On Wednesday night, Argentina broke English hearts, easing past a cowed and overly defensive England side. But what of the real contest — supermarket prices? Eugene Costello reports...
It is a regular discussion in so-called expat groups on Facebook: which are cheaper, Spanish supermarkets or British ones?
Valencia Life decided to put it to the test, taking a weekly shopping basket as used by the UK’s The Food Foundation and applying it to Tesco and Mercadona, favouring own-brand products where possible. To be scrupulously fair, prices were compared per kg or per litre wherever appropriate.
Here are the results.
Dairy, eggs and chilled foods
| Product | Tesco | Mercadona |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-skimmed milk — 2 litres | £2.10 | €1.68 |
| Medium free-range eggs — 6 eggs | £2.90 | €1.80 |
| Mature cheddar cheese — 220g | £2.50 | €2.09 |
| Flora margarine — 450g | £2.75 | €3.19 |
| Natural yoghurt — 500g | £1.15 | €1.10 |
| Alpro dairy-free yoghurt — 500g | £2.50 | €2.00 |
Meat and fish
| Product | Tesco | Mercadona |
| Lean minced beef, 5% fat — 500g | £5.19 | €4.10 |
| Smoked back bacon rashers — 300g | £1.49 | €2.20 |
| Cooked ham slices — 120g | £2.30 | €1.20 |
| Chicken breast fillets — 1kg | £6.69 | €6.00 |
| Boneless salmon fillets — 260g | £5.15 | €5.98 |
| Tuna in spring water — 4 × 145g | £2.49 | €4.20 |
Potatoes and vegetables
| Product | Tesco | Mercadona |
| Baking potatoes — 2kg | £1.85 | €3.68 |
| Oven chips — 950g | £2.65 | €2.40 |
| Broccoli — 1kg | £2.19 | €2.30 |
| Cauliflower — 1kg | £1.67 | €2.12 |
| Carrots — 1kg | £0.69 | €1.20 |
| Spring onions — 1kg | £7.69 | €2.50 |
| Chestnut mushrooms — 1kg | £7.67 | €7.00 |
| Salad tomatoes — 1kg | £4.76 | €4.20 |
| Garden peas — 1kg | £1.70 | €1.50 |
| Mixed baby-leaf salad — 1kg | £10.00 | €12.00 |
| Cucumber | £0.90 | €1.13 |
| Red pepper | £0.70 | €0.68 |
Tinned and prepared vegetables
| Product | Tesco | Mercadona |
| Heinz baked beans in tomato sauce — 415g | £1.40 | €1.30 |
| Chopped tomatoes — 1kg | £1.18 | €1.40 |
| Vegetable soup — 1 litre | £3.12 | €0.95 |
Fruit
| Product | Tesco | Mercadona |
| Apples — 6-pack | £1.80 | €3.30 |
| Bananas — 1kg | £0.90 | €1.45 |
| Clementines or easy-peel citrus fruit — 3kg | £7.50 | €4.95 |
Bread and bakery products
| Product | Tesco | Mercadona |
| Medium-sliced loaf of bread — 1kg | £0.94 | €1.28 |
Prepared meals and savoury bakery
| Product | Tesco | Mercadona |
| Stone-baked Margherita pizza — 1kg | £10.78 | €6.25 |
Cereals, pasta and rice
| Product | Tesco | Mercadona |
| Quick-cook fusilli — 1kg | £1.50 | €1.15 |
| Rice — 1kg | £1.79 | €1.20 |
Sauces, condiments and cooking ingredients
| Product | Tesco | Mercadona |
| Granulated sugar — 1kg | £2.60 | €0.90 |
| Mayonnaise — 1 litre | £1.91 | €2.40 |
| Extra-virgin olive oil — 1 litre | £12.75 | €4.80 |
| Table salt — 1kg | £1.27 | €0.40 |
| Ground black pepper — 1kg | £32.00 | €19.50 |
Snacks and treats
| Product | Tesco | Mercadona |
| Ready-salted crisps — 1kg | £6.67 | €5.40 |
| Chocolate digestive-style biscuits — 1kg | £4.17 | €4.05 |
Drinks
| Product | Tesco | Mercadona |
| Smooth orange juice — 2 litres | £3.20 | €1.40 |
| Instant coffee — 1kg | £13.25 | €19.50 |
Totals
| Supermarket | Original total | Converted equivalent |
| Tesco | £188.41 | approximately €222.27 |
| Mercadona | €157.83 | approximately £133.79 |
So there we have it.
There were a few surprises — who would have guessed that fruit would cost less in the UK, for instance? — but most items were cheaper in Spain than in the UK. In the case of extra-virgin olive oil, substantially so.
In fairness, many people in Spain do their main shopping in supermarkets but buy their fruit and vegetables at local markets, which is worth pointing out. We have also not included alcohol, because we tried to stay as close to The Food Foundation’s typical weekly basket as possible. Once alcohol is included, prices are substantially lower in Spain.
But based on this shopping list, we can now reveal the totals.
The British shopping basket, as found on the Tesco site on July 16, 2026, came to a grand total of £188.41, or approximately €222.27. The Mercadona basket came to €157.83, or approximately £133.79.
That means the Mercadona basket is cheaper by approximately £54.62, or €64.44 — a saving of 29.0%.
Put another way, the Tesco basket costs about 41% more than the Mercadona one.
Now that that competition is finally settled, let’s all get behind Spain for Sunday and hope for revenge against Argentina.