If you think that food prices in Serbia are on par with or even higher than those in European countries, you are not mistaken and your impression is confirmed by statistics.
It seems that our approach to the EU in terms of economic output is somewhat slower than our approach in prices, especially in areas such as food, clothing, and footwear, and particularly electronics and white goods. According the household final consumption expenditure (HFCE), by 2024 Serbia has reached 67.4% of the EU average. In some consumption areas, we are not only at the EU level but also above average, while in other areas we remain significantly cheaper.
The most important item – food – accounts for 31.56 percent of the Serbian consumer basket, meaning that almost a third of household spending is on food and non-alcoholic beverages. In this category, Serbia has reached a level of 96.4 percent of the European Union average.
Food and beverage prices in Serbia are significantly higher than in Romania (75.5 percent of the EU average), Bulgaria (88.8 percent), Poland (86.8 percent), Hungary (94.8 percent), Slovakia (83.4 percent), the Czech Republic (89 percent), and Spain (95.2 percent). Of course, food in Serbia is considerably more expensive than in Bosnia and Herzegovina (83.2 percent of the EU average), Montenegro (84.4 percent), North Macedonia (73.4 percent), and Turkey (76.7 percent).
However, alcohol and tobacco are cheaper than the EU average. In Serbia, they are at 71.8 percent of the EU average, and among EU countries, only Bulgaria (69 percent of the EU average) is cheaper. In North Macedonia and Turkey, alcohol and tobacco are even 40 percent cheaper than the EU average.
When it comes to footwear and clothing, we are roughly at the EU average. In terms of clothing, last year we had prices about 10 percent lower than the EU average, and we are slightly more expensive than in Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary.
What brings down the price level in Serbia is energy. Last year, Serbia was still one of the countries with the cheapest energy in Europe. In Serbia, energy prices, according to Eurostat’s report, were half of the EU average (49 percent) last year. Hungary had the cheapest energy in Europe, being 62 percent cheaper than the EU average, and Montenegro had even cheaper energy than Serbia (45.5 percent below the EU average).
The most expensive energy in Europe for households was paid by the Swiss, 26.8 percent more than the EU average, while Germany had the highest prices in the EU, 22.1 percent more than the average.
Five years ago, the Competition Protection Commission initiated a procedure to investigate competition violations in the consumer electronics market in Serbia, citing Eurostat data which showed that prices for consumer electronics and household appliances were among the highest in Europe and 13 percent above the EU average. Five years later, despite or perhaps because of the fines imposed by the KZK two years ago (0.05 percent of turnover for retailers and 0.2 percent for importers), consumer electronics in Serbia remain among the most expensive in Europe.
Household appliances in Serbia are 10.8 percent more expensive than the EU average and are more expensive than in almost all EU countries (except Malta, Cyprus, and Denmark). Outside the EU, Switzerland and Iceland are also pricier, while consumers in Albania pay by far the highest prices for household appliances in Europe – 45.8 percent higher than the EU average. In terms of consumer electronics, the situation is even worse for us and the Albanians. Albanians pay 49.5 percent more for electronics, which includes televisions, music devices, computers, etc., than the EU average, while we are 30 percent more expensive than the average, placing us third in all of Europe behind Iceland. It is hard to explain why electronics in Serbia are almost 40 percent more expensive than in Bulgaria or 30 percent more expensive than in Hungary.
In terms of transport services, Serbia is 22.6 percent below the EU average, and here the cheapest are the Macedonians and Bulgarians with prices about 45 percent lower than the EU average.
Furniture in Serbia is about 11.5 percent cheaper than the EU average, and the cheapest in the EU is Bulgaria with prices 32 percent lower than the average, and North Macedonia in Europe with prices 38 percent lower than the average.
(Danas, 29.07.2025)
https://www.danas.rs/vesti/ekonomija/kako-srbija-stize-eu-po-cenama/