The cost of a pint in the Czech Republic has significantly increased over the past five years, rapidly transforming it from a common beverage to a luxury item. As of autumn 2019, the price of half a liter of draught beer in the U Nádraží restaurant in Kamenice nad Lipou was 39 CZK. Today, the price has surged to 56 CZK. This trend is not isolated to any specific region; it is occurring throughout the Czech Republic.
According to data provided by Dotykačka, a point-of-sale system operator, the price of draught beer has risen from an average of 36 CZK in 2019 to 53 CZK this year. Consequently, compared to pre-COVID, people now pay nearly half more at restaurants and pubs. The price hike is even more pronounced for popular twelve-degree beers.
The capital city, Prague, has recorded the highest beer prices. In April, the average price for a chilled twelve-degree beer was 70 CZK, six crowns more than the previous year. According to Luboš Kastner from the Czech Gastronomic Institute, the price rose by another crown in May.
Kastner warns that beer prices may continue to rise, as many pubs have not yet fully factored in the January shift from a reduced ten percent to a basic 21 percent value-added tax on beer. Furthermore, several factors contribute to the price increase in pubs, such as rising energy costs and wages.
Despite the soaring prices, it is unlikely that the cost of beer in the Czech Republic will decrease any time soon. “Now the summer season is starting, and the price will certainly not decrease,” Kastner stated. The rising cost of beer in the Czech Republic is a trend that is here to stay, transforming a once-everyday beverage into a luxury.