Groceries in Europe: Switzerland is 89% more expensive than the EU average, Romania is the cheapest country in the union

A huge price gap between countries

Spending on food and non-alcoholic beverages accounts on average for 13.6% of household consumer spending in the EU, while housing and utilities account for 23.6%, according to Eurostat. At the same time, the cost of a grocery basket varies widely between countries. According to the crowdsourced database Numbeo for mid-2026, the grocery index ranges from 57.2 in Moldova to 189.2 in Switzerland, where the EU average is taken as 100. This means groceries in Switzerland are 89.2% more expensive than the EU average, while in Moldova they are 42.8% cheaper. Euronews Business recalculated the original Numbeo index, which uses New York as its base, so that the EU average equals 100.

The most expensive and the cheapest countries

Three of the five most expensive countries are Nordic: Iceland (183.6) ranks second, followed by Norway (154.4), Luxembourg (134.9) and Denmark (128.4). Finland (119.7) and Sweden (116.6) are also above the EU average. Among Europe's five largest economies, France turned out to be the most expensive — 27.5% above the EU average; Spain (89.7) is the only one of that five below the average, while the United Kingdom (111.9), Germany (111.6) and Italy (110.2) are above it. Within the EU, the lowest grocery cost is in Romania (66.7) — 33.3% below the average level. Eastern European and Balkan countries, including EU candidates, are also cheaper than average: North Macedonia (59.8), Bosnia and Herzegovina (67.9), Serbia (68.8). Turkey (82.1) is more expensive than a number of member states but below the EU average, and at the same time Turkey records the highest food inflation in Europe.

A basket of 18 items: €69.84 on average across the EU

In October 2026, Euronews Business collected prices for 18 items from Numbeo's 'Markets' category (out of 19 items, cigarettes were excluded due to wide price variation and differences in smoking rates). Summing the list prices without weighting gave an average basket cost in the EU of €69.84. It is most expensive in Switzerland at €137.90 and cheapest in Moldova at €41.10. In Norway the basket costs €116.10, in Luxembourg €99, in Austria €88.10, in Denmark €87.70. France remains the most expensive among the large economies: €87.40 versus €63 in Spain; in Italy it is €80, in Germany €75.20, in the United Kingdom €69.10. The same 18 items can be bought for less than €50 in North Macedonia (€43.90), Kosovo (€45.50), Romania (€45.90), Georgia (€46.90), Poland (€49.60), Serbia (€49.70), Montenegro (€49.80) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (€49.80). The ranking is based on nominal prices: when purchasing power is taken into account, the gap narrows, and weighting the basket could slightly change the countries' positions.

Low prices do not mean affordability

Associate Professor Ilaria Benedetti of Tuushia University noted that in a number of countries with prices below the EU average, households spend a larger share of their budget on food: in Romania, food and non-alcoholic beverages account for 23.1% of spending, and in Bulgaria also more than 20%. “Low prices do not necessarily mean higher affordability”, said Professor Máté Balogh Jeremiás of Corvinus University, pointing to differences in earnings and purchasing power: groceries may be cheaper in absolute terms but less affordable relative to what people take home after taxes. According to Numbeo, a 500 g loaf of fresh white bread costs €3.18 in Denmark and €1.02 in Bulgaria — more than three times as expensive; a dozen eggs cost €4.52 in Denmark versus €2.69 in Estonia.

Energy and labor costs as price drivers

“Labor costs have probably become one of the most persistent factors driving food price increases across Europe, but the cost of energy still plays an important role”, Balogh noted, adding that rising energy, fuel and transport costs affect agricultural production, processing and distribution. According to Benedetti, the main driver of the recent price increases has been energy, above all fuel: since the strikes on Iran in late February, the average diesel price in the EU has risen from €1.59 per litre on 23 February to €2.24 on 28 September — the highest since statistics began in 2005. 'Diesel keeps the entire food chain moving — from tractors to the trucks that supply supermarkets,' she said. She also stressed that slowing inflation does not mean falling prices: with positive inflation, prices continue to rise, only more slowly and from a higher level. Balogh explains the differences between countries by a combination of factors: wage levels, the cost of land and labour, the structure of retail trade, taxes, exchange rates, logistics, agricultural productivity and consumer preferences. The price of food in a shop, according to Benedetti, only partly reflects the cost of the product itself — it also includes wages, energy, rent, transport and taxes, which are significantly higher in wealthier countries.

Why this matters

The price spread directly affects the real incomes of residents in different countries: as the data above show, food in Romania and Bulgaria is formally cheaper, but consumes more than 20% of the household budget, whereas in wealthy countries the high cost is offset by earnings. For consumers, the practical takeaway of the data is that nominal prices are not an indicator of affordability, and a slowdown in inflation will not lead to lower prices on the shelves. As long as statistics capture only nominal values, the real purchasing power of the basket across different countries remains not fully measured.