The price of a weekly shop in Dumfries and Galloway has risen by nearly one-fifth in less than a decade.
And shoppers in the Stewartry are paying more than people in other parts of the region.
Dumfries and Galloway Citizens Advice Service has investigated the cost of living across the region in 2024 – the first time they’ve carried out such report in seven years.
Report author and fundraising development officer, Jane Flanagan, said: “In 2024, we researched the cost of a basket of 11 basic grocery items in 35 local shops of different types across the region, updating the findings from our 2017 study. We also looked at the cost of travelling to work by car, analysing prices at 26 petrol stations, and also by public transport, focusing on bus travel.”
Researchers created a shopping basket containing 11 every day essentials – including bread, milk, cheese and baked beans.
They then bought the same items from 35 shops across the region to compare the prices.
The average price was £18.21 – an 18.8 per cent increase on the 2017 average of £15.33.
The cheapest shop was £11.92 at Aldi in Annan, with the most expensive being £26.98 at Spar in Dumfries – more than twice as high.
Shoppers in Annandale and Eskdale got the best deal, with the average price £16.33.
The most expensive basket was in the Stewarty, where shoppers fork out £19.99.
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However, the report points out the research was carried out before the new Aldi supermarket opened in Castle Douglas.
Jane added: “A key finding or the research showed the unnecessary variation in pricing across the major supermarkets in different locations. It demonstrated that although smaller stores tend to charge more as a result of higher costs to themselves to bring in the produce, they lie at the heart of their communities, offering accessibility and additional lifeline services to the benefit of residents.”
The study also found that while nearly 30 per cent of people now work from home, the rest do not – with many relying on cars due to limited public transport options. As a result, high commuting costs impacted on employment as well as access to services and socialising.
D&G CAS chief executive, Phil Stewart, said: “The report really confirms what we already knew that there is a rural premium that has a major impact on rural poverty across Dumfries and Galloway.
“I hope that the report’s recommendations, addressing rural poverty and choices for consumers and commuters, will receive support from local, Scottish and UK Government, as well as retailers and transport companies. Helping to alleviate many of the challenges our region and its residents currently face.
“As a region, it is a call to arms for all public and third sector services working to eradicate poverty in the region. To build on the excellent work that is being undertaken to address the consequences of poverty, to do more to work together, to work strategically to address the real causes of poverty, to concentrate our efforts on delivering for the people of Dumfries and Galloway in the right place, at the right time and in the right way, and helping change the lives of those in need for the better.”