At the beginning of 2026, Russia approached several European Union countries in terms of food prices, and has already exceeded some categories. The conclusion comes from an analysis made by “Vajnîe istorii”, based on data from Rosstat and the Numbeo service.
According to the analysis, in ten European countries — Romania, Poland, Czech Republic, Portugal, Lithuania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, Latvia, and Spain — half or more basic food products cost the same as in Russia or even less.
In other countries, like Germany, a liter of milk in the Lidl network is about one and a half times cheaper than in the Russian chain Piatioročka. In “Piatioročka”, the average price of a liter of milk reaches 132 rubles (approximately 1.45 euros). In Czech Republic and Spain, milk is even cheaper — equivalent to 89 and, respectively, 108 rubles (approximately 0.98 and 1.19 euros).
The biggest difference is observed in tomatoes: a kilogram in “Piatioročka” costs over 500 rubles (approximately 5.5 euros), which is twice as much as in Europe. Bottled water, bananas, cheese, potatoes, white rice, greens, wine, apples, oranges, and lettuce are also cheaper in the EU. The price of chicken breast is approximately similar.