Feeling the pinch at the supermarket? You're not alone. Food prices have soared globally since the pandemic, leaving many struggling to afford everyday staples.

Still, grocery costs vary wildly around the world, and price hikes have hit some nations much harder than others. With this in mind, we've compared the typical price of a basket of essentials across 22 selected countries and territories, factoring in food inflation to find out how much the cost of the bare necessities is rising in each, based on data from Numbeo and Trading Economics.

Read on to discover the nations paying the least and most for essential items and see how your grocery bill stacks up...

All dollar amounts in US dollars. Prices correct as of 26 March 2025, inflation figures correct as of February 2025.

A perfect storm of factors has led to skyrocketing food costs since the pandemic. As the world reopened, supply-chain disruptions and logistical challenges amid an explosion in demand and increasing fuel, labour and production costs sent prices through the roof.

Then Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 further disrupted supply chains and drove up prices for fertiliser, as well as basics like wheat and sunflower oil. Extreme weather events made worse by climate change have exacerbated the situation by reducing crop yields, while avian flu outbreaks have also taken their toll. Meanwhile, food commodity market speculation and industry profiteering have left shoppers paying even more at the checkout.

The world's biggest cost-of-living database, Numbeo crowdsources data from over 825,000 contributors worldwide and crunches the numbers with info from official sources to calculate the average price for a range of essential groceries in 151 countries and territories.

The basket of basics we've opted for includes a litre (1 US quart) of regular milk, a 500-gram (1.1lb) loaf of fresh white bread and a kilo (2.2lb) of white rice. We've also included 12 normal-sized eggs, a kilo (2.2lb) of local cheese and the same of chicken fillets, bananas, tomatoes, potatoes and onions, along with a 1.5-litre (1.6 US quart) bottle of water.

Now, let's discover how much this basket of essentials will cost you in 22 selected countries and territories, starting with the cheapest...

Egypt is the cheapest of the 151 countries and territories covered. The basket of essentials costs just $13.32 (£10.28) there on average. But India is hot on its heels, with the basics adding up to $13.92 (£10.74) typically.

When it comes to grocery costs, India is heaven for those on Western salaries but it's a different story for the regular Indian shopper. Last year, India's food inflation figure peaked at a painful 10.9%. Vegetables in particular have soared in cost due to extreme weather-induced crop damage and supply-chain issues. However, that food inflation figure has now fallen to 3.8%.

Basics are also cheap from an international standpoint in Ukraine, but prices have dramatically increased over the past few years.

Grocery costs were increasing in Ukraine before Russia invaded in 2022. However, prices shot up following the outbreak of war, with food inflation peaking at 35.7% in October 2022 as disruption to agriculture and other conflict-related factors inflated costs. After falling dramatically in 2023 and the first half of 2024, food inflation is on the rise again in the beleaguered nation, reaching 15.2% in February 2025.

You may think Russia's grocery prices are remarkably economical as well. But everything is relative, and the typical Russian, who earns a low salary by global standards, reportedly spends over half their income on food. In contrast, the average American devotes under 7% of theirs. Plus, prices have gone into overdrive since Vladimir Putin launched his illegal invasion of Ukraine, fuelled by sanctions, labour shortages and increased production costs.

Food inflation stands at a hefty 11.7%, and for some items such as butter, certain meats and onions, prices are up more than 25% compared to the same time last year. According to CNN, supermarkets in the country have taken to locking up their stocks of butter as hard-up customers turn to shoplifting their day-to-day basics.

Food inflation in South Africa has been falling since March 2023, when it peaked at 14%. The figure now stands at 2.8%, below the pre-pandemic number but up slightly from the 2.3% recorded in January 2025. The easing of the load-shedding energy crisis, lower fuel prices and a stronger rand have all contributed to the fall.

Yet, according to South Africa's Competition Commission, grocery prices are up 50% from 2020. So, while inflation has slowed, food in the Rainbow Nation is considerably more expensive than before the pandemic.

