Cabbage, peppers and lemons are just some of the products that cost less in Montenegro than in Belgium. Cabbage in a large market in Podgorica should be paid one euro less than in Sint Truiden, Belgium, red bell peppers cost about 2,2 euros less, while lemons are cheaper by about 40 cents.
On the other hand, butter, fruit pudding and pineapple are significantly cheaper in this Western European country. Butter is cheaper in Belgium by 90 cents, chocolate milk by more than 30 cents, while a kilogram of pineapple costs about 20 cents less.
These are just some of the results that "Vijesti" obtained by comparing prices in a Belgian supermarket and a large retail chain in Podgorica.
Information on the price level and photos of products in Sint Truiden, a city in the Flemish part of Belgium, was submitted to the list Skender Latifi, and they were recorded in the "Aldi" supermarket.
Of course, it should be taken into account that prices can vary significantly in shops in the center and those on the outskirts of the city.
The average net (tax-free) salary in Montenegro in August was 861 euros, while the average salary in Belgium is around 2.500 euros.
"Vijesti" previously compared local prices with prices in the German city of Schorndorf, when the data showed that some types of fruit and vegetables in Montenegro are as much as five euros more expensive per kilogram, and wages are four and a half times lower...
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"limited prices" improve the balance
For butter in Sint Truiden, you need to spend 2,3 euros, which is 1,3 euros cheaper than in Podgorica. In Montenegro, that item costs 3,6 euros. In addition, chocolate milk is significantly cheaper, the smallest package of which costs 26 cents in this western city, while in Podgorica it is more than twice as expensive, costing 59 cents. A kilogram of pineapple is cheaper by about 20 cents.
The difference is probably the most significant in the case of fruit puddings for children, because a packet of 12 pieces costs 2,7 euros in Belgium. There are no such packages in domestic markets at all, while in the large store that the reporter visited, the largest was a package with four of these items, each of which cost about half a euro.
The biggest difference was certainly recorded in the case of paprika, which is 2,2 euros cheaper in the Podgorica supermarket. A kilogram in Podgorica costs 1,6 euros, and in Belgium 3,8 euros. Cabbage is also cheaper in a local store by around one euro, but this vegetable is also included in the state campaign "Limited prices", so you need to set aside 90 cents for it. In Sint Truiden, you have to pay 1,9 euros per kilogram. In addition, onions cost about 60 cents less.
Lemons are also part of the state action, so in Podgorica it costs 1,4 euros, which is about 40 cents less than in Belgium, where it costs 1,8 euros.
The government launched the "Limited Prices" campaign on September 6 and it will last until January 31, 2025, while it covers 66 products. Margins in the food sector in wholesale and retail stores for 51 products are limited to 10 percent, while for some hygiene products they are limited to a maximum of 10 percent in wholesale and 15 percent in retail.
The government expects that through this action the prices of more than 1.000 items will be reduced, given that the measure applies to items from all manufacturers in a certain group.
The campaign "Limited prices" originally started at the end of March, when the margins were limited to 43 products in agreement with retailers, and it was planned that, when all weights and manufacturers are taken into account, the prices of 500 items will be reduced. The campaign lasted in this form until May 31, after which it was extended for another month, but it only applied to 16 domestic products.
An earlier measure limiting margins for five basic foodstuffs is currently in force, to five percent in wholesale trade and five percent in retail trade.
That list includes wheat flour (type 400 and 500), granulated sugar, edible sunflower oil and table salt per kilogram regardless of weight.
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