North v South: how much do you pay for food?

Do southerners have to pay more for the same loaf of bread than northerners do? And what about fish `n chips? We take a look at the stats.

The price of a high street lunch

The findings of a recent UK-wide survey, published in The Daily Mail, show that when it comes to high street food chains, people in the south – especially in London – pay up to 30% more for the same snack as people up north do.

Greggs, for example, charges 85p for a large sausage roll in West London’s Hammersmith, while in Hull you’ll only pay 66p (a 28% increase). Plus a McDonald’s Filet-o-Fish burger will cost 10p more in Hammersmith than in would in Hull, as would a large black coffee; and you’ll have to find an extra £1 for fish ‘n chips at a generic Wetherspoons’ pub if you’re dining in Hammersmith instead of Hull. Expect to pay an extra 15% for your pint of beer to go with it, too.

You shopping basket

How about food from the supermarkets? Well, if it’s processed food made by a company, you will probably pay a lot less for it up north. A loaf of white Kingsmill bread from Spar will cost around 89p in London, but only 69p in Newcastle; a tub of Philadelphia cheese from Asda costs £1.06 in London, and 78p in Newcastle; and, most astonishingly, a pack of Asda’s own milk chocolate digestives is 78p in London, and 48p in Newcastle – that’s a whopping 62% price increase.

But interestingly, the price of fresh fruit and vegetables is pretty standard across the nation. Just as the price of cigarettes doesn’t vary more than 2% across the country, a small packet of, say, vine tomatoes from Asda will cost around £1.40 in both London and Newcastle.

The difference in income

Chances are someone living in London is paid more than someone living in a northern city. In May 2012, the average house price was £106,250 and the typical weekly salary was £408.20 in Hull; while in Hammersmith, it was £550,000 for a house and an average weekly salary of £610.70.That’s a near-50% increase in salary for Londoners, who are paying some 417% more for their homes than those in Hull.

So although Londoners have more expendable income on paper, a typical Hammersmith resident with a 60% repayment mortgage is likely to be paying £1,829 a month, compared to £356 in Hull. Is it therefore unfair for Londoners to pay up to 60% more for groceries than those in northern cities, even taking their higher salaries into account?

Enter Osborne

Well, the Chancellor George Osborne is certainly suspicious. He’s currently consulting on a plan to introduce regional wages in the public sector. So teachers, for example, would be paid less where the cost of living is lower (rather than paid more where it's higher! - Ed). Needless to say, the plans have been condemned as “cruel” by union leaders, and critics say the move will widen economic divisions between north and south and depress regions already struggling in the economic crisis.

Where are you from, and how much does your loaf of bread cost? Do you thinking you’re paying too much for it? We want to know all about your eating nabits - take our survey and you could win a breadmaker worth voer £100! As ever, please do talk to us in the Comments Box below, too. We always read them!

George Osborne image courtesy of HM Treasury.

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Hull image by Andy Beecroft, Hammersmith image by Patche99z