The price level in Germany remains lower than in most EU countries
As "Russkaya Germaniya" notes, only Germany's eastern neighbors – Poland and the Czech Republic – can boast cheaper food or lower average rents than in Germany.
According to statisticians, the most expensive life is in Denmark – the price level there exceeds the European average by 38.7%. And this trend has persisted in recent years, especially for food and non-alcoholic beverages. Next comes Ireland, where residents have to pay 24.6% more for goods and services than other Europeans.
The cheapest place to live is Bulgaria, where consumers pay only half (47%) of what Germans pay. However, German experts do not take into account many economic factors here; otherwise, the price gap with other EU countries would be even larger for Bulgaria.
Interestingly, the largest differences in the cost of goods in the EU are recorded for alcohol and tobacco products, due to varying tax burdens. In Eastern European countries – Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania – prices for these goods are almost twice as low as the European average. In Ireland, alcohol and tobacco are 75% more expensive, and in the UK – 62%. Malta (80% of the EU average) and Portugal (86%) have relatively low overall average price levels, with similar prices in Greece (89%) and Cyprus (86%).
German statisticians also analyzed price indicators of some non-EU countries. The most expensive country on the continent, by a significant margin, is Switzerland, where the cost of the consumer basket is 61.5% higher than in the EU. This is largely due to the high exchange rate of the Swiss franc against the euro. Next come Ireland (plus 47%) and Norway (plus 39.6%), where hotel accommodation and local catering services are particularly expensive.
At the bottom of this comparative table are Macedonia (minus 53.6%) and Albania (minus 51.2%), which, according to statisticians, makes these countries especially attractive for tourists.
It should be noted that all data from the German statistical office are linked to the results of preliminary studies of purchasing power and prices, which are being conducted this year by the European Statistical Agency Eurostat.