Compared to all other European countries, the products of first necessity in Greece are most expensive. This shows a research of the European Commission and the results were published in Kathemerini newspaper.

Not only that Greeks pay most but they are also concerned on whether what they buy has the necessary quality. The strange thing is that this fear is shared also by the traders. Counted in numbers – 39% of the Greek consumers doubt the quality of the purchased products, which is one of the highest percentages in Europe. 42% of the traders (also the highest percentage in Europe) agree that “most of the product on the market do not have the necessary quality.” 60% of all Greeks say that their main concern is when they have to go grocery shopping because the quality of the foods is not good. This is the second highest number in Europe and only 8% of the Greeks bother to return a product, which was not good.

The same research of the European Commission for consumers in the EU shows that Greece is taking the first place for expensive services. The high service prices are a result of the strangely understood competition and the monopoly existence on the market in some regions.

Besides the coffee, which is sold three or four times more expensive than in other EU countries, prices as a whole in Greece are higher and not only compared to the ones of the new members of the EU but also to the older members, where incomes are higher.

Typical examples are the milk, which costs 1.31? per liter, the bread, which is also 1.31? per kilo. As a comparison, one liter of milk is sold for 1.26? in Luxemburg, 0.90? in Hungary, 1.01? in Austria, 0.84? in Poland, 0.80? in Portugal and 0.85? in Great Britain and Switzerland.

The difference in prices of notary services for a house loan is also huge. Most expensive are the bank services to and from European countries.