The large national supermarkets identified as the cheapest chains to shop in at the moment are Alcampo, Mercadona and Lidl, according to the latest macro study by the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) published yesterday and in which 155,489 were analyzed linear prices in 1,108 establishments all over a consumer basket made up of 236 products. On the other hand, the two large food stores with the highest prices are El Corte Inglés and, prominently as the most expensive place to fill the fridge, Sánchez Romero.
In Catalonia, the cheapest supermarkets to make an average purchase are Alcampo, Mercadona and Consum. The most expensive, on the other hand, are Sorli, El Corte Inglés and Condis.
The consumer organization calculates the average cost of shopping for an average Spanish family (composed of 2.5 members) depending on the supermarket they go to. In this way, being an Alcampo customer means an annual expenditure of 5,453 euros. At Mercadona, families spend a little more on average, a total of 5,650 euros a year. In the intermediate part of the ranking is Carrefour, where making the purchase means an annual expenditure of 5,839 euros; Aldi, with 5,870 euros; Eroski, with 5,950 euros, and Dia, with 6,021 euros.
On the expensive side of the ranking, the supermarkets where it is most expensive to go shopping are El Corte Inglés, where filling the fridge costs 6,301 euros a year, and Sánchez Romero, where the price soars to 8,212 euros.
The OCU once again identifies, as usual, where the cheapest establishments in Spain are located. These are the Alcampo de Coia, in Vigo, and the Alcampo de Múrcia. Then there are five other centers of the same chain also located in Vigo, Castelló, Teruel, Valencia and Gijón. The most expensive supermarkets in the country are Sánchez Romero on Calle Arturo Soria and Calle de Castelló, located in the city of Madrid.
After analyzing more than 150,000 prices, the OCU concludes that food has become more expensive in the last year by an average of 14.1�, so that the consumer basket has become more expensive by 30.8% since 2022 .In this sense, the supermarkets that have raised prices more significantly (all chains, without exception, have raised them) are E. Leclerc, with an average increase of 16.8%; Supeco, which has raised them by 15.8%; Carrefour Express, 15.3%, and BM, 15.1%.
The study of the consumer organization also captures the enormous difference that shopping in different cities and autonomous communities entails. Teruel and Córdoba are the cheapest locations to fill the basket, followed by Jerez de la Frontera, Ciudad Real, Burgos and Castellón.
The most expensive are Palma, Getxo, Madrid and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The most economical autonomous regions are La Rioja, Galicia and Murcia, while the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands are the most expensive for families.
According to the OCU, it is possible to save an average of 1,056 euros by buying at the cheapest establishment in the city where the consumer resides. In large cities, however, the savings can be greater and reach 3,928.43 euros in Madrid .
