This February, the prices of all dairy products on Estonia's supermarket shelves were lower than in February 2023, with the exception of kefir. Kefir prices rose by four cents a liter on year to €1.43, according to data provided by the Estonian Institute of Economic Research (EKI).

The biggest fall in price affected milk in cartons, which cost an average of 67 cents per liter this February. This was down from 87 cents in February last year, representing a drop of 23 percent.

Sour cream prices also fell by 12 percent, from €3.70 a liter last February to €3.25 a liter in February 2024. Coffee cream prices were down nine percent to €2.46, while cost of a kilo of cheese also fell by five percent.

A comparison of prices in January and February this year shows that prices also fell on a monthly basis, albeit by a negligible amount. On month, the price of bagged milk fell by seven percent, while sour cream and coffee cream were both down by almost two percent. For other dairy products, the fall was around one percent.

Egg prices moved in the opposite direction. Over the course of the last year, the price of domestically produced eggs rose by between seven and eight percent, depending on size. A carton of M-sized Estonian eggs cost an average of €2.40 last February for instance, while this year, the price was 20 cents higher. Imported L-size eggs also increased in price by seven percent on year.

On month, the price of Estonian-produced eggs fell by a few percentage points. The price of M-size eggs fell the most, with a carton of costing €2.70 in January and €2.60 in February. By contrast, the price of imported eggs rose by a few percent on month.

When it comes to cereals and bakery products, the price of wheat flour fell by 12 percent on year. A kilo of flour cost €1.36 a year ago but was €1.20 in February 2024. The price of flour also fell by six cents a kilo from January to February this year.

Oats were slightly cheaper this February, but both rye bread and white bread went up in price. Rye bread cost 22 cents, or eight percent, more, while the price of white bread prices rose by two cents.

Looking at the monthly data, the price of white bread was down eight cents from January, while the price of rye bread cost five cents more in February than during the previous month.

The price of sugar, which reached €1.48 last summer, has fallen again. A kilo of sugar cost €1.38 in February last year and €1.35 this year. Sugar prices fell by one cent per kilo between January and February this year.

All meat products have risen in price

Pork ribs have also gone up by nine percent on year, from €7.90 to €8.60 per kilo, with a one cent increase per kilo also seen in the last month. Meanwhile, the cost of boneless pork also rose eight percent over the year.

A kilo of boneless beef cost €16.76 in February 2023, and was up to €18.01 per kilo this February. The price per kilo was also 29 cents higher this February than in January.

Prices of domestically produced minced meat, sausages and pre-cooked sausage also rose by between five and six percent on year.

Fish prices fluctuate most

The monthly price of fish tends to fluctuate more than that of other products. For example, the price of chilled herring in stores rose by 47 percent on year, from €2.97 a kilo in February 2023 to €4.37 in the same month a year later. Chilled perch and chilled salmon fillets also increased in price by 14-15 percent per kilo.

At the same time, the price of refrigerated trout fillets in stores fell in price by almost a fifth. Last February, they cost €20.67 while this February the average was €16.26 a kilo. The price of chilled trout also fell by 12 percent on year.

The price difference on month however,  was smaller. Chilled trout fell by six percent kilo, while chilled salmon fillets rose in price by seven percent.

On markets, the picture was a little different, with the biggest increase in price affecting chilled trout, which rose from €9.90 to €16.57 a kilo on year. The price of chilled trout fillets also rose by almost a quarter. The price of both types of fish also increased on the market between January and February.

Chilled salmon fillets increased in cost by 26 percent on year on markets, from €22.08 to €27.76 a kilo, while perch fillets gained a fifth in price.

The cost of many vegetables in stores has risen over the course of the last year. Cucumber prices have gone up 11 percent, from €6.09 to €6.78, for instance.

The price of onions rose by more than a fifth, from 89 cents to €1.09 per kilo. Imported apple prices went up by 16 percent, from €1.81 last year to €2.10 a kilo this February. The price for a kilo of carrots has also increased on year by a few percent.

The biggest fall, 36 percent, was seen in the price of cabbage. A year ago, a kilo of cabbage cost 62 cents, while now it costs 40 cents. Potatoes are also 14 percent cheaper than a year ago, and domestically grown apples cost seven percent less.

When comparing the prices from January and February this year,  it is carrot and cucumber prices that have risen the most, by 18 and 15 percent respectively.

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