These are the 17 cities where it is cheaper to make a purchase at Mercadona, according to the OCU

Back to normality, the end of restrictions, routine, work and hangouts with friends. After the pandemic, any detail no matter how small is multiplied by three, and a clear example of this is the rise in prices in supermarkets. Many families have had to reduce their savings and adjust their pockets a little more, so the Organization of consumers and users (OCU) has decided to help the consumer by preparing a report with the cheapest places to do the shopping, where Mercadona it is positioned as the cheapest in 17 of them.

The prices of 65 cities Spanish plus those that can be found online, comparing food, hygiene and drugstore products in more than 1,000 supermarkets, hypermarkets and discount stores.

The document confirms that the company chaired by Juan Roig has been one of the chains that has lowered prices the most this last year, consolidating itself as one of the cheapest national brands in 17 cities, among which are:

This analysis reveals that it is possible to save up to 1.073 euros on average per year buying at the cheapest establishment in each municipality.

Prices and supermarkets

The basket created by the OCU to carry out the price comparison includes 238 products. In turn, these indices have been divided into four groups: OCU road, which includes all products including fresh; fresh basket (vegetables, fruit, meat, fresh mollusks …), Branded packaging, food, drugstore and hygiene products from leading supermarket brands and Inexpensive products, chosen at the cheapest price of the establishment.

In this sense, Alcampo de Murcia has been the cheapest hypermarket and the Sánchez Romero de La Moraleja the most expensive.

On the podium they remain Alcampo, Mercadona and Carrefour. Alcampo is at the top as the cheapest business in 23 visited locations, seven less than last year; Mercadona is present in all localities and is the cheapest establishment in 17 of them and Carrefour is far behind and only marks 2 establishments with low prices.

Price increase

Regarding the data from this latest study, a 55% increase in prices of products has been observed, especially in oils and soft drinks, and a decrease in 45% of them.

Of the OCU basket, 102 products marked price drops while 125 rose. Not all products are equally important in the basket and it should be noted that they were chosen last spring, before the energy price spike occurred.

To verify whether food and basic products are being affected by inflation, the OCU carried out a survey in mid-September in the main Spanish distribution chains (Alcampo, Carrefour, Mercadona, Lidl …) and they have verified notable increases above 5%, in basic products such as milk, eggs and, above all, meats.

Also keep in mind that there are big differences in saving and spending depending on where you live. If you buy in the north of Madrid, the cost can shoot up to 8.600 euros, but with a good choice of supermarket you can save up to 3,530 euros.

Among the cheapest places to buy are Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz), Almería, Castellón, Puertollano, Ciudad Real, Puertollano and Zamora. The most expensive, on the contrary, are Palma de Mallorca, Getxo, Barcelona and Alcobendas-San Sebastián de lo Reyes. Valencia and Murcia are the autonomous communities where shopping is cheaper.

Follow the topics that interest you