The following is a snapshot of the cost of groceries, based on ALDI. Please note there are also premium brands or sometimes "Bio" versions of products, which would cost 50% more or even double the price ranges stated below!
1) Bottle of beer
Beer is usually sold in half-dozen bottles (0.33L/0.5L) or even in 20's. Beer is also sold in cans, but less common than bottles. Each bottle of beer costs about 30 to 50 cents.
Note that you will have to initially pay a deposit (ranges from 8 to 25 cents) for each bottle, which you will get back when bottles are inserted into a recycling machine in any supermarket.
2) Breads and buns
There is a large variety of breads and buns offered in the supermarket, a basic bun costs as low as 19 cents, whereas those baked with healthier, wheat flour typically cost about 50 cents and above. A regular sandwich loaf costs 55 to 80 cents. Buns with sweet fillings such as chocolate and raisins typically cost over 1 Euro per pack.
3) Butter
A regular block of butter costs about 1 Euro. Note that Bio-Butter on the upper shelf is almost double the price of regular butter below. If you intend to use butter for cooking, it is essential to watch out for a label called "zum Braten nicht geeignet" on the packaging, which means that the butter is not suited for pan-frying!
4) Cereal (Muesli)
Prices of cereal varies greatly, dependent on the content. Half a kilogram of plain cornflakes could cost below 1 Euro, whereas cereals with higher grain and fruit contents could cost 2 to 3 Euros. Here I have found the balance between a fair price and a fair choice between multi-grain, fruit, or chocolate Muesli for 1.69 Euro.
5) Cheese
There are countless types of cheese, each pack of 250g costs only slightly above 1 Euro. Grated cheese is also available for about 20 cents more than cheese slices. Some supermarkets sell blocks of cheese that are imported from other parts of Europe; those could be more expensive.
6) Coffee and Tea
In general, I believe that tea is cheaper than coffee. As shown in the picture below, a package of coffee costs 2 to 3 Euros, whereas tea (20 to 40 sachets) are available for as low as under 1 Euro. For the equivalent amount, flavoured tea costs between 1 to 2 Euros.
7) Fish
In general, seafood is quite pricey, especially Norwegian salmon and prawns. Recommended alternatives: Fish fingers and "Schlemmerfilet". These cost only about 1.50 Euros per pack and taste pretty good!
8) Pommes (Fries)
"Would you like some fries with that?"
For 89 cents a kilogram, yes please!
9) Ice Cream
Only 1 to 2 Euros for a medium-sized box of these sweet delights. Cheap and good!
Jam usually contains 50% fruits or higher, which makes it a fruitful purchase for about 1 Euro. See what I did there? ;)
11) Milk
The base price of fresh milk is standardized; 59 cents for 1L of whole milk and 55 cents for 1L of low-fat milk. Some premium brands charge up to 1 Euro for 1L of milk. Flavoured milk are also available in half-litre bottles for about 50 to 80 cents each.
12) Yoghurt
Yoghurt is inexpensive, half a litre of plain yoghurt only costs about 50 cents, whereas 250ml of flavoured yoghurt costs about 30 cents.
13) Pasta and Rice
Half a kilogram of pasta, which serves 4 portions, costs only about 50 cents. Rice is usually sold in small quantities of half or one kilogram, which contains multiple mini-packs of 125g. Although rice is not the staple food in Germany, it costs almost the same as pasta.
14) Pizza
The go-to dish for students! The cheapest is a package of 3 Margarita pizzas (cheese and tomato) for 2 Euros, or 3 Salami pizzas for 2.50 Euros. There are also premium pizzas that cost 2 to 3 Euros each which offer more variety of toppings. A smart way of saving money is to purchase cheap Margarita pizzas as base and then add your own toppings.
15) Meat
As a rule of thumb, chicken is the cheapest (per kilogram), followed by pork, beef, turkey and lamb. Fillets are the most expensive for any meat, whereas minced meats are the cheapest. Good news for Malaysians: Chicken wings and drumsticks are really cheap, only 2.50 to 3 Euros per kilogram! However, chicken fillet could cost over 6 Euros per kilogram. Minced pork is 4 Euros per kilogram, minced beef is 5.20 Euros per kilogram, whereas a mix of both meats (Hackfleisch gemischt) costs somewhere in between. On each packaging there is usually a label that states where the animal is born, raised and slaughtered.
16) Sausages and Salami
I have yet to finish exploring the full range of sausages and salami in the supermarket. A pack of salami or sausage typically cost about 4 Euros per kilogram and above, and sold in quantities of 200g to 400g.
17) Potatoes
Sold in packs of 2 to 5 kilograms for only 50 cents a kilogram, it is not surprising that potatoes are the staple food of Germany!
18) Fruits and Vegetables
Average cost of vegetables is 1 Euro per packet. There is a wide selection of salad leaves to make a good bowl of healthy salad. Apples are one of the cheapest fruits, costing between 1.50 to 2 Euros per kilogram. It takes a while to know the "standard" price of vegetables, after which one can easily identify good bargains. For example, paprika usually costs 3 Euros per kilogram; however during a sale, a pack of 3 red paprika (weight 500g) costs only 1 Euro, which is a discount of 33%!
19) Ready meal, seasonings and soups
Worry not if time is not on your side, "Fertiggerichte" (ready meal) is here to save the day! A packet for 2-3 portions of cream soup costs around 35 cents. There is also a large variety of powdered-seasoning for about 500g of meat such as Hackbraten and Gulash for the same price. Premium brands are Maggi and Knor, which cost twice as much. Additionally, there are complete microwave meals for asian noodles or lasagna that cost between 1.50 Euros to 2 Euros per portion.
20) Water
Buying a bottle of water in Germany can be a tricky for first-timers. Unless you intend to drink carbonated water, you should avoid "Medium" and "Classic" and choose "Still". A bottle of 1.5L water costs 19 cents; however you will also have to pay a deposit of 25 cents.
21) Waste plastic bags
Plastic bags are not so commonly available in Germany due to environmental reasons. On the other hand, one would need to purchase plastic bags just for trash! As shown in the picture below, 20 plastic bags for a standard, small trash bin cost 55 cents.
22) Hair and Body Care
Prices for these products vary greatly, the cheapest are under 1 Euro while branded products could cost over 3 Euros. Fortunately a handful of brands originate from Germany (such as Nivea) so they are not as costly as outside Europe.
23) Cleaning and Washing Agents
Cleaning incurs more time and effort rather than cost as cleaning agents are rather inexpensive. Dish soaps and packet of sponges cost less 1 Euro each, whereas detergents and cleaning sprays cost slightly above 2 Euros each.
As a whole, I find grocery shopping in Germany very affordable. Average daily expenditure on home-cooked food is about 5 Euros.
A rough (generous) estimate is shown below:
Breakfast: 50 cents
100g Muesli = 20 cents
Half litre of milk = 30 cents
OR
5 slices of bread (1/4 loaf) = 20 cents
Spread (butter, jam, peanut butter, chocolate) = 30 cents
Lunch: 2 Euros
125g minced beef (1/4 pack) = 1.30 Euros
125g rice = 15 cents
1/4 cabbage = 25 cents
Oil, sauces and spices = 30 cents
Dinner: 2 Euros
300g chicken drumstick = 1 Euro
125g pasta = 15 cents
1 paprika = 35 cents
Cheese = 20 cents
Oil, sauces and spices = 30 cents
Desserts: 50 cents
Flavoured yoghurt
OR
Ice cream
OR
Chocolate candies
I hope that you find this post useful and share this with others! Have a great year ahead in 2016 :)
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