Fats are cheaper in Finland than in other European Union countries, but for everything else, consumers have to shell out much more than their EU peers on average. Finnish food prices have risen compared to the EU average, according to latest statistics published by Eurostat.
Healthy eaters fork out a lot more in Finland, with the cost of vegetables 29% more in Finland than the EU average. However, fats and oils cost 3% below the EU average — the only food group in Finland below the EU average.
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Among the EU’s 28 member states, Finland was the fifth most expensive country for food last year — compared to 2010, when it ranked number seven.
However in 2013, Finland was declared the third most expensive country among EU countries — food was nearly 24% more expensive than the average.
According to an independent research institute Pellervo Economic Research (PTT), food prices in Finland dropped between 2013 and 2017, before they started rising again last year, when they inched up by around 2%, stated PTT.
Costlier food but higher salaries in Finland
A recent report by the Labour Institute for Economic Research states that in 2015, the total monthly earnings of a Finnish full-time employee was approximately 3,400 euros, while the average earnings in EU countries are around 2,100 euros.
The Eurostat report states that Romania gets one-third of its food and drinks at a lower price than the average EU citizen. However, the average monthly salary of a full-time employee in the country is under 400 euros — five times less than the EU average.
While food costs 19% more than the EU average in Finland, the salary level is almost 60 per cent higher here than in other EU countries.