Sticker Shock at The Grocery Store

One of the advantages available to European countries is that they are able to maintain a lower price level. This does not appear to be the case in Romania. Prices at the grocery stores are surprisingly high for most items. While basic staples such Bread, potatoes, and wine are cheaply available. Everything else costs more. 100 grams of cheese cost 15 Lei. The price of meat is even higher. For small slices of ham cost around 15 Lei, making it unaffordable to most Romanians. Any imported foodstuffs are considered to be luxury items. Some of what is cheap is determined by the local culture. For example, Water is often slightly more expensive that wine and beer. When I asked about this the response I got was, “Of course, wine and beer are considered to be a staple here.” To many Romanians only hard liquor counts as alcoholic, which the government does regulate and tax.