Frequently Asked
Questions.
Everything you need to know about grocery shopping, meal planning, and saving money in Switzerland.
For the cheapest own brands, Coop, Migros and Lidl are almost level today: for 23 identical staples the basket at regular prices costs CHF 48.07 at Coop, CHF 49.95 at Migros and CHF 50.37 at Lidl (Eini price data, September and October 2026). Single products such as olive oil, and above all the deals of the week, make the difference. Every price compared.
Eurostat data (2024) confirms Switzerland has the highest food price level in Europe — more than 50% above the EU average. The reasons: retail workers earn CHF 4,000–5,500/month, strict agricultural import tariffs protect domestic farmers, high real estate costs, and the "Hochpreisinsel" effect of different trade rules from surrounding EU countries.
According to the Federal Statistical Office's Household Budget Survey 2022, the average Swiss household (2.08 people) spends CHF 629 per month on food and non-alcoholic beverages, about 6.3% of gross income. Larger households spend more: couples with three or more children spent CHF 1,082 per month in the 2015–2017 survey.
"Aktionen" are weekly rotating discounts central to Swiss grocery culture. Every supermarket runs new promotions each week, typically 15–20% off, with deeper cuts up to 50%. Find them in Migros magazine, Coop newspaper, flyers, and retailer apps. Strategy: buy non-perishables in bulk when on Aktion.
Both are cooperatives controlling ~80% of Swiss food retail. As of 2025, Coop (~43% market share) has overtaken Migros (~37.4%). Key difference: Migros does not sell alcohol or tobacco in standard stores (use Denner, which Migros owns). Migros' budget line is M-Budget; Coop's is Prix Garantie. Migros is generally 5–10% cheaper on comparable items.
Both award 1 point per CHF 1 spent (100 points = CHF 1 in vouchers, 1% return). Real value comes from personalized multiplier offers (2x–10x points) via their apps. Cumulus has ~2.2M active users; Supercard ~3.2M. An active user spending CHF 800/month earns roughly CHF 100–150/year in vouchers.
Rules changed January 1, 2025: the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (BAZG) halved the VAT-free allowance to CHF 150 per person/day. Exceeding CHF 150 triggers 8.1% VAT on the entire amount. Meat limit: 1 kg/person. Even with the new rules, border shopping saves 30–40% for families within 30 minutes of the border once fuel and travel time are factored in. Use the QuickZoll app to declare goods.
Switzerland's largest cash-and-carry wholesale chain, open to both businesses and private individuals with a free membership card. Prices 15–30% below retail on bulk staples. Worth it for families who batch cook. Locations mainly in Romandie and larger Swiss-German cities.
For the basic range, hardly: in the budget lines, Coop, Migros and Lidl are only 4.6% apart for the same basket. It pays off for single products whose prices are far apart (in the comparison, olive oil or tuna in a multipack, for example) and above all for the deals of the week, which differ at every chain. A second shop is mostly worth it when it is on your way. See the price comparison.
It depends on how you shop today. As an illustration: a family of four spending CHF 1,200 a month that plans around promotions, wastes less and buys staples at a discounter could save in the order of CHF 150 to 300 a month. This is an illustrative calculation by Eini, not a measured result or a guarantee. The three levers are less food waste, fewer impulse purchases and smarter store selection.
Yes, with planning. Use Swiss staples (Rösti, Älplermagronen), seasonal produce, 2–3 plant-based meals/week, buy staples at Aldi/Lidl, use M-Budget/Prix Garantie (30–50% cheaper). A sample week comes to CHF 130–145 including all meals.
Budget private-label lines of Migros and Coop. Cover hundreds of everyday items at 30–50% below standard house brand. Often price-competitive with Aldi/Lidl equivalents.
It depends on what you need: Eini for an automatic weekly meal plan and shopping list built from the current promotions, plus price comparison across eight retailers; and your retailers' own apps for loyalty coupons and points. Deal and flyer apps show you offers, but the planning stays with you. More: Savings apps in Switzerland: which one really saves.
Typically after 5 PM with 25–50% off items approaching expiry. Look for yellow/red "Aktion" stickers on dairy, meat, prepared foods, and bakery. Food-rescue apps also offer surplus food from shops and bakeries at a reduced price.
Decide what to eat for the week before shopping. Process: choose 5–7 dinners, check what you have, create a shopping list with only needed ingredients, buy in 1–2 targeted trips. Eini automates this with our algorithm.
