Wow: in this European country, Christmas dinner is the most expensive this year
Surprise! Our groceries are once again more expensive this year than last year. We think the day will simply never come when we write a headline saying ‘groceries finally cheaper’. Our Christmas dinners at home are therefore also more expensive this year. Research agency eToro investigated what percentage more we are paying for our Christmas dinner compared with the previous year. And, also interesting: in which European country Christmas dinner is the most expensive this year.
eToro looked at the most typical Christmas dish served on tables in each country, enjoyed by a household of four. In the Netherlands, for example, that is pork roulade. According to the research, we now pay € 45,96 for that dish; a 7% increase compared with last year. Do you think that is a lot? Don’t be mistaken, because with this amount we are neatly in the middle of the research ranking.
Peeking at the neighbours’ (expensive) Christmas dinner
Our German neighbours, for example, spend quite a bit more on their Christmas dinner. For the classic Christmas dish from their cuisine — goose with trimmings — Germans pay an average of € 55,46. So that’s ten euros more than we pay for our Christmas dinner. Remarkably, this amount is on average 17% lower than last year’s amount. In Germany, they seem to be better off this Christmas.
The same applies to the French. For a stuffed turkey, which is often served in French households at Christmas, our southern neighbours pay an average of 28% less this year than last year. Yet that amount is still shockingly high. A family of four eats a turkey like that for € 58,66.
Spain takes the crown
But that is not the highest average amount paid in a European country for a classic Christmas dish for four people. No, for that you have to go to Spain. How much do the Spanish spend on a turkey with trimmings? € 67,07. I would almost say: choose something else. I think you can easily (and affordably) fill the whole table there with tapas. Spanish meatballs, delicious local ham, homemade tortilla… I know what I would choose. Put a Santa hat on everyone and you have a Christmas atmosphere too, right? You don’t necessarily need to put a ridiculously expensive turkey on the table for that.
Incidentally, it isn’t this expensive everywhere in Europe. In Romania, for example, the four of you can enjoy sarmale with mamaliga for € 18,41: cabbage rolls filled with minced meat and a kind of cornmeal porridge. So if you want to enjoy your Christmas dinner for next to nothing, you should simply look somewhere in Eastern Europe.
Also read:
- 11x recipes for an easy Christmas dinner
- 8x when Christmas dinner was truly a tearjerker
- The biggest frustrations during Christmas dinner
Source: eToro
