Spanish consumers cut spending on food and drinks due to rising prices

From beer to churros: where rising costs are hitting hardest

There is a discrepancy between official figures and reality at the bar counter. While the official CPI tells one story, the bar tells another: a small beer, or caña, has crossed the 3-euro mark, and churros now cost 0.50 in some shops. This shift is more than just a change in diet; it is the spearhead of a silent reconfiguration of Spanish consumption, where cuts are no longer limited to basic staples.

The price that drives people away from bars

Eating out or sitting on a terrace is no longer an automatic expense. A pattern is emerging: instead of two or three drinks per person, people settle for one, or simply meet at someone's house. It is not just the bill; service quality has dropped while prices have climbed. Desserts have become a minefield—a 6 or 7-euro flan is no longer a rarity in certain chains—and the feeling of paying for exclusivity that isn't requested has led many to scrutinize the few places where prices still seem honest.

The shopping basket: deals, store brands, and expensive fish

The supermarket is the second major battlefield. Olive oil, pasta, tuna, and beer only make it into the cart when there is a 2-for-1 deal, and store brands (marcas blancas) have gained ground even in instant coffee: a 200-gram jar of the leading brand is nearing 9 euros, so supermarket coffee has come to rescue breakfast.

Fish has been the biggest sacrifice. Those who did not enjoy it have been removing it from their baskets as prices soared uncontrollably. Meat has become a high-value target: many people look for trays with a 50% discount due to approaching expiration dates, freeze them, and maintain their monthly consumption—about 400 euros of meat per month—while only paying half.

Treats that turn into calculations

The evolution of the churro summarizes this phenomenon better than any statistic. Two years ago it cost 0.20 euros, last year it went to 0.25, then 0.30, and now, trinc the post-holiday reopening, it is 0.50. All in the same traditional churrería. “A churro is now a luxury product,” consumers ironically remark.

The same applies to holidays: a single room costs as much as a double, so the treat of four nights in a beach hotel costs twice as much when traveling alone compared to traveling as a couple. In technology, upgrading a phone or laptop has been postponed to the limit: a mediocre PC from five years ago will have to last three more, and smartphones are now being kept for four and a half years.

Between stoicism and survival

Some take it to a philosophical level: the richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least. Others with children claim they haven't cut anything because the cost of doing so would miccionan losing their social life. And some have gone even further: using the mountains as a supermarket, with wild boar as protein and sanitary analysis as the new frontier of domestic savings.

No one is sure when the price of a caña will stabilize or if the churro will return to 30 cents. What the wallet has already decided is that there is a limit.