In June, the cost of basic purchases for a single-person senior household amounted to PLN 529.59, only PLN 1.88 less than in May. This was the smallest monthly decrease among all the household profiles analysed.
At the same time, the senior shopping basket became 2.58% more expensive year on year, recording the highest growth rate in the study. Its value was equivalent to 29.41% of the net minimum pension.
These are the findings of the latest Monthly Shopping Index report, prepared by Michał Tomaszkiewicz of PolskieRadio24.pl, UCE Research and WSB Merito Universities.
Key Findings
PLN 529.59 for monthly purchases: Spending on a standardised set of goods for a single-person senior household fell by PLN 1.88 month on month, representing the smallest short-term price adjustment among all the profiles analysed.
Personal shopping inflation of 2.58%: The cost of living for pensioners is currently rising at the fastest rate among all the shopping baskets analysed, including those of single people, families and seniors. The indicator for this group is higher than the official June inflation reading published by Statistics Poland.
29.41% of income spent on essentials: Maintaining a basic diet and personal hygiene consumes almost 30% of the net minimum pension. However, thanks to price reductions in shops in June, this burden fell slightly compared with the previous month.
Less Than PLN 2 Cheaper
In June 2026, the value of the standardised shopping basket for a single-person pensioner household stood at PLN 529.59.
This means that the average daily cost of food and basic hygiene products currently amounts to PLN 17.65.
In the short term, buyers benefited from a slight decline. Compared with May, the bill for basic purchases fell by PLN 1.88, representing a month-on-month decrease of 0.35%.
However, the annual comparison reveals a continued increase in financial pressure. Personal inflation for the senior profile stood at 2.58% year on year in June.
As a result, a pensioner now pays PLN 13.32 more for the same set of products than in June 2025.
Smaller Share of Pension Benefits Spent on Shopping
In June, spending on basic products included in the pensioner’s basket absorbed 29.41% of the net minimum pension, which stood at PLN 1,800.43.
This was lower than in May, when the figure amounted to 29.52%.
The lower cost of the standardised basket, combined with unchanged income, provided a small amount of relief in managing the monthly household budget.
A comparison with the previous year shows an improvement in the relationship between income and the cost of the basket.
In June 2025, the standard pension benefit stood at PLN 1,709.81, while basic purchases, then valued at PLN 516.27, consumed 30.19% of a senior’s budget.
This shows that this year’s pension indexation outpaced the personal retail inflation experienced by this group, reducing the burden on the household budget by 0.78 percentage points year on year.
“June’s price reductions largely passed seniors by. A single person saved more than PLN 28, a family more than PLN 31, while a pensioner saved only PLN 1.88,” said Michał Tomaszkiewicz, co-author of the Monthly Shopping Index.
“Seniors therefore received the smallest amount of relief, even though their shopping basket consumes by far the largest share of their income — nearly 30% of the minimum pension.”
What Became More Expensive and What Became Cheaper?
The annual comparison reveals specific changes in the cost structure of the relatively narrow shopping basket of older consumers.
The main factor limiting seniors’ personal inflation remains fats and oils, which now cost 26.33% less than in June of the previous year.
Prices also fell in the meat category, declining by 1.67% year on year.
However, these savings have been offset by increases in other key categories.
Fish recorded the largest annual increase, becoming 9.83% more expensive.
Higher costs were also recorded for personal hygiene products, up 7.97% year on year, and household chemicals, which increased by 7.87%.
Stimulants and other related products were also noticeably more expensive, rising by 6.29% compared with the previous year.
“The increase in fish prices results primarily from higher fishing, farming, transport and processing costs, as well as the limited supply of certain species,” explained Dr Joanna Myślińska-Wieprow, economist and lecturer at WSB Merito University.
The fish market is highly dependent on global factors. Rising import costs are also increasing pressure on retail prices, keeping this category on a clear upward trajectory.
A month-on-month comparison reveals a different pattern and short-term shifts in the structure of expenditure.
In June, prices fell in the categories of stimulants, down 4.3% month on month, meat, down 4%, and processed meat products, down 3.91%.
On the other hand, one category recorded an increase of almost 15%.
Sweets and desserts became 14.95% more expensive in just 30 days.
Fish prices also rose again in the short term, increasing by 6.99% compared with May.
“The sharp increase in the prices of sweets and desserts is primarily driven by record-high cocoa prices, as well as higher prices of sugar and other raw materials used in production,” Myślińska-Wieprow said.
Producers are gradually passing these increased costs on to consumers. As a result, sweets are becoming more expensive even during periods when other product categories are falling in price for seasonal reasons.
How Was the Index Calculated?
The Monthly Shopping Index is a recurring report based on an original methodology developed by Michał Tomaszkiewicz. It is prepared for PolskieRadio24.pl in cooperation with UCE Research and WSB Merito Universities.
Unlike the Consumer Price Index published by Statistics Poland, the Monthly Shopping Index does not measure the general level of prices in the economy.
Instead, it shows the nominal cost of purchasing a strictly defined set of fast-moving consumer goods required for one month.
The calculations are based on data from the Retail Price Index report prepared by UCE Research and WSB Merito Universities. The report analyses 89,500 price readings collected from 41,000 retail outlets.
The study examines shopping baskets for three types of households:
- a single-person household;
- a family of two adults and two children;
- a pensioner household.
The family profile presented above assumes a household consisting of two adults and two school-age children. It assumes optimised shopping habits, including the purchase of larger packs, while also taking children’s needs into account, such as sweets and snacks.
The cost of the family basket was compared with the combined value of two net minimum salaries for 2026 and two monthly PLN 800 child benefit payments.
Source: ManagerPlus.pl
