Warsaw vs Prague. Which city is cheaper for a night out?

By using market data from Poland and Czechia with our BI tool Market Meter we can compare prices of various beverages on the country level and the level of individual regions as well. This time the match is Warsaw vs Prague. We have compared the two cities' prices in restaurants, bars, cafés and other on-trade outlets with our data from Market Meter to determine which one offers the most bang for your bucks.

If you want even more information about Czech and Polish on-trade / HoReCa markets, try a free demo of our Outlet Census Live 2.0 tool.

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Prague vs Warsaw in a nutshell:

• Going for a drink will generally cost you 5-10 % more in Prague than in Warsaw.
• Nonalcoholic drinks like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Sprite and similar are especially more expensive in the Czech capital, up to 65 %.
• But if you stick to beer, Prague is about 6 % cheaper.

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FREE ON-TRADE DATA: Discover the on-trade market position of your brands and your competitors completely free of charge

Warsaw vs Prague prices compared

For our research purposes, we have chosen several beverage brands across categories (beer, spirits etc.) with the highest numerical distribution as they best represent a typical "consumer basket" of a pub-goer.

Often, we had to compare not the same but similar products. In the case of beers, there are completely different brands on tap in the two countries. As for spirits, some of the most popular Polish brands are almost non-existent in the Czech Republic (e. g. Zubrowka). In the end, what mattered was the category, relatively similar distribution and price range. 

Prague vs Warsaw? Beer vs soft drinks

According to our data, you will spend 5-10 % more in a Prague pub, bar or restaurant on beverages than in Warsaw. Interestingly enough, if you stick only to beer, it's the exact opposite, as beers in Prague are generally cheaper than in Warsaw by roughly 6 %.

There is also an extreme price gap in carbonated soft drinks (like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kofola, Sprite etc.). In some cases, the difference is up to 65 %. First, we thought it was caused by different serving conventions in the two cities: in Prague, you will mostly get 0,2 ml or 0,33 ml  servings in glass, whereas in Poland you will be much more often served a 0,5 ml bottle (presumably a plastic one) with a much smaller margin.

But we got similar results when we compared prices in outlets serving only 0,2 or 0,25 ml soft drink gin glass. Our conclusion, therefore, is that carbonated soft drinks are indeed quite cheaper in Warsaw than in Prague – on average. Nevertheless, we haven't included the most extreme price differences in the final calculation to not distort the outcome.

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Beyond Warsaw vs Prague: The 5 most popular cocktails in Poland and more

Wondering which cocktails are the most popular in Poland? Or which brand is the most commonly found in Czech pubs? Or what is the future of Polish restaurants, bar and pubs? We have quite a few pieces to read for you.

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The 5 most popular cocktails in Poland, based on millions of data points

Which brands got more popular during Q2 2022 in Czech pubs and restaurants?

A coffee chat with Karolina about the future of Polish on-trade market

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Business side: Creating a pricing strategy with SharpGrid data for your company

Since we cover the entire market, we can see the big picture as well as go into detail and shed light on specific segments, brands and much more. 

In this case, you can see how comparing various brands, regions, or countries might lead you to a better pricing strategy and positioning for your products or whole product lines. Market Meter by SharpGrid can help you get a clear picture of the on-trade market, see how your competitors are doing and act accordingly. It is an ultimate data-insights machine designed with your business needs in mind.

If you have any questions about our product, how it might help your business or how it works in detail, don't hesitate to contact us.

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SharpGrid is a data & tech company reinventing market research in the on-trade channel. The on-trade channel consists of POSs (point of sale) where food & beverage is bought and consumed, and is often also called HoReCa, on-premise, food service, out-of-home, gastro or immediate consumption (IC) channel, hospitality, on-licence.

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