Same car, same list, 1,310 euros difference per year. That is what it can cost to make a purchase in one supermarket or another, according to the ranking that the OCU published this morning. In Madrid, the distance reaches 4,381 euros. And it's not a bad time to look. Prices are rising again, inflation reached 4.3% in August, the highest in more than three years, and food is, after transportation, what is making everyday life the most expensive.
Food rose 2.3% in August compared to the same month of the previous year, seven tenths more than in July. Although in supermarkets the increase is more moderate (1.8% in the basket analyzed by the OCU, the lowest in five years), the relief is relative. Because the problem is not only in the price increases this month or this year: since 2021, filling the car costs 39.5% more. Many families, the organization warns, still bear the blow of that escalation.
Where is it cheaper to buy? In two hypermarkets in Alcampo: the one in the Bonaire shopping center, in Aldaia (Valencia), and the one in Coia, in Vigo. If you look at chains, those that offer the lowest prices are Dani Supermarkets, Family Cash, Tifer, Alcampo and Supeco. At the opposite extreme are Hipercor, El Corte Inglés, Supercor and Sánchez Romero. The latter also has two of the three most expensive stores in the country, both in Madrid, in Arturo Soria and la Castellana. The third is in Castellón.
There is one fact, however, that is surprising: not all chains have raised prices. Eight have lowered them in the last year: Mercadona, Lidl, Aldi, Carrefour Market, Consum, E.Leclerc, Supeco and Familia. Of the rest, most have risen less than inflation, and only two large chains, BM Urban and Ahorramás, have risen above.
Madrid, where you pay the most for not comparing
That in Madrid the difference between the cheapest and the most expensive supermarket reaches 4,381 euros per year does not mean that the city is more expensive. It means you have more to choose from. According to the OCU, the broader the offer, the greater the distance between some establishments and others, and the more money is left behind by those who do not compare. Alcobendas, Pozuelo de Alarcón and Majadahonda are just behind, with 4,270 euros. In Mieres, on the other hand, it almost doesn't matter where you buy: the margin does not reach 400 euros.
On the map, the cheapest purchase is in the Valencian Community, with Torrent, Villarreal and Santa Pola in the lead, followed by Murcia. Getxo, Pozuelo, Majadahonda and Cerdanyola del Vallès are the most expensive towns.
But regardless of where you buy, it also matters what you put in your cart. The average hides a basket at high speeds: packaged products barely rise by 1.4%, while fresh products become more expensive by 4.7%. Fish leads the increases, with 8.6%, followed by meat (3.7%) and fruit and vegetables (3.5%). Some products have skyrocketed: tomatoes, 33.2%; lemon, 25.2%; and cauliflower, 22.8%. On the opposite side, Canary Islands bananas fell by 22.6% and artichokes, by 15.1%. There are also differences depending on the brand: manufacturer products increase by 2%, compared to 0.8% for private label. In total, six out of ten products in the basket cost more today than a year ago.
What the study does not yet reflect is the latest impact of the war in Iran, which is already noticeable at the gas station. Transportation became more expensive by 9.5% in August, its biggest increase since 2022, and is today the first driver of inflation. The risk is that this blow ends up reaching the shelves. And the calendar doesn't help. Next Wednesday, September 30, a good part of the measures of the anti-crisis shield approved by the war expire: the reduction in the tax on gasoline and diesel and direct aid to road transporters, which in September reaches 20 cents per liter. The decree itself justified keeping support for transport and the countryside intact to avoid "second round effects" on the shopping basket. The Government has already announced that it will extend aid for agricultural diesel, although the amount will not be known until the Council of Ministers on Tuesday. Nothing is known yet about the transportation that takes each product to the shelf. This Friday, the first vice president and Minister of Economy, Carlos Body, met with distribution and unions, but there were no announcements.
The OCU demands a reduction in VAT on basic foods, including meat and fish, and measures so that the increase in electricity, gas and diesel does not end on the plate. While the Government decides, the most effective tool remains within everyone's reach: look before you fill your car.
