Dutch people can save a lot on groceries if they do their shopping across the border. Belgium is good for budget brands, Germany and France for A-brands. Some A-brand products are more than half cheaper in Germany and France.
In Belgium, a consumer pays an average of 12 percent less for a full cart with 133 products than in the Netherlands, the Consumers’ Association notes based on its own research. Products such as rice, pasta, wheat flour and long-life milk are particularly cheaper in Belgium. A-brands are also cheaper for soft drinks, specialty beer and drugstore items.
But not everything is cheaper in Belgium. “Peanut butter, ketchup, mayonnaise and fresh milk are better bought in the Netherlands,” writes the Consumers’ Association.
Germany is slightly cheaper than Belgium. A full shopping cart with 137 products costs an average of 15 percent less there than in the Netherlands. As far as budget brands are concerned, there is hardly any difference, but A-brands are on average 25 percent cheaper in Germany than in the Netherlands. This mainly concerns soft drinks, drugstore items and household items.
“In the Netherlands, these types of articles are often on sale,” the Consumers’ Association notes. “But usually the promotional prices cannot compete with the German prices.”
France is the most economical country
In both Germany and France you pay “sometimes less than half the Dutch price” for pasta, soft drinks, detergents and drugstore items from A-brands.
France is the most economical country in the comparison. There you can save as much as 20 percent on a cart with 129 products. A-brands such as Bonduelle, Pringles and Heineken are on average 28 percent cheaper.
Budget brands are also cheaper than in France, but the difference is less than in Belgium, so consumers don’t have to drive all the way to France for that. “But if you are in France anyway and want to take all kinds of local delicacies to the Netherlands? Then it is advantageous to also buy detergents and soft drinks from budget brands immediately.”
E. Leclerc by far the cheapest in France
Colruyt comes out as the cheapest Belgian supermarket. The presence of Jumbo and Albert Heijn for several years seems to ensure lower prices at Colruyt. Kaufland and Globus are the most economical German supermarkets when it comes to both budget brands and A-brands. E. Leclerc is “by far the cheapest” in France.
For the research, the Consumers’ Association compared approximately 130 frequently sold products. The organization carried out store visits and took photos of more than 3,500 price tags. Missing price tags were supplemented with online prices.