“Poor” Greeks are paying as much as “rich” Germans in order to put the daily food on the table, says a World Economic Forum report.
The figures on food prices are compiled by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, which assesses the cost of a basket of commodities on a monthly basis.
The basket includes five commodity groups: cereals, vegetable oils, dairy, meat and sugar. In January 2017, the average bill at the checkout was 12% higher than in January last year — and at its highest since early 2015.
In Greece, where the minimum wage is 683 euros per month, the monthly basket costs the same as in Germany, where the minimum wage is 1,473 euros. Furthermore, Greeks pay a little more than the Dutch for their monthly basket, when in the Netherlands the minimum wage is 1,501 euros per month.
According to Eurostat, the most expensive country for shopping in Europe is Switzerland, where prices for food, beverages and tobacco are 72% above the European average. Norway (60% above average), Denmark (45%) and Iceland (30%) follow. Denmark is the priciest market and Poland the cheapest market in the EU (37% below average), with only Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia scoring lower among all European countries surveyed (42%).
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