COPENHAGEN: Denmark is the most expensive place in Europe to buy groceries, according to new figures from Eurostat.
The Eurostat numbers show that food and non-alcoholic drinks in Denmark cost 145 percent of the average price in the EU. This was well above second-place Sweden, where consumers pay 124 percent of the average EU price.
Only non-EU countries Norway and Switzerland have higher grocery costs, at 159 and 173 percent respectively.
Not only does Denmark have the highest overall grocery prices, it can also claim the most expensive meat and bread. Only when it comes to dairy products are there more expensive EU countries. Danish consumers “only” pay 127 percent of the EU average for their milk, cheese and eggs, topped by prices in Cyprus, Greece and Ireland.
While it might be hard to believe if you shelled out 60 kroner for a pint of beer, Denmark is only the fifth most expensive EU country when it comes to alcoholic beverages. Danish consumers pay 138 percent of the EU average price for booze, putting the nation behind Ireland (175%), Finland (172%), the UK (163%) and Sweden (141%).
You can perhaps console yourself over your next beer by thinking of the Norwegians, who pay a whopping 250 percent of the EU average for alcoholic beverages.
When it comes to tobacco products, Denmark’s prices are 106 percent of the average, whereas Irish smokers pay 189 percent.
The cheapest EU country for groceries is Poland, while consumers in Bulgaria can enjoy the union’s cheapest alcohol and tobacco prices.
The figures are based on the results of a price survey covering 440 products across Europe, carried out by the European group looking at purchasing power on the continent.
