Grabbing a beer at a bar in Lithuania is getting increasingly costly – and making locals wonder why they have to pay as much as they would in Paris or Rome.
Last year, some bar hoppers have noticed that when ordering a beer, they get a 0.4-litre glass instead of 0.5 as before.
This year, although glasses have not shrunken more, beer prices in bars continued to rise. Herkus, a resident of Vilnius who contacted LRT.lt, says he’s been unpleasantly surprised both in Vilnius and Kaunas.
“I understand that the café and restaurant sector is not going through the best of times after the pandemic, but the more I think about it, the more it seems that greed has taken over,” he says.
Getting a beer in Lithuania is getting more expensive than in some Western European countries, he adds. “The most recent case that shocked me was last weekend in a bar in Kaunas. I paid 5.5 euros for a glass of beer! I think this is not adequate.”
Moreover, the glass wasn’t even full. “I was in Scotland recently and there they fill the glass to the brim, the beer is almost spilling over the top. But here, they measure everything and bring back a glass with a lot of foam,” Herkus says.
Adomas from Vilnius also draws attention to the price of non-alcoholic beer. “A glass of non-alcoholic beer costs 4.5 euros. It’s not even subject to excise duty,” he wonders.
“In the past, you used to pay 5 or 6 euros for a glass at events and festivals, but now it is the same price in almost every popular bar or café,” says Miglė from Vilnius. “The situation has been difficult for the catering sector since the beginning of the pandemic, and it seems that they are trying to make up for it.”
Public menus of various bars in central Vilnius show that a glass of beer (450 ml) can range from 3.5 to 6 euros. Non-alcoholic beer goes for 3-4.5 euros.
Everything is getting more expensive
Raimondas Pranka, president of the Night Economy Association NaktA, says that there is nothing exceptional about beerflation – everything is getting more expensive.
“Everything in the world is getting more expensive, especially ordering foreign-made beer. [...] The supply from the producer itself is getting more expensive, raw materials are getting more expensive, production is getting more expensive, and so is the price of beer at the bar for the end consumer,” he tells LRT.lt.
As regards the prices of non-alcoholic beer, Pranka notes that excise duty is not the only cost factor. “It is much more expensive to produce than regular beer – almost four times,” he says.
Economist Marius Dubnikovas agrees that beer prices in Lithuania already look similar compared to other European countries, even while average incomes remain significantly lower. However, he believes that prices can rise as much as consumers are willing to pay.
“In big European cities, you can also get a glass of beer for 5-6 euros. I would say that prices are rising as much as the consumer allows, and the consumer is obviously spending quite a lot,” Dubnikovas tells LRT.lt.
“Whether that is adequate – that is between the seller and the buyer. If the buyer stops consuming and starts refusing goods at that price, then the price will change. This does not seem to be happening,” he concludes.
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