Two litres of Pure Life still mineral water (a brand owned by Nestle) costs RON 3.29 in the Proxi Delhaize store in Luxembourg, while in Mega Image's online supermarket in Romania, the best-selling brands of mineral water locally, namely Borsec, Dorna and Aqua Carpatica, have prices ranging from RON 3.29 to RON 4.05 per 2 litres, Ziarul Financiar said.

Both Proxi Delhaize and Mega Image are owned by the same group, Ahold Delhaize.

Thus, a Romanian pays for a bottle of two litres of mineral water still branded (not private brand) the same or even more than a consumer in Luxembourg, a country where the average net salary is four times higher than locally.

Eurostat frequently indicates Romania as the country with the lowest consumer prices in Europe.

Local Ziarul Financiar has lately begun to compare prices in Romania with those in other European countries, given that the price increases of the last year have made some goods cost 30-50% more than in 2021. For mineral water, the price has almost doubled in some cases, while in others, the increase is 50-60%.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Han Han | Dreamstime.com)