UK tobacco prices 94% more than European average with only Norway more expensive

Cheapest place in Europe is Macedonia where alcohol is 35 per cent below the average and tobacco is 75 per cent below

The UK is among the most expensive places in Europe to buy a packet of cigarettes or a pint of beer, with prices soaring above the average for the continent.

Tobacco products in the UK cost 94 per cent more than the European average, with the UK the most expensive place to buy it. Only Norway, at 170 per cent higher than average, and Ireland, at 99 per cent, are more costly.

Alcohol is 43 per cent more expensive in the UK that the European average, behind Ireland, Turkey, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland. Norway is the most expensive with prices 86 per cent above average.

The cheapest place in Europe is Macedonia where alcohol is 35 per cent below the average and tobacco is 75 per cent below.

The overall price of food and non-alcoholic drinks in the UK is 4 per cent above the average for Europe. Milk, cheese and eggs cost 7 per cent above the European average while meat prices are in line with the average, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics and Eurostat. Prices for bread and cereals, however, are 11 per cent below the average, the one categories in which the UK was lower than average.