In the Philippines, food inflation fell to 1.4% in September last year before creeping up in the ensuing months and settling at 2.6% in February 2025. Although the current figure is well below the post-pandemic record of 10.8% in February 2023, the increase has riled the authorities, who are pulling out the stops to mitigate its effects.

Actions taken by the government of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. have included a controversial cap on rice prices, food stamps for the poor and increased farming subsidies.

Bucking the global trend, food inflation in mainland China has actually come down since the start of the pandemic. It peaked at 21.9% in February 2020 but went negative later that year. It's a trend that's continued in the ensuing years and the country's food inflation figure is once again in negative territory.

The sluggish Chinese economy and lower consumption have been cited as reasons for the periods of deflation.

Food inflation in Malaysia hit a post-pandemic high of 7.3% in November 2022, worsened by the war in Ukraine and a weak ringgit. Higher prices have weighed heavily on the country's poor. A UN report published last year revealed one in two children in low-income households in Kuala Lumpur eat fewer than three meals a day due to increased costs.

Worryingly, food inflation is on the rise again in the country, with the figure standing at 2.5% as of February.

Grocery prices were actually dropping in the UAE right before the pandemic. Food inflation made a forceful comeback during COVID-19, leading to a boom for budget retailers in the nation as shoppers sought to weather the storm of rising prices.

Costs have been trending down since the summer of 2022, and the food inflation rate in Dubai is currently in negative territory.

Spain has struggled with food inflation post-pandemic. The rate increased to 16.6% in February 2023, the highest for almost 30 years. And while it stabilised towards the end of last year, it's since crept up to 2.2%.

Olive oil, a key staple in Spain, has massively increased in price, with a persistent drought among the underlying causes. The good news is that the harvest was much better last year, so shoppers in Spain, and other countries in Europe, are likely to pay less for the essential in the coming months.

The UK has been on a similar trajectory in terms of grocery prices. Food inflation peaked at 19.1% in March 2023 but levelled out at 2% towards the end of last year. However, it's since shot up to 3.3%.

The UK's food retail sector is extremely competitive, and essentials, aka 'known value items' like milk and eggs, are usually sold at a loss to attract customers. The downside is that supermarkets in Britain tend to offset these 'loss leaders' by charging premium prices for other products. The UK is also one of the world's largest net importers of food, leaving it exposed to factors largely beyond its control, including weather, crop yields, and global demand, all of which serve to push up prices.

The basket of essentials costs a steep $39.67 (£30.62) in Australia. After climbing to 9.2% at the end of 2022, food inflation in the country has softened to 3% as of the fourth quarter of 2024, but hasn't returned to the pre-pandemic figure of 2.6%.

One major reason cited by experts for this persistent inflation is the relative lack of competition in Australia's food retail sector. It's essentially a duopoly, with Coles and Woolworths controlling the lion's share of the market.

New Zealand suffered even higher food inflation in the immediate post-pandemic period, with the figure peaking at 12.5% in June 2023. However, its number is now lower than Australia's at 2.4% after going negative earlier in 2024, so the price gap between the neighbours' representative basket of goods has narrowed.

New Zealand's food retail sector is even more of a two-horse race. The Pak'n'Save and Countdown chains control much of the market in the country, crowding out smaller competitors that could help bring prices down.

Japanese households are facing bigger grocery bills, and food inflation has soared in recent months, from 3.4% in September to 7.6% in February. The figure is down from the post-pandemic peak of 9% in September 2023 but quite a bit higher than the 1.9% recorded just before COVID-19 struck.

Rising prices reportedly stem from the weak yen, which is driving up the cost of food imports, not to mention sharp increases in the cost of energy, staff, packaging and freight.

Like the UK, Ireland imports many of its essential items and food inflation also spiked early in 2023, topping out at 13.1% in March and April of that year. It has since steadily dropped, falling to 1.9% in November 2024. However, the rate ticked up to 2.5% in February.

Unsurprisingly, shoppers in the country are scrambling to save on their grocery bills, increasingly opting for promotional offers and supermarket own-label products over more expensive branded items, as per market research institute Kantar.

