Else Beekman
Fresh food is driving a sharp rise in supermarket prices in Spain, with the average cost of the OCU shopping basket rising by 3% compared to 2024, according to the annual price survey from Spain’s consumer association. OCU says Spanish consumers can save an average of €1,132 a year simply by choosing where they shop more carefully.
The 2025 study confirms a worrying trend: food prices have been rising steadily for the past four years, with fresh products like fruit, vegetables, meat, and fish now 8% more expensive on average than last year. These increases are making it harder than ever for families to follow a healthy diet.
Hundreds of supermarkets, four types of baskets
OCU’s team visited supermarkets in 183 Spanish towns and cities, both large and medium-sized, and also analysed prices at major online supermarkets. The study looked at prices for food, cleaning products, and personal hygiene items, grouped into four categories:
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OCU Basket: 241 branded and own-label items including fresh and packaged food, drinks, household cleaning, and hygiene products.
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Fresh Basket: Only fresh items like fruit, vegetables, meat and fish, matched by variety and quality (e.g., “Golden apples, category 1”).
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Branded Basket: Well-known branded items with identical packaging, weight and format across all shops (e.g., “Carbonell olive oil 0.4º, 1L”).
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Budget Basket: The cheapest available option in each store that fits a standard definition (e.g., 1L UHT whole milk). This basket is especially useful for those prioritising low prices.
Each store and supermarket chain is given a price index, with the cheapest establishment set at index 100. All others are calculated in relation to it. For example, a store with an index of 110 is 10% more expensive than the cheapest for that same basket.
Fresh foods behind price surge
The average increase across all stores for the OCU basket is 3%, slightly above Spain’s general inflation rate of 2.3%. However, price rises vary widely between chains:
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Hipercor: +7%
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Lidl: +6.8%
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Alcampo: +0.5%
Several other chains recorded rises of between 3% and 4%. The main driver behind these increases is the Fresh Basket, which rose 8% on average, far higher than the 1.5% rise in own-label packaged products and 0.3% in branded packaged goods.
Breakfast staples getting expensive
Out of the 241 items in the OCU Basket, 146 became more expensive, while 90 fell in price. Products like coffee, chocolate, fruit and eggs have seen the biggest hikes, with some items having doubled in price over the past four years.
Spain grocery prices surge despite olive oil drop
There have been notable drops in some categories—olive oil prices fell by 53% this year—but remain 57% higher than they were in 2021, meaning last year’s record prices still impact consumers.
On average, food prices have risen by 2.5%, matching official INE figures. But fresh produce prices soared: fruit and vegetables are up 8.2%, while packaged items showed little change.
Cheapest supermarket chains in Spain
According to OCU’s national ranking:
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Dani is the cheapest chain overall (index 100) – but only operates in Granada, Málaga, Jaén, and Almería.
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Alcampo is the cheapest option in 42 cities, with MiAlcampo leading in 8.
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Other affordable chains include Consum (21 cities), Lidl and Supeco (18 each), Family Cash (17), and Aldi (16).
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Mercadona is the most affordable choice in just 14 cities.
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Sánchez Romero is the most expensive chain surveyed.
Where you shop matters: savings of up to €4,270 a year
The average cost of the OCU Basket is €6,259 per household. However, the annual savings between the most and least expensive shops can be substantial:
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Madrid: €4,270 difference between cheapest and priciest supermarket (78% of the basket’s cost)
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Alcobendas & Majadahonda: €3,960
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Las Palmas, León, Gijón, Vigo: Savings of €1,900–2,000
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Barcelona: €1,804 (32% of basket cost)
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Roquetas de Mar: Just €241.87 in savings (4%)
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Lepe, Ciudad Real: Around €255 (also 4%)
In contrast, five towns including Ponferrada, Villarreal, Calvià, Ourense and Segovia offered savings of just 5%.
Sanlúcar and Torrent lead as cheapest towns
Two medium-sized towns—Sanlúcar de Barrameda (Cádiz) and Torrent (Valencia)—recorded the lowest overall index (100). They’re closely followed by other affordable locations in Andalusia (e.g., Córdoba, Utrera, Fuengirola) and the Valencian Community (e.g., Gandía, Paterna, Denia).
At the other end of the scale, Barcelona’s outskirts (Cerdanyola, Castelldefels), Madrid suburbs (Pozuelo, Majadahonda), the Canary and Balearic Islands, and Getxo posted indices around 110—making them among the most expensive places to shop.
OCU calls for stronger action on inflation
To ease the burden on consumers, OCU is calling for urgent measures, including:
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Extending the VAT cut on basic food items and expanding it to include meat and fish
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Increasing the value and coverage of the government’s food voucher scheme
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Tightening regulation of the food supply chain by the CNMC and Ministry of Agriculture to prevent speculative pricing practices
OCU’s supermarket locator tool will soon be available for members. It will allow users to configure their household and personalise their shopping basket to find the best deals nearby.
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