Spain continues to grapple with steep supermarket prices.
Grocery costs rose by 2.5% over the past year, according to a new study by the Organisation of Consumers and Users (OCU).
The report also highlights significant potential savings for savvy shoppers. By choosing the cheapest outlets, families could save an average of €1,132 per year.
Spain’s supermarket prices: Sharp rises and uneven costs
While overall prices climbed 2.5%, fresh produce saw a sharper 6.7% increase, compared with just 0.8% for packaged goods.
- Fruit and vegetables: +8.2%
- Meat: +7.0%
- Fish: +3.4%
The OCU has renewed its call for a VAT reduction on essential fresh foods, arguing that these items weigh heavily on family budgets.
Some products have experienced eye-watering hikes in recent years. Coffee is now twice as expensive as in 2021, jumping 54.1% in the past year alone. Other steep risers include bananas (+35.9%), lemons (+33.0%), eggs (+29.8%), and chocolate (+28.8%).
The OCU attributes some of these increases to global commodity pressures, while others, such as eggs,may be driven by speculative pricing along the supply chain.
Not all news is bad. Prices for olive oil (–53.0%), sugar (–25.7%), and orange juice (–23.7%) have recently fallen. However, despite these drops, olive oil remains 57% pricier than in 2021, and sugar is still 43% higher.
Among supermarket chains, Hipercor (+7.0%) and Lidl (+6.8%) posted the largest price increases. Alcampo (+0.5%) and Carrefour (+1.0%) showed the smallest. The OCU also flagged the ongoing trend of “shrinkflation”, when product sizes quietly shrink but prices do not.
Cheapest supermarkets and cities
Nationwide, the cheapest chains were found to be Supermercados Dani (mainly in Andalusia), Alcampo, Tifer, and Family Cash. At the other end of the scale, Sorli Discau, Supercor, and Sánchez Romero ranked as the most expensive.
The Alcampo hypermarkets in Aldaia (Valencia) and Coia (Vigo) were the cheapest individual stores surveyed, while Sánchez Romero outlets in Madrid topped the list for highest prices.
Geographically, Sanlúcar de Barrameda (Cádiz) and Torrent (Valencia) emerged as Spain’s most affordable cities for groceries. More generally, towns across Andalusia, the Valencian Community, Murcia, Galicia, and Extremadura offer lower prices, while areas around Barcelona, Madrid, the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, and the Basque Country tend to be more expensive.
Calls for oversight and consumer tools
The OCU has urged the Ministries of Consumer Affairs and Agriculture to investigate potential speculation and inefficiencies in the supply chain contributing to price spikes.
To help consumers cope, the organisation’s Supermarket Finder tool allows members to compare over 106,000 prices from 718 physical and online stores across 241 products, helping shoppers pinpoint the cheapest options in their area.
