What are supermarket/ restaurant prices like - appreciate they are always more expensive than the UK, however just wondered if inflation was proportionate
(just come back from the states and it was hellish over there)
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food inflation but also devaluation of the pound vs the euro.
the pound has sunk against both the euro and the dollar so its going to sting a bit this summer.
it sticks in the craw somwhat but it still wouldnt make me want to stay in the uk for another holiday, crowds, paying to park, finding somwhere to park, rain wind cold, expensive food etc..
Aldi and Lidl were always our go to supermarkets in france anyway. not only for price but for simlicity get in and out quick and enjoy the holiday.
Post last edited on 07/07/2022 13:59:43
------------- First van bailey ranger 550/6
Now the proud owner of a coachman amara
I would say it’s no cheaper or dearer than last year.
Still worth coming, and boy has it been hot.
------------- XVI yes?
As well is two words!
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Just back from France on a 5 day camping trip, didn't do a lot of shopping, or eating/drinking out, but what we did didn't strike as much more expensive on ticket price than last time we were there in 2019 (but £-Euro exchange rate now better for the real price paid by us). Thankfully got there and back on a tank of UK fuel, so didn't get hammered by some of the silly French fuel prices (1.25E-1.35E/litre was common away from supermarkets!) which were 5-6% higher than UK.
No longer consider France 'cheap' anyway, since they went over from Franc to Euro and it seemed like prices jumped 30% overnight! Never fallen back it seems.
Quote: Originally posted by Monty15 on 07/7/2022
Thankfully got there and back on a tank of UK fuel, so didn't get hammered by some of the silly French fuel prices (1.25E-1.35E/litre was common away from supermarkets!) which were 5-6% higher than UK.
Presumably you meant 2.25 - 2.35 € per litre.
We were there from 7/6 - 25/6 and did some big shops in Leclerc, Carrefour and Auchan. Can’t say we noticed much difference compared to UK and the rose was a lot cheaper 😀
Quote: Originally posted by Monty15 on 07/7/2022
Just back from France on a 5 day camping trip, didn't do a lot of shopping, or eating/drinking out, but what we did didn't strike as much more expensive on ticket price than last time we were there in 2019 (but £-Euro exchange rate now better for the real price paid by us). Thankfully got there and back on a tank of UK fuel, so didn't get hammered by some of the silly French fuel prices (1.25E-1.35E/litre was common away from supermarkets!) which were 5-6% higher than UK.
No longer consider France 'cheap' anyway, since they went over from Franc to Euro and it seemed like prices jumped 30% overnight! Never fallen back it seems.
I don`t understand your comments about fuel, I came back on Sunday and diesel was about 20/25 pence per litre cheaper in France than here.
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We were there from 10/6 to 28/6, if you're careful you can find absolute bargains (we got two massive rump steaks from Carrefour for less than €10), it depends what you want. We shopped at an Aldi and felt while the basics were very well priced, those certain things with that French je ne sais quoi weren't there and the shop felt us overall, feeling a bit flat (let's face it, we go to France for those little treats not the same old thing you can get at home. if you're not doing it for that, you're missing the point)!
Restaurants, it depended where you were, snack meals like burgers and chips are verging on €20 (and no, we didn't take them), yet pizzas, if that's your fancy are relatively cheap. We had a nice, three course meal at a bistro in a small town near a chateau on the Cher for €18 each, we had a two course meal in the Gironde for €23 each. I felt the meal for €18 was a nicer meal and obviously, better value.
If you're venturing into more touristy areas, as ever, expect to pay more.
If you want to eat out in France it is much better to do so at lunchtime at somewhere with a fixed price meal. It is very easy to find 3 or 4 courses with wine for around 14 euros in most places. To me that is the real France, eating with the locals, no menu, just eat what everyone else is eating.
We tend to do most of our shopping in Lidl when we are there and find that apart from fresh milk we can get everything we need at good prices - - I would say very similar to here.
Lidl for us generally, with the odd visit to things we can't buy from there, like the cat food preferred by our fussy cat and our preferred make of butter. Prices are about the same as the UK - some things are noticeably more expensive (cauliflowers, onions, etc), but they taste better in the sun anyway so we don't mind paying a little more.
Meat has always been pricey in France in our opinion, but of better quality. We tend to stick to things we can grill quickly for meals in. We ate out quite a bit this year - always at lunchtime and always menu du jour. Our cheapest (although not the best) was 12.50 in Paris, but didn't include wine. We were in much more touristy areas this year, compared to our normal trips, but still found we could still eat out for a reasonable price. Supermarket shops were about the same as at home, and we found that diesel was cheaper. It's come down both in France and in the UK since we started our trip in mid June.
Having just received the first credit card bill for our holiday, I see that the exchange rate started at 1.1770 and dipped as low as 1.1513.
