There are three things in life: death, taxes and Czechs shopping in Poland during the holiday season. Easter is approaching, and thus more expenses. The Czech media has been publishing articles with price comparison in Poland and the Czech Republic for several weeks. Reports from a trip to Poland also broadcast Czech television (Tv Nova and CNN Prima). In them revelations and calculations: “Poland is 20 % cheaper“,” cheaper eggs, chocolate hares cheaper, a kilo of duck cheaper. “Everything in the lower prices.
Poland cheaper than the Czech Republic for a long time. Shopping tourism has accelerated in recent years
The fact is that Poland is cheaper than the Czech Republic, but not as much as a few years ago. – The discrepancy is not that significant. It still exists, for example in the case of cigarettes or some foods, but it is not as big as before. One of the factors contributing to “shopping tourism” in recent years, was VAT reduction for basic food products up to 0 percent, which was not in the Czech Republic. In addition, the differences intensified weak golden – says in an interview with Next.gazeta.pl Dr. Lukáš Kovanda, a Czech economist. He considers 2023 for a breakthrough year in terms of the perception of Poland as a “cheaper discount”.
– goods and items in Poland They were very cheap and attractive for people from the Czech Republic. It was a fairly intense period for Czech purchases in Poland, especially close border. It even became the main political topic in the Czech Republic – he tells us.
In many respects, Poland has been cheaper for many years. But 2023 made this fact even more obvious to many people
– He notes, indicating the moment when shopping tourism has become popular. To the extent that it continues to this day.
What is worth noticing, Poland has generally been a cheaper state for the Czechs for many years. In addition to episodic periods, when Orlen He tinted at fuel prices, and the government introduced further “anti -inflation shields” and reduced VAT to 0 percent, prices are lower in our country due to the overall state of the Polish and Czech economy.
There are long -term aspects of the Polish economy that caused prices to be lower compared to the Czech Republic. Polish purchasing power is lower than the Czech. There is also a larger market in Poland. Companies this gives you the opportunity to get some savings due to the large market scale. It allows, among others reduce unit costs, and competition forces lower prices
– notes the economist. It also points to agricultural products that are simply cheaper in Poland, which flows to lower food prices.
Czech Republic cheaper than Poland? It's almost impossible
– Over the past two years, several additional factors have appeared that increased this discrepancy, and the difference was even greater than in normal times. This does not mean that Poland is no longer attractive to the Czechs. It is still there. Now the situation is only more normal. Above all People from the northern parts of the Czech Republic go to Poland to buy food or cigarettes. But for example, when it comes to gasoline or fuel in general, we have an interesting situation. Fuel prices in Poland are currently higher than in the Czech Republic – indicates Dr. Lukáš Kovanda. According to him, this is primarily due to the fact that the Czech Republic is still buying or at least imported by February this year, Russian oil, which is simply cheaper.
However, a similar scenario for food is unlikely. Prices in Poland will be cheaper for a long time. – Some food products in the Czech Republic are even more expensive now – not only compared to Poland, but even compared to Germany. So from this point of view I am a bit skeptical that in the predictable future the Czech Republic may become attractive to Poles in terms of shopping – says the economist. For this to happen, there would have to be a real economic earthquake. – Maybe if there is a shock, really significant, for example, a great weakness of the Czech crown in relation to the golden Polish. Or maybe Crack of the European automotive industrybecause the Czech economy is much more dependent on the automotive sector than Poland – he speculates.
It is unlikely that there will be a shock large enough to weaken the Czech crown so much that shopping in the Czech Republic will suddenly become attractive to Poles
– says Dr. Lukáš Kovanda.
So you should get used to the Czechs in border stores and such descriptions of the local landscape: “In chałupki in Poland, before one of the most popular supermarkets, on Saturday There were ten Czech cars for one Polish car “. This is how trips to Poland are described by Czech journalists. Therefore, when counting Christmas expenses, it is worth stopping for a moment and think: “It could have been worse, we could be the Czechs.”