In December 2023, Marketing Advisory Services conducted research to compare the average monthly cost of grocery items in Malta with the corresponding costs of these items in other countries. 

This research exercise consists of two parts, with each part corresponding to Section 1 and Section 2 of this document, respectively. In the first part of the research, a comparison was made between the average amounts spent on grocery items by individuals living in the chosen countries and the average monthly net salaries of those countries. In the second part of the exercise, a comparison was carried out on the costs of specific individual grocery items in the chosen countries.

Additionally, these countries are places where globally recognized grocery brands are commonly found and consumed. The selected countries for the study included Malta, Portugal, Latvia, Croatia, the United Kingdom, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Ireland, Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, France, Austria, Luxembourg, and Switzerland.

The selection of grocery items aimed to encompass food groups and products that are commonly purchased and consumed, broadly falling under the category of ‘essential’ items. Furthermore, the shopping basket is also considered a family context where cereal and dairy products are usually consumed. 

The grocery items chosen were Whole Milk (1 litre pack), Free Range Eggs (6-pack), Spaghetti (No. 5, 500 grams), Bananas (1 Kg.), Sugar (1 Kg.), Potatoes (2 Kg.), Flour (1 Kg.), Toothpaste (750 ml.), Dish Soap (500 ml.), Coca-Cola (1.5 litre bottle), Coffee (200 grams), Toiler Paper (8 rolls), White Bread, Chicken Breast (500 grams), Water (2 litre bottle), Emmental Cheese (250 grams), Smoked Ham (150 grams), Butter (250 grams), Rice (500 grams), Minced Beef (500 grams), and NESQUIK Cereal (625 grams). 

The prices for all items were sourced from comparable mid-tier or mid-range supermarkets (i.e. supermarkets offering products at accessible average prices) and recorded during December 2023. The same item brands were used for evaluation across countries where possible. Supermarket shopping platforms were used to obtain item prices online. The research does not consider country-specific factors that may influence item pricing such as taxes and importation fees, but rather aims at comparing the net costs of these items across the chosen countries.