The large inflationary spike in prices of staple items like flour and sugar have hit consumers in Macedonia very hard.

But the blow is even worse due to the small market and the fact that wages in Macedonia are among the lowest in Europe. Republika is sharing prices in supermarkets in Germany, to compare with the prices of similar items in much poorer Macedonia, and the comparison shows that on top of the wage gap, Macedonians pay more for basic items than consumers in much richer European countries.

Cheddar style cheeses, for which Macedonia used to be famous for, have reached 10 EUR a kilogram in the country. In Germany, you can easily find cheese for 8 EUR. A whole chicken in a German supermarket would set you back 4.3 EUR – far less then the same item in Macedonia.

Prices are comparable only in the fresh produce and cooking oil departments. Cooking oil is about the same price or slightly more expensive in Germany compared to Macedonia – but this is more than made up for considering that the minimum wage in Germany is more than twice the average salary in Macedonia.