A British mum decided to check out a supermarket in Switzerland, after she and her family packed up their life in the UK to travel the world, and showed how different the prices of groceries are
We’re all familiar with how much the prices have gone up in British supermarkets with weekly food shops getting more and more expensive but we’ve learnt to accept this and carry on buying the groceries we need. When going on holiday or travelling to a new country, it’s common to look at the prices of everyday items and compare them to the UK.
A family-of-five left the UK to travel the world and have been documenting their journey on TikTok where they are known as Fitch Family Adventures. The mum, who is not named, shared a video giving a tour of a supermarket in Switzerland and showed that the prices are even more expensive than in Britain. Switzerland is generally considered an expensive country, especially for tourists, with the cost of living, including accommodation, food and transport, being significantly higher than in many other European countries.
The Brit mum said: “We are in Switzerland and we’re about to go into the supermarket so I thought I’d show you how much some of the shopping costs here as it is known for being really, really expensive.”
She found a pack of Bio Tomaten Marzanino tomatoes for 4.95 Swiss Francs, equal to £4.52.
Then she had a look at the ready-made salads and found a caesar salad with caesar dressing for 6.80 Swiss Francs, which is £6.20, and another mixed salad with cucumber and red cabbage for 7.20 Swiss Francs, equal to £6.57.
Next, the British tourist spotted a variety of pizzas with toppings like black olives and deli meat for 12 Swiss Francs, which is £10.94.
After this she explored the sweet treats offerings and found a pack of four Munz ladybug chocolates for 4.75 Swiss Francs, equal to £4.33.
There was also a 186g box of Celebrations for 3.95 Swiss Francs (£3.60), a pack of Kinder Bueno chocolate bars for 2.80 Swiss Francs (£2.55), six packs of Smarties priced at 4.75 Swiss Francs (£4.33) and a Toblerone five pack with each bar weighing 100 grams, on sale for 13.20 Swiss Francs (£12.04).
Moving onto the bakery section, the mum saw a pack of crusty bread rolls for 3.10 Swiss Francs (£2.83) which she thought was “not too bad.”
Finally, she checked out the price of a pack of A4 paper, explaining that her children wanted to do some drawing, and found 500 sheets for 11.95 Swiss Francs, equal to £10.90.
One TikTok user asked: “How do people afford to live there?”, to which The Fitch family replied: “We definitely found it difficult to afford things as tourists.”
Switzerland is home to the supermarket chains Migros, Co-op, Denner, Aldi and Lidl but there are also higher end supermarkets, such as Manor Food and Globus.
International moving and relocation company Packimpex explains on its website that salaries in Switzerland in sectors like finance, healthcare and IT are often higher than the European average, leading to increased costs for essentials, as well as luxuries,
It adds: “The Swiss Franc, one of the world’s strongest currencies, further contributes to the high cost of living. This robust currency makes imported goods, which account for a significant portion of the market, more expensive.
“Everyday items such as groceries, clothing, and electronics often cost more than in neighbouring countries due to currency valuation and steep import duties.”