By DAISY SAMPSON daisy.sampson@theresidentgroup.com
When it comes to shopping, Portuguese consumers need no longer cross the border for cheap deals as the latest survey by Eurostat has revealed that the price levels of food and non alcoholic beverages in Portugal is five per cent lower than in Spain.
The survey of 2009 prices across the 27 European Union member states has shown that food prices in Portugal are eight per cent lower than the European average while alcoholic beverages and tobacco prices also remain lower than the average with tobacco being 15 per cent lower and alcohol 14 per cent lower.
However, both Portugal and Spain are above the average for the price of bread, cereals and dairy products but Spain is six per cent more expensive when it comes to the price of meat, while the perception of our Iberian neighbours being cheaper for alcohol has also been shattered as alcoholic beverages in Portugal are, in reality, two per cent cheaper.
Portugal also fairs well in comparison to the UK, which is rated as being three per cent below the European average for food and non alcoholic drinks. While breads, cereals and dairy products are cheaper in the UK, meat is 22 per cent more expensive, alcohol is 31 per cent more and tobacco costs a massive 81 per cent more than in Portugal.
Irish visitors to Portugal will also be pleasantly surprised by prices as Ireland is 37 per cent more expensive than Portugal with tobacco costing 132 per cent more.
The survey, released on June 28 by Eurostat, the official statistical office of the European Union, showed other general trends in food pricing across Europe. Unsurprisingly, Northern European countries such as Germany and Denmark came out as most expensive with Norway topping the chart being 54 per cent more expensive than the average and 134 per cent more pricey for alcohol.
At the other end of the scale, the cheapest country in Europe is the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, which is 48 per cent cheaper than the averages with other eastern European countries and new member states also sitting at the bottom of the table including Poland, Romania and Bulgaria.
The survey, however, does not take into account average wages or cost of living in comparison to the prices of food, drinks and tobacco.
Meanwhile, the Algarve has been rated as a cheaper holiday destination than Barcelona in Spain, Nice in France and even Dubrovnik in Croatia.
A survey by Tesco Bank has revealed that the cost of a one week holiday for a family of four in August in the Algarve is 2,262 pounds sterling. This price includes accommodation, car hire, meals and expenses such as family entertainment, but not including flights. In Barcelona, it would cost 2,375 pounds sterling, in Nice 2,320 pounds sterling and in Dubrovnik 2,333 pounds sterling.
The most expensive destination was found to be Reykjavik in Iceland at 3,383 pounds sterling per week, while Sofia in Bulgaria was the cheapest at 1,221 pounds sterling.
Do you have a view on this story? Please email Editor Inês Lopes at ines.lopes@theresidentgroup.com
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