Belgium experienced a period of food deflation last year, but the rate has since climbed to 2.4%, down from the post-pandemic high of 18% recorded in March 2023. But it's unlikely Belgians are popping the champagne to celebrate. Many would probably have a hard time affording such a luxury.

A recent study by France's IÉSEG School of Management revealed grocery prices in Belgium are now 27% more expensive than they were in October 2021, when prices started rising in earnest. Higher labour costs and higher prices charged by international suppliers to Belgian warehouses are often cited as reasons for the country's excessive food prices.

Canada's food inflation peaked at 10.4% in January 2023 and eventually levelled out at around 2.8% last year, before plunging to 0.6% in January and edging back up to 1.3% in February.

Canada imports much of its food from America, and with tariffs now in place, grocery prices look set to rise on both sides of the border. Meat and vegetables are likely to see the biggest increases.

Like so many people across the world, German shoppers have been feeling the sting of food inflation over the past few years. The rate hit a record 21.2% in March 2023 but then dropped steeply, falling under 0.2% in March 2024. However, it's been increasing since then and currently comes in at 2.8%.

Butter in particular is shattering price records, having surged in cost. Lower milk production, increased use of milk to produce other dairy products like cheese, and less available milk with the required fat content have heavily restricted supply, hence the unprecedented price rises. The war in Ukraine, higher agricultural production costs and extreme weather events have all contributed to the rise.

Food inflation in Singapore hit a post-pandemic peak of 8.1% in February 2023, but it's been steadily falling and now stands at 1%.

A trip to the supermarket today is considerably more expensive than before the pandemic. Even the city-state's famed hawker food, which had long been a super-cheap alternative to eating in, has become noticeably more pricey over the past couple of years. Only a tiny percentage of the city-state's land is used for agricultural purposes, meaning Singapore imports most of its essential items and is susceptible to the headwinds from global trade fluctuations.

France is in the midst of a consumption slump, according to Le Monde newspaper, as inflation-weary shoppers tighten their belts. Food inflation reached an all-time high of 15.9% in March 2023. It finally dropped below 1% in June last year and has stayed there ever since.

Yet the slower pace of increases has provided little comfort to the French public, who are paying 20% more for their food compared to 2021. In the summer of 2024, the typical household shopping basket contained just 11 items, down from 14 in 2020, according to Kantar. While France produces more of its own food than many countries on this list, labour costs are high and inevitably impact prices.

Retail food prices in the US jumped by 23.6% between 2020 and 2024. Food inflation peaked at 11.4% in August 2022 but was seemingly brought back under control, hovering around the 2% mark for much of 2024. Despite having an abundance of land dedicated to agriculture, higher production, labour and fuel costs have taken their toll on every aspect of the American food system. 

Prices haven't stabilised for every item in the basket of essentials. For instance, the cost of eggs increased by more than 30% in October 2024 as fierce demand and an outbreak of avian flu strained supplies. 'Eggflation' became a hot topic during the recent election, with voters expressing anger over the soaring cost of food. President Trump vowed to tackle high prices by imposing tariffs on food imports, a move which experts agree is only likely to worsen the situation in the country. Since the election result became clear in November, food inflation has been on the rise and now stands at 2.6%.

Since 2021, Austrians have endured grocery price rises of up to 90%, according to the country's Chamber of Labour. Pasta prices have increased the most, followed by flour and sunflower oil, with the war in Ukraine the root cause.

Food inflation touched a record 17% in January 2023. It then steadily declined, falling to 1.1% in July last year, only to start rising again. At the last count, the figure had increased to 2.6%.

Food inflation hasn't been that big of a problem in Switzerland post-pandemic, and the figure is currently in negative territory at -0.6%.

Switzerland puts weighty tariffs on imported food to protect local farmers and safeguard the nation's food security, which explains its eye-watering prices, an issue Americans may soon be grappling with. Speaking to US magazine Fortune last year, Stefan Legge, head of tax and trade policy at the University of St Gallen, explained that Swiss shoppers are willing to pay a premium for domestic products, which are prized for their exceptional quality and robust environmental and social standards.

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