Food prices in Ireland were 12 per cent above the EU average in 2024, making them the second most expensive in the euro zone.
Ireland was the second most expensive country in both the euro zone and EU27 for alcoholic drinks, with prices of alcohol in Ireland just under double the EU27 average, according to fresh data from the Central Statistics Office.
It was the most expensive country in Europe for non-alcoholic beverages last year, with prices 40 per cent higher than the EU27 average.
Tobacco prices meanwhile were the most expensive of the 36 countries surveyed, at 159 per cent higher than the EU average.
The data shows Ireland was the third priciest in the euro zone for bread and cereals, and the sixth most expensive country for fruits, vegetables, and potatoes.
Source: CSO
It was the eighth most expensive country for both milk, cheese and eggs, and fish, the ninth most expensive for meat, and the twelfth most expensive for oils and fats.
Of the 36 countries, the highest price levels for fish were observed in Switzerland (66 per cent above the EU27 average) and lowest in North Macedonia (24 per cent below the EU27 average). Fish price levels in Ireland were 5 per cent above the EU27 average.
Of the euro zone countries, the highest fish price levels were observed in Austria and the lowest in Lithuania. Of the 36 countries, the level of fish prices in Ireland ranked 13th.
While the price of bread and cereals in Ireland was 17 per cent above the EU27 average, the highest price levels were in Switzerland at 63 per cent above the average and the lowest price levels were observed in Romania where prices were 44 per cent below the mean.
Of the euro zone countries, Luxembourg had the highest price levels for bread and cereals, 29 per cent above the EU27 average, and the lowest prices were in Slovakia, where they were 17 per cent below the average.
Denmark was the most expensive while Romania was the least expensive in the EU27 for bread and cereals.