The latest Eurostat figures show that Estonia is still a relatively cheap country – for someone making an average EU salary, that is. Overall prices in 2010 were 75 percent of the average found across the 27-member bloc.
The most expensive country was Denmark, which came in at 143 percent of average, followed by Estonia's neighbors Finland at 123 percent, Luxembourg and Sweden at 120 percent and Ireland at 118 percent.
Bargain hunters should head to Bulgaria, where prices are just 51 percent of the EU average. The next options are Romania at 59 percent, Lithuania and Poland at 63 percent, and Latvia at 69 percent.
It will come as little surprise to Estonian shoppers that clothing and consumer electronics in their country came in at 100 percent and 101 percent of the EU average respectively. Food and non-alcoholic beverages cost 80 percent of the average and alcoholic beverages and tobacco 81 percent. Restaurants and hotels are still a relative bargain at 71 percent of the average.
Steve Roman
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