Spring: asparagus, spinach, strawberries. Summer: tomatoes, zucchini, berries. Autumn: pumpkin, apples, root vegetables. Winter: cabbage, potatoes, carrots. Buying seasonal saves 40–60% vs imports.
Build meals around cheap staples (lentils, rice, pasta, potatoes, eggs). Buy seasonal/local. Use M-Budget/Prix Garantie. Cook in batches. Plan 2–3 meatless meals/week. Shop at Aldi/Lidl for baseline. A single person can eat well for CHF 400–500/month.
Eini generates personalized weekly meal plans based on household size, dietary preferences, budget, and current promotions. Prioritizes seasonal ingredients and items on Aktion. Creates shopping list showing cheapest price across 8 stores. Uses overlapping ingredients to minimize waste.
Around 2.8 million tonnes a year across the whole food chain, according to the Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU), or roughly 310 kg per person (2024 estimate; 330 kg in the 2017 baseline). At home, each person throws away around 90 kg of edible food a year, worth more than CHF 600 (ETH Zurich study for BAFU, 2019). The Federal Council aims to halve avoidable food waste by 2030 compared with 2017.
(1) Plan meals before shopping. (2) Make a list. (3) Understand labels: "Mindestens haltbar bis" (best before) ≠ unsafe. (4) "Eat first" shelf in fridge. (5) Store food correctly. (6) Freeze before it spoils. (7) Transform leftovers. (8) Use food-rescue apps.
Food-rescue apps sell surplus food from shops, bakeries and restaurants at a reduced price. You order in the app and pick up the food in the time window shown.
Eini is a Swiss super app for saving money in everyday life, with five modules in one app. The Groceries module automatically builds your weekly meal plan and shopping list from the real promotions at Coop, Migros, Lidl, Aldi, Denner, Aligro, Volg and Otto's, and compares prices across all six. Eini Premium adds four more modules: Career, Taxes, Housing and Insurance. A Travel module is planned next. Eini is available in German, French, Italian and English, for iOS and Android. All facts about Eini at a glance.
Yes — German, French, Italian, and English. Auto-detects your preference. Accessible to all 8.9 million Swiss residents plus ~2.2 million foreign nationals.
Eight: Coop, Migros, Lidl, Aldi, Denner, Aligro, Volg, and Otto's — covering premium, discount, and wholesale.
Eini is free to download. Browsing current promotions and comparing prices across eight Swiss retailers is free, and so is your first meal plan. After that there are two plans, billed through the App Store or Google Play: the Food plan at CHF 1.00 per week for unlimited meal plans and shopping lists, and Eini Premium at CHF 3.00 per week or CHF 90.00 per year, which includes everything — meal planning plus the Career, Taxes, Housing and Insurance modules. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial, renews automatically and can be cancelled anytime in your store account settings. In your browser at app.eini.app the same plans cost CHF 4.00 per month (Food) and CHF 13.00 per month or CHF 90.00 per year (Premium), paid by card and cancelled via the link in your confirmation email or in the web app.
No. Eini is an independent Swiss app. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any retailer. Prices and promotions are compiled from publicly available information.
Eini picks up promotions week by week, as each retailer publishes them, not in real time. The reference shelf prices Eini uses are reviewed regularly. Regional offers may differ in your store, so the shelf price is always what counts.
Four more modules, all included in Eini Premium. Career compares your salary with official Swiss wage statistics for your role, experience and large region and shows your next step. Taxes estimates what you pay in your exact municipality and finds the deductions you can claim. Housing tells you whether moving would leave you with more money at the end of the month, counting rent, tax, health premium and the real commute together. Insurance keeps every policy and cancellation deadline in one place, compares premiums and calculates the right franchise. A travel module is planned for later.
No, Eini shows no ads and never sells your data. Your data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and scanned documents are read and then discarded, never stored. This website uses no cookies or analytics.
Yes, you can set Eini to a single store or choose only your preferred stores. Or let Eini spread the list across several retailers for the cheapest basket.
Yes, the app works across Switzerland. Taxes and health insurance premiums cover all 26 cantons. Promotions are each retailer's national online offers, and regional offers may differ in your store.
Your budget is a guide. Eini plans as cheaply as it can, but the plan can go over it: in September 2026, about one in three plans with a budget came in above it. You see the total before you shop and can swap individual meals.
Yes. Add Eini as a connector and ask for this week's deals, health-insurance premiums or your meal plan right in the chat. The numbers come from Eini. How to connect and what ChatGPT or Claude can see.
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