Eurostat: Bulgaria’s price levels for alcohol and tobacco lowest in EU

In 2023, the price level for alcohol and tobacco was 3.2 times higher in Ireland, the most expensive country, than in Bulgaria, the least expensive, European Union statistics agency Eurostat said on June 20.

The lowest price levels for alcohol and tobacco were recorded in Bulgaria (66 per cent of the EU average), Poland (77 per cent) and Romania (85 per cent).

The highest levels were recorded in Ireland (211 per cent), Finland (170 per cent) and Denmark (133 per cent). This large price variation is mainly due to differences in taxation of these products, Eurostat said.

Restaurants and hotels ranked second in terms of price level difference, with the lowest price levels registered in Bulgaria (52 per cent of the EU average), Romania (65 per cent) and Hungary (72 per cent) and the highest in Denmark (152 per cent), Finland (129 per cent) and Ireland (128 per cent). 

Clothing ranked third in terms of price level variation, with Spain (81 per cent), Bulgaria (82 per cent) and Hungary (88 per cent) registering the cheapest clothing prices, while the most expensive were in Denmark (131 per cent), Czechia (126 per cent) and Estonia (118 per cent).

Disparities were also recorded for food and non-alcoholic beverages (varying from 74 per cent of the EU average in Romania to 119 per cent in Luxembourg), personal transport equipment (varying from 90 per cent in Slovakia to 129 per cent in Denmark) and consumer electronics (varying from 92 per cent in Italy to 113 per cent in France). 

In 2023, price levels for household final consumption expenditure differed widely across the EU.

The highest price levels were recorded in Denmark (143 per cent of the EU average), Ireland (142 per cent) and Luxembourg (135 per cent).

The lowest levels were registered in Bulgaria and Romania (each 60 per cent) and Poland (66 per cent), Eurostat said.

(Photo: Chris Cheever/ freeimages.com)

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