If you have ever walked into McDonalds in Zoetermeer, you know that you can buy a Big Mac menu there. The price for that hamburger, fries and a drink is not the same everywhere in the Netherlands. This is evident from an inventory of de Volkskrant based on an online quote.
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In Zoetermeer you pay 9.95 euros for such a menu at all three McDonalds branches. That is a different amount than in Rotterdam, where they sell the cheapest menu in the Netherlands for 9.75 euros. Yet you do not pay the top price in Zoetermeer, because in Enschede and Hengelo you pay 15.05 euros for a Big Mac menu. This makes these the most expensive Big Mac menus in the Netherlands.
That’s why there is a price difference
But where does that price difference come from? Dirk Mulder, retail specialist at ING, explains RTL News. “The price difference is due to two aspects: the level of competition and the location. “In Amsterdam, for example, prices are higher because the costs are also significantly higher there.” The price of a menu can also differ within the city, because the rent in the center is higher than in a suburb. In addition, branches in the Randstad also have to deal with rapid changes of staff more often, says Dirk. “In rural areas, this effect is considerably less noticeable.”
Netherlands vs Switzerland
If you look at the average price for a Big Mac menu, the Netherlands ranks second in Europe with 13.30 euros. Only in Switzerland do you spend more for the same products and pay 14.25 euros. If you want to eat such a menu for the least amount of money, you have to go to Portugal, because there you pay an average of 7 euros.