Pack price vs. kilo price
The unit price (Grundpreis) is the price per kilogram, litre or metre next to the pack price. In Austria, Hofer, Lidl, Spar and Billa must show it under the Preisauszeichnungsgesetz for goods sold by weight or volume. Anyone who only compares the pack price or the red “Aktion” badge often pays more per kilo — the smaller number on the shelf tag is the honest comparison.
Sample shelf tag from the article — not a shelf price, not today's prices
€/kg
mitbringen compares your list across Hofer, Lidl, Spar and Billa. You still read the unit price on the two packs in front of you — the app does not show that shelf tag.
If you want to compare unit prices in an Austrian supermarket, read that smaller number. Not the red badge. Not the bigger pack.
Prices are not standing still in 2026 — the consumer price index was a provisional 2.8 percent above the same month a year earlier in July — but the unit price helps every week, not only in inflation years.
Two numbers on the shelf tag: pack price and kilo price
Every pre-packed yoghurt, every bag of rice, every bottle of oil carries two prices once the goods are sold by weight or volume.
The selling price (Verkaufspreis) is what the pack costs. €1.29. €1.49. That is the large number the eye takes first.
The unit price (Grundpreis) is the same goods, converted to a unit of measure: usually 1 kilogram or 1 litre, otherwise 1 metre, 1 square metre or 1 cubic metre. On the tag that is €/kg or €/l — the kilo price you need to compare groceries that are not the same size.
Loose goods weighed in front of you — cheese at the counter, fruit by weight — often carry only the unit price. Then the kilo price is the selling price, and the law allows the second number to be omitted.
Digital shelf labels still have to keep the unit price readable; the statute presumes that from a type size of 3.5 millimetres. That is all the type-size trivia this article needs.
In Austria the unit price is not shelf etiquette. It is the law. The Preisauszeichnungsgesetz (PrAG) requires businesses to show selling price and unit price. Source: RIS, PrAG, law number 10007216, version 29 August 2026, § 10a.
Three traps in the aisle — no invented shelf prices
The pack-size trap
400 g next to 500 g of the same line. The smaller pack is often a few cents cheaper. Per kilo it is more expensive. Comparing kilo prices means: convert both packs to 1 kg, then put one in the trolley. Anyone who compares pack prices buys the more expensive goods in the smaller box.
The deal trap
The red badge lowers the pack price. It does not automatically lower the kilo price. A smaller promo pack, or a “2 for X” offer, can be worse per kilo than the unpromoted larger pack beside it. The test is the unit price, not the badge colour.
Drain weight (Abtropfgewicht)
If a can or jar states a drain weight, the unit price is based on that drain weight — not the weight including brine, oil or syrup. That is PrAG § 10a (5). Compare a tin of tuna on the drain weight. Then stop calculating; this is not a legal commentary.
Worked example, not a shelf price
No 2026 shelf price, no named chain, only arithmetic:
Pack A €1.29 / 400 g → €3.23/kg
Pack B €1.49 / 500 g → €2.98/kg
The more expensive pack is the cheaper goods.
Worked example, not a shelf price. Not Hofer, not Lidl, not Spar, not Billa, not “seen in August 2026”.
€1.29 divided by 0.4 kg is €3.23/kg. €1.49 divided by 0.5 kg is €2.98/kg. Anyone who only reads the large number takes A. Anyone who reads the unit price takes B and pays less for the same amount.
How this fits the other levers
Three different questions, three different answers.
What you put in the trolley — brand or own-brand — changes the line. That lever is post #1: why own-brands have the biggest lever at Billa and Spar. Arbeiterkammer measures it on a Vienna budget basket (about €76 in March 2026, supermarkets 10.1 percent more expensive than discounters; wien.ORF.at, 25 March 2026).
Where you take the basket — Hofer, Lidl, Spar or Billa — changes the chain. That is post #3: which supermarket is cheaper for your list right now. Hofer most often had the cheapest budget basket in the 2026 AK Upper Austria check (help.ORF.at, 13 July 2026); for your list there is still no permanent winner.
