Exceptions to this trend included bread, cheese, and several meat categories, which rose in price.

Data from the Estonian Institute of Economic Research (EKI) shows that in August 2024 many dairy products fell, most notably 2.5 percent milk in plastic packaging, whose price fell by 20 percent on year

Whereas last August this cost 84 cents per package, this year it was priced at 67 cents. Sour cream also fell in price by 9 percent, from €3.51 to €3.18 per unit.

Kefir prices fell by 3 percent and small packs of butter fell in price by 5 cents per kilogram.

In contrast, the price of coffee cream (Kohvikoor), cottage cheese (Kodujuust), and cheese went up. The most significant rise came with coffee cream, which went from €2.57 to €2.68.

Cottage cheese rose in price by 9 cents per kilogram to €5.85, and cheese saw nearly a 4 percent increase, from €11.22 to €11.64 per kilogram.

Egg prices also saw slight falls. The price of medium-sized imported eggs dropped by over 13 percent, from €2.16 to €1.87 per carton.

Local medium-sized eggs became 5 percent cheaper at €2.52 per box, while large-sized eggs dropped in price by 3 percent.

The sole exception here came with L-sized imported eggs, whose prices rose by nearly 12 percent. A carton of 10 eggs cost €2.34 in August 2023, compared with €2.61 last month.

As for on-month price changes just between July and August of 2024, most dairy products remained stable or shifted by less than 1 percent in price.

The only noticeable increase came in coffee cream, which rose by 19 cents, or nearly 8 percent, on the month.

The price of Estonian eggs stayed unchanged over the summer, while imported eggs became 6 percent cheaper.

Several cereal and bakery products were also cheaper in August compared with last summer. The price of white bread (Sai) dropped from €2.92 to €2.78 per kilo, wheat flour fell from €1.29 to €1.18; rolled oats were down from €2.37 to €2.26.

However, standard brown or black bread (Leib) became costlier, rising from €2.83 to €2.93 per kilogram.

Sugar became 17 percent cheaper, from €1.48 per kilogram last year to €1.23 this August.

Between July and August of this year, prices for cereal and bakery products changed by less than half of one percent, except for sugar, which dropped in price by 2 cents.

Most meat products saw price changes within a range of a few percentage points over the year.

Smoked pork and sausages became 2 percent costlier, while pork loin and boneless pork dropped by 1 percent. Boiled sausage (Keeduvorst) rose in price by 4 percent, from €6.33 to €6.59 per kilogram.

Imported broiler meat increased by more than 25 percent, from €3.06 per kilogram last year to €3.89 this year.

Boneless beef rose in price by nearly 5 percent, from €17.67 per kilogram last August to €17.67.

On the month to August, meat products showed minimal üroces changes, with the exception of sausages, whose prices went up 4 percent, and pork loins, which increased by 1.5 percent.

Fish product prices, typically more volatile, changed more than other food categories in August, and mostly rose.

 Chilled perch fillet stood out with its 28 percent increase, rising in price to €30.31 per kilogram. Chilled perch rose by almost as much, at 23 percent, while Baltic herring similarly rose in price by 24 percent, from €3.58 to €4.43 per kilogram.

The price of chilled trout fillet rose by 11 percent, to €17.31.

The only fish product which was cheaper in August compared with the same month the previous year was chilled salmon fillet, which fell from €22.98 to €19.12 per kilogram, a 17 percent drop.

At markets, the price of chilled perch saw the most significant rise, of 37 percent, from €5.58 to €7.66. Chilled Baltic herring at markets rose by 17 percent on year to August, to €2.60 per kilogram.

Chilled trout fillet prices at markets meanwhile fell by 10 percent, to €22.98 per kilogram, while salmon fillet prices at markets fell by 4 percent, to €21.61.

Vegetable prices in August were generally slightly lower than those seen in the summer of 2023, though there were notable exceptions.

For instance, imported long cucumbers were 56 percent pricier, rising from €1.99 to €3.11. The price of imported tomatoes rose by 34 percent, to €3.65 per kilogram, over the year.

On the other hand, onions have become 35 percent cheaper, dropping from €1.30 per kilogram to 85 cents per kilo.

Price fluctuations for other vegetables were more modest. Loose carrots dropped by 14 percent in price, to 66 cents per kilogram, while packaged carrots increased by nearly 2 percent, reaching €2.31 a kilo.

Cabbages fell by 15 in price, from 89 cents to 76 cents per kilogram, while the price of potatoes fell by 4 percent.

Loose potatoes dropped by 10 percent in price to 80 cents per kilogram, while the price of packaged potatoes fell by less than 1 percent.

Comparing July and August 2024, vegetable prices fluctuated more than other products, with most prices decreasing. For example, loose carrots fell by 16 percent in price, locally-grown long cucumbers dropped by 37 percent and imported cucumbers became 20 percent cheaper.

Onion prices fell by 10 percent while local tomatoes were 13 percent cheaper.

Imported apples also got cheaper, with the price dropping from €2.41 per kilogram in July to €2.08 in August. Meanwhile, domestic apples became 50 percent more expensive, rising to €3.89 in August from €2.59 in July.

Cabbage also saw a 6-cent increase in price over the month, and long imported cucumbers rose by 11 percent in price.

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