How to Cut Grocery Costs: Continente Tops Portugal’s 2025 Price Index

Rising grocery bills have turned the apparently mundane question — where should I fill my digital trolley today? — into a crucial line item for Portuguese households. An annual audit of more than 200 staple products by consumer-rights group DECO PROteste shows that even a modest shift between online supermarkets can shave—or add—double-digit euros to a family’s monthly budget.

Snapshot for the busy reader

• Continente keeps the crown as the most affordable online option in the latest full-year data (2025).

• Pingo Doce and Froiz share second place, only 1 % dearer than the leader.

• El Corte Inglés remains the priciest, with a 10 % premium on the same basket.

• Delivery charges, loyalty cards and flash promotions can upend the ranking on checkout, elements DECO deliberately excludes from its core index.

• A 3 € EU fee on low-value imports kicks in on 1 July 2026, but domestic supermarket orders are exempt.

Peeking inside DECO’s price microscope

DECO PROteste feeds its simulator with daily prices from nine national e-grocers, weighting each item by how much the average household actually spends on it. The result is a living price index that resets at 100 for the cheapest basket on any given day. Because the watchdog ignores cartão rebates, voucher-driven offers and delivery surcharges, the index measures pure shelf cost rather than the pay-now-save-later arithmetic favoured by retailers. That makes the tool a consistent barometer, but shoppers still need to layer in their own discounts to find a true total.

Winners, laggards and plot twists: 2024 vs 2025

A quick rewind shows how dynamic the market has become:• In 2024, Continente and Pingo Doce were neck-and-neck at index 100, with Auchan and Froiz right behind (102). 360Hyper sat third (103).• Fast-forward to 2025 and Continente pulled ahead alone (100). Pingo Doce and Froiz tied at 101, while Auchan and 360Hyper dropped to joint third on 102.• Minipreço (104) and Intermarché (103) held the midfield both years, often swinging a point or two as weekly campaigns rolled out.• El Corte Inglés stayed last, inching from index 109 to 110.The shuffle highlights how aggressive promotions, supplier contracts and fuel costs can nudge prices in a single season.

The delivery-fee wild card

When base prices differ by just a euro or two, the transport surcharge can make or break a bargain. Most chains trigger free shipping around the 50-100 € order mark, but thresholds vary:

• Pingo Doce: 0 € above 99 €, 5 € from 50 €.

• Continente: frequent zero-fee voucher codes on selected days.

• 360Hyper: flat 6 € to Lisbon and Porto suburbs, regardless of basket value.For smaller households who top up mid-week, these figures often override the headline index — a point DECO flags in its fine print.

Loyalty cards: friend, foe or shiny distraction?

Portuguese shoppers are famously card-rich. The Cartão Continente guarantees a running 2 % credit and funnels petrol rebates through Galp. Poupa Mais (Pingo Doce) has branched into energy-bill discounts with EDP, while Clube Auchan drops weekly 10 % coupons into its app. Financial advisers warn that soaring redemption schemes can tempt families to overspend for points, cancelling out the initial win. Tip: treat loyalty perks as a bonus layer, not the reason to choose a store.

Looking ahead to 2026

No full-year scoreboard exists yet, but two external factors could shake next year’s hierarchy:

Producer-price moderation: Analysts at Banco de Portugal predict food inflation will cool towards 2 %. Cheaper input costs may create room for deeper discounts.

EU import levy: From July, a 3 € customs fee lands on sub-150 € parcels shipped from outside the bloc. Although it spares Portuguese supermarkets, the rule may push niche e-grocers who drop-ship from abroad to raise prices or exit.

Five quick tactics to keep your bill in check

Run the DECO simulator every fortnight; price leads swap places faster than you’d expect.

Batch orders to hit free-delivery thresholds — or share a cart with neighbours.

Stack loyalty credits only on non-perishable staples; resist impulse “extra-point” buys.

Cross-check flyer promotions against personal consumption; a 50 % meat discount is useless to vegetarians.

Track your own index: list 15 core items your household never skips, and monitor their evolution across apps.

Portuguese consumers confronting tighter margins in 2026 have more digital data — and more fine print — than ever. A few clicks on DECO’s dashboard, coupled with disciplined use of delivery and loyalty hacks, can still turn the weekly shop from a fixed cost into an ongoing negotiation.