New record price for a baguette, is yours more expensive than elsewhere in France ?

The price of a baguette is constantly increasing. It can go quite high because it varies greatly depending on the city and the bakery.

Every second that passes, more than 300 baguettes of bread are sold and consumed in France, or nearly 10 billion per year. It is an essential product in France, with the vast majority of French people eating a little bit of it every day. While the French are still big fans of bread, its price has continued to increase.

During the 2010s, the price of a baguette was fairly stable, averaging around 90 cents. In two years, from the end of 2020 to the end of 2022, a notable increase of 6% in the price of bread was observed, bringing the baguette to 93 cents on average. In 2024, the average price of a baguette is just 1 euro.

But it is not uncommon to pay more for it. This is what was reported in particular by Hello Fresh, a company that offers the delivery of specific ingredients to make recipes at home, in a study based on INSEE figures. This was made in early fall 2024 in ten bakeries in the ten largest cities in France.

First lesson: in the bakeries studied, the price of the classic baguette was analyzed closely and is broken down as follows: 48% of the price of the baguette is paid into the salaries of the bakery workers, 22% for flour, 11% for rent, 6% for taxes, 5% for energy as well as an average margin of 8%. The National Confederation of French Bakery and Pastry therefore justifies the price increases by the revaluation of salaries, the increase in the price of wheat and flour or even energy.

But the study also allows you to know if you pay more for your baguette than elsewhere in France. And it highlights major price differences depending on the city. In a top 10 of major French cities according to the price of a baguette, only Marseille, placed in tenth position, offers a baguette below one euro on average (0.97 euros). The cheapest price noted in one of the Marseille bakeries studied is even 80 cents.

From ninth to fifth place, we find respectively Nantes (1.03 euros), Toulouse (1.04 euros), Lyon (1.05 euros), Montpellier (1.07 euros) and Nice (1.08 euros), with a baguette at less than 1.10 euros. Lille and Bordeaux offer their baguette at 1.10 euros. for the northern commune and 1.12 euros for the southwestern city. Finally, two cities take the lead in the ranking with the same average price of 1.19 euros. Without much surprise, Paris is the city where the baguette costs the most, but what is more surprising is that the capital is tied with Strasbourg.

It is in the City of Lights that the most expensive baguette was found: it was offered at 1.45 euros, and this in several bakeries. “Despite its similar average price, Strasbourg does not offer baguettes at such a high price, offering greater homogeneity of prices,” Hello Fresh explained to RMC. The study sample was also limited.