A recurring study compared typical supermarket basket prices in Greece with other European countries. The overall results indicate that prices for the typical household basket in Greek supermarkets remain lower than in France, the UK, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Romania and Bulgaria. Also, Greece records the second-highest VAT burden among the 10 countries examined
The recurring report by the Research Institute of Retail Consumer Goods (IELKA) presents the results of an organized price comparison study of a typical basket of household products in organized food retail (supermarkets) in Greece in August 2026, and correspondingly in France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Romania and Bulgaria. The study is based on data from price comparison platforms in each country, as well as on price checks at supermarket chains. Prices are compared both with and without VAT, which differs from country to country.
For this analysis, prices were compared across a total of 40 product categories. These subcategories were examined using a large sample of more than 6,000 product prices from 48 different supermarket chains across the nine European countries in order to calculate average prices, with samples taken from reliable price comparison websites in Greece and abroad, as well as from supermarket chains. The data include final prices for both branded and private label products in each country. The prices refer only to supermarket chains and not to other points of sale.
The comparison of average basket prices shows that the other countries all have a significantly more expensive average basket than Greece: Germany by 28.6%, France by 27.9%, the United Kingdom by 27.5%, Italy by 11.6%, Spain by 11.9%, Romania by 16%, Portugal by 2.9% and Bulgaria by 15,1%.
The Removal of VAT
The picture changes significantly when the applicable VAT in each country is removed to reveal the actual prices of supermarket products. In this case, the comparison shows that all the other countries have a more expensive average basket than Greece: Germany by 35%, France by 36%, the United Kingdom by 37%, Italy by 19%, Spain by 21%, Portugal by 6%, Romania by 22% and Bulgaria by 11%.
This is the result of differences in the reduced VAT rate in each country (the VAT rate that applies to food and beverages). In Greece, this rate is 13%. It is significantly higher than in the United Kingdom (0% or 5%), France (10% and 5.5%), Spain (10% and 4%), Portugal (13% and 6%), Italy (10% and 4%), Germany (7%) and Romania (11% and 5%), as well as most EU countries.
The key difference is that foods that fall under the 13% middle VAT rate in Greece fall under the lower rate in other countries, which is also below the Greek rate at 6%, 5.5%, 4% or even 0%. Very few products are in the low VAT bracket in Greece and in the high bracket in other countries (for example, baby wipes). The only country with a heavier VAT burden is Bulgaria, which applies 20% VAT on all items. The effect of special consumption taxes (for example, on coffee) could not be included in the data above.
Greece records by far the second-highest average VAT rate for the basket of 40 categories among the 10 countries, at 15.7%, while Spain has the lowest at 7.0% (with many products at the low rate), and most countries fall in the 9% to 10% range.
A General Assessment
The overall conclusion of the analysis is that organized Greek food retail (supermarkets) gives Greek consumers access to products in their typical basket at lower prices on average. This is the result of an organized effort by suppliers and retailers to hold prices down in recent years. This trend, with small fluctuations, has been consistent over the past 12 years that IELKA has carried out this study. The long-term price comparison with other countries shows that in recent years Greece has consistently had a cheaper typical basket than the countries compared, with some fluctuations that do not change the overall conclusion of the analysis.
Factors that should be taken into account when comparing prices between different countries include:
- The VAT rates in each country
- Special consumption taxes in each country
- The level of taxation in each country
- Agricultural and industrial production in each country
- Consumer habits in each country (for example, the preference for packaged or unpackaged products, private label products, etc.)
- Weather conditions and natural disasters due to climate change
- Energy costs
- Fuel and general transportation costs
- Wage and labor costs
- The country’s distance from the production centers of central Europe and the related costs
- The complexity of each country’s geography (for example, road network, islands, etc.)
- The size of the market, purchasing power, and the corresponding economies of scale in product procurement
- The ratio between organized retail and small specialty stores
- The balance of exports and imports for food and the raw materials used to make it
- Various production costs (energy, raw materials, wages, financing costs, bureaucracy)
- The productivity of industry and retail in each country
- The seasonality of demand and supply (for example, due to tourism or weather conditions)
About the study
Price data are calculated from well-known price monitoring platforms in the countries examined and are supplemented with price checks. For Greece, primary data come from price checks at major supermarket chains. The categories in the basket were selected based on a combination of the best-selling products, comparable baskets used for estimates abroad, and the common availability of product categories in the markets of the countries examined.
The data come from the following supermarket chains:
– Greece: Sklavenitis, AB, My Market, Masoutis, Market In
– United Kingdom: Morrisons, ASDA, Sainsbury’s, Coop, Ocado, Tesco
– Spain: Carrefour, Mercadona, Caprabo, Condis, Dia, Eroski, SoySuper, Alcampo
– Italy: CosiComodo, emiDrive, Pim Spesa, Agora, Everli, HeyConad, easyCoop
– Portugal: Continente, Minipreco, Auchan, Spar
– France: Monoprix Plus, Carrefour, Super U, Auchan, Aldi
– Germany: Edeka, Rewe, Kaufland, Lekkerland, Bela, Norma
– Romania: Carrefour, Auchan, Mega Image
– Bulgaria: Kaufland, Lidl, Supermag, eBag
Tables 3 and 4 show the prices for every product with VAT and without VAT respectively.