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After years of storing my caravan under cover in Brittany for 250 euros, I brought it back to the UK to get rid of it (Bailey Unicorn Valencia) and downsized to a Swift Freestyle 2, as I now have a smaller motor. Open storage here is costing me £400.00 pa and when I take it to France, I now have higher ferry costs, particularly on the Brittany Ferries routes. Before you write me off as mentally ill, I should say that I did this because my wife wanted to try UK holidays again and she has never really enjoyed France as much as I do. We have so far done a week's holiday in North Yorkshire, which was okay, but stuck in a traffic jam for at least an hour each way and I don't want to moan too much, but it was marginally better than staying at home. I have three weeks in Brittany to look forward to in September because I had to use up my Brittany Ferries credit due to cancelled crossings. I now have to work on her to ensure holidays in France next year. To be honest, I don't care about costs in France and if UK holidays are the only option, the caravan will be going.
Quote: Originally posted by jjgderbyshire on 09/7/2022
After years of storing my caravan under cover in Brittany for 250 euros, I brought it back to the UK to get rid of it (Bailey Unicorn Valencia) and downsized to a Swift Freestyle 2, as I now have a smaller motor. Open storage here is costing me £400.00 pa and when I take it to France, I now have higher ferry costs, particularly on the Brittany Ferries routes. Before you write me off as mentally ill, I should say that I did this because my wife wanted to try UK holidays again and she has never really enjoyed France as much as I do. We have so far done a week's holiday in North Yorkshire, which was okay, but stuck in a traffic jam for at least an hour each way and I don't want to moan too much, but it was marginally better than staying at home. I have three weeks in Brittany to look forward to in September because I had to use up my Brittany Ferries credit due to cancelled crossings. I now have to work on her to ensure holidays in France next year. To be honest, I don't care about costs in France and if UK holidays are the only option, the caravan will be going.
Sorry to read that. I only get 23 days holiday so i don’t like to risk wasting it on U.K. breaks. Since I work and save money to take my family on holiday it would take a lot to dissuade me from going abroad for my holidays.
I hope you can persuade your wife to go back to France next year.
If not though we do enjoy wales, snowdonia etc.
I must confess I don’t understand the comments above about fuel prices and exchange rates.
Right now the pound is low against the euro and diesel is still cheaper in France.
------------- First van bailey ranger 550/6
Now the proud owner of a coachman amara
Quote: Originally posted by Monty15 on 07/7/2022
Just back from France on a 5 day camping trip, didn't do a lot of shopping, or eating/drinking out, but what we did didn't strike as much more expensive on ticket price than last time we were there in 2019 (but £-Euro exchange rate now better for the real price paid by us). Thankfully got there and back on a tank of UK fuel, so didn't get hammered by some of the silly French fuel prices (1.25E-1.35E/litre was common away from supermarkets!) which were 5-6% higher than UK.
No longer consider France 'cheap' anyway, since they went over from Franc to Euro and it seemed like prices jumped 30% overnight! Never fallen back it seems.
I really don't understand your pricing for fuel - certainly if your price comparisons are between France and the UK. At the moment in Pas de Calais (just used as an example) diesel varies between €1.85 (equivalent to £1.57) and €2.19 (£1.85) per litre, with most places definitely under 2.00 euros. So contrary to your statement about being hammered by silly French fuel prices you would have made a significant saving by filling up in France instead of in the UK.
And for anyone interested France went over to the Euro on 01/01/2002 - so more than twenty years ago - and people would probably say that decimalisation had the same effect on prices in this country. We've been camping and caravanning in France for more than forty years, but to be quite honest I couldn't begin to tell you what we were paying for things in 2001 compared to 2002 - either in France, or in this country.
Quote: Originally posted by madasaman on 07/7/2022
Can you quantify your hellish statement?We are going in Feb for 2 weeks. How much money do you reckon we will need? since its always room only.
Eating out is now very expensive in the US. Not only are you coping with the loss of buying power dollar/sterling, but prices have risen in the US and the minimum tip expected is 20%. We were there in 2017 and it was bad enough then - cost us around $100 each day for breakfast, lunch and dinner for two people. It will cost a lot more now, unless you're happy to eat diner food or burgers every day. Our nephew was in California last month and he was seriously shocked at the food prices so ended up buying sandwiches and drinks at places like Walmart and eating in his room. He only went out for meals a handful of times as it was too expensive and would have blown his budget. He still enjoyed the experience and would go again but would factor in the high cost of meals out next time.
Supermarket prices are slightly above UK but diesel is cheaper. Down to 1.9€/litre around here which is £1.61/litre. We don’t really eat out & mostly shop in Lidl or Aldi so not excessively more expensive than UK we find.
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Topic: Inflation in food in france
via mobile 07/7/2022 at 2:02pm
