COMPARISON OF RETAIL PRICES FOR FOOD AND BEVERAGES IN SLOVENIA AND HUNGARY

Madžarska in Slovenija sta leta 2004 postali članici Evropske unije. S tem sta državi, ki sta izrazito izvozno naravnani, dodatno okrepili svoj položaj na mednarodnem trgu. Slovenija je le tri leta kasneje prevzela evro, Madžarska pa zaradi neizpolnjevanja konvergenčnih makroekonomskih kriterijev še do danes ni prevzela evra. Če primerjamo obe državi po makroekonomskih kazalcih, lahko vidimo, da je Slovenija pred Madžarsko. BDP na prebivalca je leta 2009 v Sloveniji dosegel 86 % povprečja EU-27, na Madžarskem pa 63 % povprečja EU-27. V diplomskem seminarju smo primerjali cene 162 živil in pijač, razdeljenih v 14 skupin. Na podlagi izračunov smo prišli do naslednjih zaključkov: • Raven censke paritete živil in pijač znaša 129, kar pomeni, da so cene živil in pijače v Sloveniji v povprečju za 29 % višje kot na Madžarskem. • Med preučevanimi skupinami živil in pijač je relativno najdražje sveže meso, ki je v Sloveniji za 54 % dražje, sledijo mu kokošja jajca (za 52 %) in izdelki iz žit (za 45 %). • Absolutno najcenejša skupina je v Sloveniji sveže sadje, ki je cenejše za 3 % v primerjavi z Madžarsko. To pa je tudi edina skupina, ki je bila v Sloveniji cenejša kot na Madžarskem.In 2004, Hungary and Slovenia joined the European Union. As distinctly export-oriented countries, they were able to strengthen their position in the international market. While Slovenia successfully adopted the euro only three years after its accession, Hungary has so far not followed suit due to non-compliance with the appropriate macroeconomic convergence criteria. According to macroeconomic indicators, Slovenia ranks higher than Hungary. In 2009, its GDP per capita was 86% of the EU-27 average, compared to Hungary’s 63% of the EU-27 average. This thesis compares the prices of 162 different food items and beverages, categorized into 14 separate groups. The following conclusions were made: • The price parity level amounts to 129, i.e. the average prices of food items and beverages in Slovenia are 29% higher compared to Hungary. • In relative terms, the most expensive category of food items or beverages is fresh meat with 54%, followed by chicken eggs (52%) and cereal products (45%). • The least costly category in Slovenia is fresh fruit, which is 3% cheaper in comparison to Hungary. This is also the only category that is less expensive in Slovenia than in Hungary