Which pack of the same line you take is the unit price. You can switch to own-brand, pick the cheaper store — and still take the 400 g box that costs more per kilo. That is this article. Not another own-brand table. Not another chain-role chart. The deposit line on drinks is a different number from the €/l of the drink – Austria’s 25-cent bottle deposit.
Compare the list, check the pack yourself
mitbringen lays your weekly shop next to Hofer, Lidl, Spar and Billa. You still read the unit price on two packs in the aisle yourself — free, set up in under a minute.
What you do at the shelf, what the app takes over
At the shelf: two packs of the same line, read the unit price, put the cheaper goods in. Cans with a drain weight: compare on the drain weight. Believe red badges only after the kilo price.
At home, before you leave: lay the list across four chains. mitbringen runs exactly that list-level compare — current prices and deals at Hofer, Lidl, Spar and Billa, then the cheaper basket. That does not replace looking at two yoghurt pots in the same aisle. The app does not show the unit price on the tag in front of you. You still read that.
Honestly: the two only help together. The cheaper store with the more expensive pack is still the more expensive goods.
Frequently asked questions
What is the unit price (Grundpreis) in a supermarket?
The unit price is the price per unit of measure next to the pack price — usually euros per kilogram or litre. In Austria, Hofer, Lidl, Spar and Billa must show it under the Preisauszeichnungsgesetz for goods sold by weight or volume. To compare packs of different sizes, read that smaller number, not the selling price of the box.
Why can a deal cost more than the regular price?
Because the red badge lowers the pack price, not automatically the kilo price. A smaller promo pack or a “2 for X” offer can cost more per kilo than the unpromoted larger pack beside it. The test is the unit price (€/kg or €/l), not the badge colour.
Is the unit price mandatory in Austria?
Yes, for goods offered by weight, volume, length or area. The Preisauszeichnungsgesetz (PrAG) requires businesses to show the price per unit of measure (Grundpreis) next to the selling price — usually per kilogram or litre. Loose goods weighed on the spot often carry only the unit price. Source: RIS, PrAG § 10a, version 29 August 2026.
Is picking the cheapest supermarket enough, or do I still need to compare unit prices?
No. Choosing the cheaper store for the list is a different question from choosing the cheaper pack in the aisle. You can shop at Hofer and still take the 400 g box that costs more per kilo than the 500 g pack beside it. Chain choice and unit price are two levers, not one.
Ready to compare the list — and read the kilo price at the shelf?
Build your list in mitbringen and compare Hofer, Lidl, Spar and Billa in one pass. You bring the unit price on the tag with you.
Sources
- RIS: Preisauszeichnungsgesetz (PrAG), full statute, law number 10007216, version 29 August 2026 — applies to selling prices and unit prices of goods businesses offer to consumers.
- RIS: PrAG § 10a (unit price / Grundpreis), in RIS since 1 July 2026 — show unit price next to selling price; loose weighed goods: unit price only; units 1 kg / 1 l / 1 m / 1 m² / 1 m³; omit when unit price equals selling price; drain weight per para. 5.
- Statistik Austria: CPI/HICP, July 2026 — CPI +2.8% year on year (provisional, 2025 base); HICP +2.7%. Freshness clause only, not the hook.
- wien.ORF.at: AK Wien price monitor, 25 March 2026 — budget basket about €76 (March 2026); supermarkets +10.1% vs discounters. Own-brand lever is in post #1, not retold here.
- help.ORF.at: AK Upper Austria own-brand comparison, 13 July 2026 — Hofer cheapest budget basket four times (March–July 2026). Chain roles are in post #3, not retold here.
- Grocery savings in Vienna 2026 (mitbringen, post #1) — what to buy.
- Cheapest supermarket (mitbringen, post #3) — where to shop.
The worked example (€1.29 / 400 g vs €1.49 / 500 g) is arithmetic, not a measured shelf price and not a mitbringen figure. All legal and price claims come from the original sources linked above. This section must stay visible and linked on the published page.