Price rises in widely used consumer goods listed on the government’s online price comparison platform continued in the first half of May, according to the Cyprus Consumers Association. The association said increases of between 1% and 9% were recorded in 182 product barcodes across 31 product categories.
The largest increases were identified in nuts, fruit and vegetable juices, fabric softeners, frozen pasta, baby food, frozen vegetables, olive oil and baby wipes.
Competition concerns
The association also said strong competition appeared to exist only among a very small number of supermarkets. In the overwhelming majority of participating supermarkets, it said, price differences were too large to indicate intense competition.
“In the overwhelming majority of supermarkets participating in the platform, the deviations between their selling prices are so large that they do not constitute an indication of strong competition,” the association said.
A separate review of 370 products at one supermarket chain, which operates seven stores and participates in the platform, found that its selling prices were very high compared with the average selling price across all participating supermarkets, with the difference reaching up to 91%.
The association stressed that its conclusions were based exclusively on prices recorded on the price comparison platform of the Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry, as well as prices listed on the free private app Smart Kalathi.
Paphos Records Highest Average Diesel Price
The association also released district comparisons for diesel prices as of May 16, 2026, saying Paphos has consistently remained the district with the highest average price. According to the figures cited, the average diesel price in Paphos was €1.856 per litre, followed by Limassol at €1.833, Famagusta at €1.823, Nicosia at €1.822 and Larnaca, the cheapest district, at €1.820 per litre.
The association also examined pricing policies at company-owned petrol stations operated by fuel importers. It said retail prices differed between districts and also within the same district. Company-owned stations are operated under the Shell, Petrolina and EKO brands.
In Famagusta, no variation was recorded in retail prices at company-owned stations for the three companies. In Larnaca, price differences ranged from 2 cents to 2.1 cents per litre, while in Limassol the variation ranged from zero to 4.3 cents per litre.
In Nicosia, differences ranged from 2.1 cents to 4.1 cents per litre, while in Paphos they ranged from zero to 5.6 cents per litre.
The association’s general assessment was that prices at company-owned petrol stations are not determined solely by fuel acquisition costs. It said competition between stations on the same road or along the same consumer route also appeared to play a role.
