Budapest is Cheapest Capital in Europe for Supermarket Shopping, According to Deutsche Bank Ranking
- 7 Aug 2025 11:05 AM
Budapest has been ranked one of the most affordable cities in Europe for grocery shopping, according to the latest Grocery Index from Deutsche Bank.
The index, based on data from Numbeo, compares the cost of a typical basket of essential food items — such as bread, milk, eggs, meat, and fruit — across major global cities, with New York set as the baseline (index score: 100), as reported by Euronews.
Budapest scored just 37, placing it alongside Warsaw as the cheapest capital city in Europe for supermarket shopping. In practical terms, this means groceries in the Hungarian capital are 63% cheaper than in New York — so a basket that costs €100 in New York would cost only €37 in Budapest.
This puts Budapest well below the cost levels of Western European capitals like Paris (71), London (62), and Berlin (55).
It also comes in cheaper than popular Southern European destinations such as Rome (51), Madrid (46), and Lisbon (44). On a global scale, only Cairo posted a lower grocery index score than Budapest.
Despite widespread inflation and cost-of-living concerns across Europe, Hungary continues to offer excellent value for essential goods, at least when it comes to supermarket staples.
These findings align with broader trends showing that Central and Eastern European cities typically offer lower consumer prices compared to their Western counterparts.
At the other end of the spectrum, Geneva and Zurich top the list as Europe’s most expensive cities for groceries, with scores of 106 and 103 respectively — both surpassing New York. Other high-cost cities include Oslo (78) and Paris, where groceries cost 54% more than in Madrid and 29% more than in Berlin.
It’s worth noting that the index does not account for local purchasing power, meaning affordability for locals may vary. However, for travellers and expats, Budapest offers some of the best value-for-money grocery prices anywhere in Europe.
Latest Grocery Index from Deutsche Bank available here.
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