Sklavenitis had the cheapest shopping basket at €930.60 for 234 products, according to e-kalathi, while on the other end of the scale AlphaMega came in at €1,017.05, a whole €86 more expensive, for the same products.

For those 234 products, Athienitis cost €958.91, Ioannides €1,000.93 and Metro €1,000.05.

Regarding 38 dairy products sold by all five supermarkets, including yoghurt, cheeses and halloumi, Sklavenitis cost €106.82, Athienitis €112.04, Ioannides €114.47 and AlphaMega €116.54.

The line-up remained the same for non-alcoholic drinks, including soft drinks, coffee, water and fruit juice, with Sklavenitis remaining the cheapest at €121.02, followed by Athienitis €124, Ioannides €127.82, Metro €129.67 and AlphaMega €132.67.

Out of the 478 products included in e-kalathi, 241 were found to be sold in all five supermarkets, which were chosen for the comparison to give the best overall picture.

For 17 fresh milk products, Sklavenitis was the cheapest at €36.44, followed by Athienitis €37.65, Ioannides €37.67, Metro €37.80 and AlphaMega €37.81.

In personal hygiene items, there were 28 common products, including nappies, shampoo, soap, sanitary towels, wet wipes and toilet paper, which are sold at Sklavenitis for €139.81, Athienitis €149.40, Ioannides €151.85 and AlphaMega €157.77.

There were 17 other products, including breakfast cereal and biscuits, which at Sklavenitis cost €50.48, Athienitis €50.79, Ioannides €51.80, Metro €54.49 and AlphaMega €55.05.

The total cost of the same supermarkets in other districts remained unchanged.

In September, the total number of products in e-kalathi dropped compared to August.

Furthermore, items sold at Lidl and Pop Life were much fewer compared to other supermarkets. This means that the choices consumers have among products in e-kalathi is very restricted here compared to other supermarkets.

The Cyprus Consumers Association said it continued to monitor prices in e-kalathi and would present its findings in a transparent manner.