 666 Ft HUF 1396 (Hungarian)
Margarine (500g) HUF 660 (Flora) 500 HUF HUF 485 (Rama) 540 Ft HUF 508 (Flora) HUF 599 (Flora)
Egg (pcs) HUF 94 (size S) HUF 55 (size S) 44 Ft 48 Ft 32 Ft HUF 39 (M size)
Sugar (kg) 537 Ft HUF 560 (cane sugar) 350 Ft 259 Ft 369 Ft HUF 289 (Crowning)
Shampoo (Expired) 987 HUF 921 Ft 819 Ft HUF 425 (Gliss Kur) 917 Ft 969 Ft
Toothbrush 249 HUF (Colgate) HUF 731 (Aquafresh) 500 HUF 1024 (3 pcs Colgate) 861 Ft 559 HUF (Colgate)
Toothpaste HUF 650 (Aquafresh) HUF 687 (Colgate total) HUF 378 (Colgate total) 450 Ft 327 Ft HUF 379 (Colgate)
Washing powder 2568 HUF (975 HUF / kg) 3975 HUF (1831 ft / kg) 4790 HUF (Ariel, 665 HUF / kg) 7780 (Dash, HUF 963 / kg) 2039 (Ariel, 1019 / kg) 3470 HUF (Persil, 694 HUF / kg HUF 6399 (Ariel, 914 / kg)
Domestos 342 HUF 643 Ft 1088 Ft 645 Ft 549 HUF
Absolut vodka (liter) 8540 Ft 6973 Ft 4609 Ft 5736 Ft 5764 Ft

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