A new study by Gondola Academy and Daltix – a research firm specialising in price comparisons – allows us to quantify an observation that is anything but new: that shopping is cheaper in France than in Belgium, and more expensive in the Netherlands.
The study shows that groceries and dry goods can cost 44.36% less in France than in Belgium. On the other hand, body care products and perfumery can cost 43.45% less in Belgium than in the Netherlands.
The study compared 2,605 identical products between Germany, the Netherlands, France and Belgium.
For France, the study compared prices at E. Leclerc and Colruyt. The wine category is 21.41% cheaper in France. The same goes for body care/parfumery (-22.76%), non-food items (-26.42%), household goods (-27.06%), beverages (-28.88%), bread/breakfast (-30.83%), dairy (-33.81%), and groceries/dry foods (-44.36%).
In the Netherlands, the trend is very different. Prices were compared between Colruyt and Albert Heijn. Beverages (-5.03%) and groceries/dry foods (-1.88%) are cheaper in the Netherlands. For the rest, Belgium is cheaper: non-food items (-2.75%) bread/breakfast (-6.54%), dairy (-10.77%), home/household (-11.83%) and wine (16.43%).
In Germany, the comparison was made between Rewe and Colruyt stores. The wine (-4.92%) and non-food (-12.22%) categories are cheaper in Belgium. For the other main categories, Germany is cheaper: dairy (-5.36%), beverages (-13.56%), body care/perfumery (-20.52%) and groceries/dry food (-20.66%).
For this study, promotional prices were not taken into account.
According to Fevia, the Belgian food industry federation, Belgians spent €543 million in foreign supermarkets last year.
