Newsroom
Consumers faced further increases in the cost of several everyday grocery items in May, according to the latest Consumer Product Price Observatory published by the Consumer Protection Service.
The observatory tracks the weighted average prices of 250 essential products sold in around 400 retail outlets across the country. Its latest findings show that processed food products recorded some of the sharpest monthly increases, while seasonal produce provided some relief for shoppers.
Cold cuts registered the largest rise from April, increasing by 6.4%. Significant monthly increases were also recorded for breaded and pre-cooked frozen fish products, frozen shellfish and molluscs, cooking oil and canned meat products. Prices also climbed for Cypriot coffee, baby food, eggs, flour, laundry detergents, frozen pasta products, soft drinks, toilet paper and yoghurt.
Compared with May 2025, many of these categories remain substantially more expensive, with double-digit annual increases recorded for products such as baby food and laundry detergents.
On the other hand, fresh vegetables and greens became considerably cheaper during May, falling by 24.3% compared with the previous month. Fresh fish and shellfish, fresh meat, frozen fish and sugar also recorded modest declines. Despite the monthly drop, fresh vegetables remain almost 25% more expensive than a year ago.
The Consumer Protection Service said the price developments are occurring alongside continued inflationary pressures recorded by the Statistical Service.
Data from the government's e-kalathi platform also show changes in supermarket pricing. The number of fully comparable products available across seven major supermarket chains increased from 228 in October 2025 to 253 by mid-June 2026.
Among the seven supermarkets included in the comparison, Philippos recorded the highest cost for a basket containing the 253 identical products, at €1,080.72. Sklavenitis offered the lowest total at €972.10. The difference between the two amounted to €108.62, representing 11.2% of the basket's value.
The gap between the most expensive and least expensive supermarket was slightly smaller than the previous month, when the difference stood at 12% for a basket containing 257 comparable products.
Authorities encourage consumers to use the e-kalathi website and mobile application to compare prices before shopping. The Consumer Protection Service also stresses that the observatory is intended as an information tool and should not replace individual market research, as product quality and consumer preferences can vary.
