There is a big difference in terms of ice cream: Germans complain, Hungarians barely get any

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 06. 27. 11:20

Nearly two-thirds of Germans believe that ice cream has become too expensive, according to a recent poll published on Saturday. Although an average German salary could buy more than 3,000 scoops, a Hungarian salary barely makes up 1,300, yet the price here is also increasing year by year. It seems that the summer cooling treat is now not only difficult for children – but also for their wallets, writes Pénzcentrum.

Complaint about strawberry ice cream

According to a survey conducted by the YouGov institute involving 2,000 German adults, six out of ten feel that ice cream is too expensive. In fact, 60% said that they buy fewer scoops than before due to the increased prices. The majority of respondents most often order two scoops, 23% three, and only 25% said that the price does not affect their consumption.

In Germany, however, ice cream can be purchased for between 1.30 and 2.80 euros (approx. 520–1100 forints) – while the median gross monthly salary is 3817 euros, and the average is 4358 euros (Stepstone, 2025). This means that if someone were to spend their entire salary on ice cream, they would be able to eat between 1363 and 3352 scoops per month.

And what about the situation here?

Balázs Erdélyi, the president of the Hungarian Confectionery Industry Association, told Pénzcentrum at the beginning of the season that a price increase of around 10% is expected at Hungarian ice cream shops this year as well. The price of a scoop thus typically ranges between 550–650 forints.

According to the KSH data from April, the average gross monthly salary of full-time Hungarian workers is 708280 forints, with the median being 564800 forints. Based on this, a Hungarian worker could buy 1089–1287 dumplings per month from the average wage, and only 868–1026 dumplings from the median wage – which is far below the German figures. And this is only calculated on gross wages, the net values are even lower.