Product prices in Ukraine and Europe: where is more expensive

Photo: Author

We are not hearing the first year that prices for Ukrainian supermarkets are often higher than European. And even in the NBU acknowledges that product prices in Ukraine have come close to the world.

Is it really cheaper in Europe? And what products do our western neighbors please at low prices? To answer these questions editorial Briefly about Compared the cost of some popular products in Ukraine, Poland, Estonia and Germany.

Prices already world but also a splash of inflation will not The rise in prices for Products are a pretty painful topic, because Ukrainians spend half of their income. Therefore, even the minimal increase in price tags seriously affects the pockets of Ukrainians.

Meanwhile, prices for products in Ukraine are approaching the world. This was stated at the National Bank and even found some positive in the news.

“We have already approached the prices of food products, and for some products even exceed prices in neighboring countries,” the NBU Deputy Head of NBU Nikolaychuk quoted. “Therefore, in fact, because of this factor, we expect that the repetition of last year’s significant burst of food inflation we can avoid.”

To find out whether prices in Ukraine are already “completely at the level”, we compared the minimum prices in popular supermarkets of Ukraine, Poland, Estonia and Germany. Our table shows the minimum price in supermarkets as of June 10, 2025.

For convenience of comparison, we transferred prices to UAH at the rate of UAH 11.12 per zloty and UAH 47.45 per euro.

In addition, we had to bring packaging to one units. For example, while Oleina in Ukraine is sold in 850 ml bottles, oil in European stores is spilled into bottles. So we transferred: if 0.85 l costs 73.90 UAH, then a liter – 86.94 UAH. A similar recalculation was made with milk and butter.

In Ukraine, too, they are actively offering discounts – now it is difficult to do without them. Photo: Briefly about

Poland: Budget if you know where to look Poland was closest to Ukraine at prices, but there are nuances. Poland is much cheaper dairy products and fruits, but the prices for meat are much higher than Ukrainian.

– Poland is a rather budget country for everyday expenses, but only if you know where to look for discounts, – says the resident of Warsaw Svetlana. – For example, I buy bananas from Biedronka, eggs – in Lidl or Dino, chicken – in Auchan, there are good stocks, vegetables – on the market. And, say, żabka is interested in the fact that it has many shops, which, moreover, work on Sunday and holidays when even pharmacies are closed.

According to the interlocutor Briefly aboutBiedronka is the absolute champion of stocks, where discounts are offered daily, and if you install a mobile application, there will also be personal discounts. For the most part, Polish products are sold here, but there are imports. Lidl can buy large packages at a favorable price, Auchan has good assortment and favorable prices for some positions, such as household chemicals. Many stores give 30% or even 50% discounts on products with a period until the end of the day – ready meals, salads, baking.

“Netto has recently discovered for itself,” Svetlana continues. – It seems to me that he is somewhat underestimated, and in vain! There you can regularly see cheap meat offers and dairy products, say, cheap hard cheese and chicken. And, of course, everyone who lives in Poland knows about Saturday markets – a place where you can buy vegetables, fruits, eggs and herbs cheaper and fresher than in the supermarket. No wonder the locals go to such markets with large carts.

Biedronka is the absolute champion in Polish supermarkets. Photo: Henryk Borawski / Commons.wikimedia.org

Estonia: Supermarkets always have something on the stock A characteristic feature of Estonian stores is that every day they have a lot on stocks. Each store has its own chips, and sometimes discounts are such that the product becomes at times cheaper. For example, now Prizma and Rimi solid cheese of their own brands sell 3.90 euros per kilo, while the usual price of cheese starts from 8 euros.

If the stocks on cheese or, for example, on sausages with a long shelf life, continue for weeks and even months, then discounts on vegetables and fruits are always a surprise. One day, broccoli will be sold twice cheaper, and the other-avocado with a 70%discount. And it is all ordinary air conditioning, not the one to look at. Therefore, many buyers depart from the plan of shopping in advance, and put in the basket that on this day on the action. For example, he came for a zucchin for dinner and bought an eggplant because he was twice cheaper than usual.

Onions in Estonia are almost twice cheaper than in Ukraine. Photo: Author

In addition, there are products that are sold much cheaper in certain networks without discounts. For example, Lidl has almost always on sale Polish butter 1.07 euros for a 200-gram pack. The minimum price for butter in RIMI is 1.75 euros, and, for example, Prisma has 2.05 euros. Instead, Prisma now sells the cheapest eggs – from 1.59 euros per ten. For comparison, the price starts from 1.69 euros, and, say, Selver – from 1.99 euros.

