Food Prices in Europe: Where Are Groceries Most Expensive and Why?

Food prices vary widely across Europe, with costs differing by more than threefold between countries. Find out where groceries are most and least expensive and what drives these price differences

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The same loaf of bread can cost more than three times as much in Copenhagen as in Sofia. At the end of October, Euronews Business looked into why that happens and showed how widely food prices in Europe differ from one country to the next. We went through its figures and added official Eurostat data to give a fuller picture.

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How much do EU households spend on food?

Food and non-alcoholic drinks take up 13.6% of household spending in the EU on average. That makes it the second-largest item after housing and utilities, which account for 23.6%. The share looks very different from country to country, though: in Romania, for example, 23.1% of the family budget goes on food.

How are countries compared, and what does the index mean?

The data comes from Numbeo, a crowdsourced cost-of-living database. Its index is set against New York by default, where the value is 100. Euronews Business recalculated it so that the EU average became the baseline. On that scale, Switzerland scores 189.2 and Moldova just 57.2. Groceries in Swiss shops are 89.2% more expensive than the European average, while in Moldova they are 42.8% cheaper. A basket that costs €100 at the EU average would cost €189.20 in Switzerland and €57.20 in Moldova.

Numbeo is not official statistics, since its database is filled in by users. Eurostat calculates things differently. According to its data, in 2025 food and non-alcoholic beverages were the most expensive in Luxembourg (122% of the EU average) and the cheapest in Romania (80%). The gap here is much smaller than in the Numbeo index, where Romania scores 66.7. The direction is the same, though: the north and west are pricier, the south-east is cheaper. That’s worth keeping in mind when you assess the cost of living in Europe.

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Food prices in Europe: who leads in cost?

Photo – Euronews

At the top of the ranking is Switzerland (189.2). Iceland (183.6), Norway (154.4), Luxembourg (134.9) and Denmark (128.4) follow. Three of the five most expensive countries are Nordic. The other northern countries are also above average: Finland scores 119.7, Sweden 116.6. Austria (124.5), Ireland (122), Belgium (117.6) and the Netherlands (116.4) come close behind.

Among Europe’s five largest economies, prices are highest in France, where food is 27.5% more expensive than the EU average. Spain remains the only one of the big five where food costs less than average.

- France: 127.5

- United Kingdom: 111.9

- Germany: 111.6

- Italy: 110.2

- Spain: 89.7

Britain, Germany and Italy sit almost side by side, within two points of each other.

A basket of 18 items: what does it cost?

Photo – Euronews

Numbeo lists 19 items in its “Markets” category. Euronews Business collected their prices in October 2026 but left out cigarettes, as they vary widely between countries, as does the share of smokers. The journalists added up the remaining 18 items, counting each once, without weights. The average basket in the EU came to €69.84. The most expensive baskets are:

- Switzerland: €137.90

- Norway: €116.10

- Luxembourg: €99

- Austria: €88.10

- Denmark: €87.70

The cheapest basket is in Moldova (€41.10). Eight more countries let you put it together for under €50: North Macedonia (€43.90), Kosovo (€45.50), Romania (€45.90), Georgia (€46.90), Poland (€49.60), Serbia (€49.70), Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina (€49.80 each). The spread is visible among the big economies too: the basket costs €87.40 in France, €80 in Italy, €75.20 in Germany, €69.10 in Britain and €63 in Spain. All these rankings are based on nominal prices. Once purchasing power is taken into account, the gap narrows, and after the basket is weighted, positions may shift slightly.

Is eating in Europe’s cheapest countries really a bargain?

Among EU countries, food is cheapest in Romania: an index of 66.7, a third below average. In general, prices are lower in the east of the continent and in the Balkans, including EU candidate countries. North Macedonia scores 59.8, Bosnia and Herzegovina 67.9, Serbia 68.8. Turkey (82.1) is below the average but pricier than several EU members. On top of that, food inflation there hit 32.8% in 2025, the highest in Europe.

A low price tag doesn’t mean food is affordable. Ilaria Benedetti of the University of Tuscia points out that food is cheap in Romania, yet families spend almost a quarter of their budget on it. In Bulgaria the share also exceeds 20%. Professor Jeremias Máté Balogh of Corvinus University adds that food can be cheaper in absolute terms yet less affordable once you compare it with what people earn after tax.

Why is bread in Denmark three times pricier than in Bulgaria?

According to Numbeo, 500 g of fresh white bread costs €3.18 in Denmark and €1.02 in Bulgaria. Incidentally, Bulgaria has been part of the eurozone since 1 January 2026, so both prices are now in the same currency. Eggs show a smaller gap: a dozen costs €4.52 in Denmark and €2.69 in Estonia, a difference of less than double. Eggs are a more standardised product, which is why they vary less.

Benedetti explains that the shelf price only partly reflects the cost of the food itself. It also covers wages, energy, rent, transport and taxes, all of which are much higher in wealthy countries. Balogh adds land costs, the structure of the retail market, exchange rates, logistics, farm productivity and even consumer habits. So supermarket prices say more about a country’s economy as a whole than about the cost of the products themselves.

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Diesel, wages and inflation: what is pushing prices up in 2026?

In Balogh’s view, labour costs remain the most persistent driver of high prices, but energy, fuel and transport keep pushing prices up at every stage, from field to shelf. Benedetti gives a telling example with fuel. After the strikes on Iran in late February, the average price of diesel in the EU rose from €1.59 per litre on 23 February to €2.24 on 28 September, the highest level since records began in 2005. “Diesel drives the entire food chain, from tractors to the trucks delivering to supermarkets,” she said.

Fresh macro data confirms the trend. In September 2026, annual inflation in the eurozone rose to 3.8% from 3.2% in August, with food, alcohol and tobacco adding 0.25 percentage points to the overall figure. By comparison, food in the EU rose by 2.8% on average in 2025. When food inflation slows, it doesn’t mean prices are falling: they simply keep rising more slowly, from an already higher level.

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What does this mean for travellers and people relocating?

When comparing countries, look not only at the price tag but at the share of income that food takes up. That gives a more honest picture of life on the ground than a bare index. For a short trip the difference in the basket is noticeable but rarely decisive. Relocating is more complicated: on top of food come housing, transport and healthcare, which for foreigners in many countries is far from cheap. That is why it’s best to calculate the budget as a whole.

Prices in Europe differ by more than the cost of bread and eggs: healthcare for foreigners in expensive countries can also add up to a considerable sum. So before setting off, it’s worth arranging a policy in advance. It covers the cost of emergency care and medical evacuation, and also protects you if your trip is cancelled or cut short. The insurance suits both a short trip and a long stay, as its term can run from a few days to a year or more. Enter your citizenship and destination country on Visit World and choose the policy that suits you best.

Remember! Where to spend winter 2026–2027 in the warmth, and how much does living abroad cost? We compare 7 countries, rental prices, climate and monthly expenses. We have already covered the best winter destinations and the specifics of long-term stays abroad.

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