Everyday shopping

Expensive festive brunch – prices have exploded

The analysis by the Salzburg Chamber of Labor showed that prices have once again shot up significantly this year. The increase is drastic for everyday shopping.(Bild: EXPA/ JFK)

From jam rolls to pasta bakes: Mr. and Mrs. Salzburger have to dig deeper and deeper into their wallets when it comes to everyday groceries. The small shopping basket with the cheapest products is much more expensive than it was in 2023.

Increases of almost 60 percent - a family breakfast has not been this expensive for a long time. It's not just those who enjoy a fine lunch and dinner around the holidays who will have to pay more. There are blatant price increases for those who also like to enjoy a good morning snack with the family or invite friends to a lavish holiday brunch.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Stock Adobe)

Orange juice, for example, costs 58 percent more than last year. Butter is 47.8 percent more expensive than last year. Ground coffee by more than a third. Toast, apricot jam and eggs cost more than 12 percent more. Even the good old extra sausage is already five percent more expensive this year than in 2023.

Daily shopping remains a driver of inflation 
Prices have risen considerably even for the cheapest items. According to the Salzburg Chamber of Labor (AK), the consumer price index rose by 1.8 percent - the "small shopping basket" became more than four percent more expensive. The small shopping basket consists of 54 items (45 food and 9 drugstore items), where the cheapest product (including promotions) was on offer at the time of purchase.

"The prices for food, toiletries & co. have risen noticeably in the cheapest price segment, i.e. in the small basket of goods, and well above the consumer price index," the AK states, adding: "Daily shopping therefore remains an inflation driver and continues to put pressure on low-income households in particular."

But there are also cheaper products: For example, a kilo of potatoes was almost 30 percent cheaper than in the previous year, sugar 21 percent cheaper and spaghetti 15 percent cheaper.

A look at Bavaria shows that shopping is much cheaper
Nonetheless, all in all, comprehensive shopping is much more expensive. It is also worth taking a look at our neighbors: Salzburg is around nine percent more expensive than Bavaria for small shopping baskets.

The differences are even greater for branded goods, excluding promotional prices. If you buy shower gel in Freilassing, for example, you pay up to 40 percent less. When it comes to groceries, people in Salzburg pay an average of 16.6 percent more than their neighbors. And baby food is also 6.85 percent cheaper on average in Bavaria.