Therefore, if the buyer attends several stores and uses stocks, the real cost of his basket will be much cheaper than indicated in our table. Although it has become the cheapest from the countries being considered.

There are always some new actions in Estonian supermarkets. Photo: Author

Germany: constant discount hunt The most expensive country among the considered was Germany – the cost of a German basket is more than one and a half times higher than the cost of Ukrainian. From the records considered, meat, flour, sugar, vegetables are beaten. But there are many products where prices are quite comparable to Ukrainian, and, for example, the minimum prices for butter and tomatoes in Germany are even lower. At least on June 10.

Local people say that life in Berlin is a constant hunt for stocks in supermarkets. Mary, who lives in the German capital for the fourth year, says that her favorite store is Lidl, where the lowest prices for basic products. Netto can find favorable shares as well as Eggs, pasta, cereals, sauces at low prices. And, for example, Rewe has many bio- and vegan products.

– In Germany, I am used to planning stocks: every week there are advertising booklets, which are not necessary to look in paper form, everything can be viewed online, – says Maria. – I also pay attention to the season, because seasonal fruits and vegetables are much cheaper, and their cost can be tracked with a special seasonal calendar, which is produced by the local consumer protection union. And yet it has acquired a new habit – to take bottles to supermarket machines, because each costs 25 cents.

According to Mary, there are several main rules for “hunting for products”: to buy after 19:00 with discounts, to go for vegetables, spices and cereals in Turkish and Asian stores, as well as to visit discounters and Saturday markets regularly.

PS in the last three years, food prices have increased twice or more. But the reasons for the rise in price are different. If prices in Ukraine are raised primarily due to military inflation, which is associated with increased costs due to high risks, labor shortages, more complex logistics, then in Europe inflation is purely monetary in nature, associated with the emission of money after pandemic. The population and business were distributed about trillion euros that were not provided with commodity mass. In conditions where money is getting bigger and the goods are not, prices are rising.

In Ukraine, inflation rates are much higher, and today, unfortunately, the popular thesis about African wages and European prices is fully confirmed. It turns out that there are not many products cheaper than in Europe in Ukraine: flour, eggs, sugar, meat and cabbage (cabbage prices, incidentally, in Ukraine collapsed just last week due to an increase in seasonal supply). Instead, prices for sunflower oil and fruits are quite European, and dairy products, potatoes and other vegetables are sold at all, can be said at “German” prices and even slightly higher.

For the Germans hunting for discounts is mandatory. And for replacement with paper booklets with stocks have already appeared online attachments. Photo: facebook.com/rewmarktclausthalzellerfeld

Prices for some products in Europe supermarkets, UAH*

Products Ukraine Poland Estonia Germany Milk 3.2%, 1 l 64.11 42.03 54.57 64.06 Eggs, 10 pcs. 59.80 77.62 75.45 89.21 Sunflower oil, 1 l 86.94 88.85 61.21 94.43 Sugar, 1 kg 30.90 33.14 34.64 51.25 Butter 82%, 200 g 123.78 88.74 70.70 121.00 Wheat flour, 1 kg 18.50 48.71 49.82 85.41 Chicken fillet, 1 kg 209.00 288.01 345,91 673.79 Pork stuffing, 1 kg 179.90 244.20 236.78 426.58 Cheese hard, 1 kg 439.00 423.34 185.06 516,26 Bananas, 1 kg 74.90 66.50 59.79 99.65 Apples, 1 kg 65.00 36.03 32.27 94.43 Potatoes, 1 kg 45.90 44.26 23.25 46.98 Onions, 1 kg 40.90 44.26 26.10 59.31 Cabbage white cabbage, 1 kg 29.90 49.82 78.29 113.88 Carrots, 1 kg 49.30 44.26 18.51 71.18 Tomatoes, 1 kg 73.90 37.70 46.98 67.38 Cucumbers, 1 kg 65.80 37.70 94.43 72.12 Total amount for the specified product set 1657.53 1695,17 1493,76 2746,92 *Prices are valid on 10.06.2025

Site data used:

https://auchan.zakaz.ua/

https://zakupy.auchan.pl/

https://www.prismamarket.ee/

https://www.rewe.de/

https://www.edeka24.de/

Source: kp.ua