Slovakia
The summer of 2025 will go down in history as the most expensive lunch ever. In two regions, the average meal cost exceeded 10 euros, and the national average in August reached a record 9,17 euros. This is confirmed by the latest Edenred TRC index, which tracks payments with employee meal cards.
While in June the average price for lunch was 8,58 euros, during the holidays the amounts climbed to a historic high. In July they exceeded the 10 euro mark in one region, in August in two. People in the Košice region paid the most (10,42 euros), followed by the Nitra region (10,23 euros) and the Žilina region (9,75 euros). At the opposite end was the Trenčín region, where the average lunch cost 7,75 euros.
At first glance, the differences between regions may seem small. In practice, this means that while some employees can still cover their lunch with their meal allowance, others have to pay extra for it every day.
Why summer?
"In the summer, people are generally more relaxed about spending. Vacations and holidays create a feeling of indulgence, and this is also reflected in meal plans. At the same time, restaurants in tourist-attractive regions tend to set prices higher during the summer months," explained Lívia Bachratá, Director of Public Affairs at Edenred.
That is also why the holiday months are among the most expensive of the year. In 2024, the national August average reached 8,30 euros, with people in the Košice region paying the most (€9,16), followed by the Nitra region (€8,89) and the Trnava region (€8,80). On the contrary, the cheapest lunch was in the Trenčín region (€6,73). August 2024 was - right after December - the second most expensive month of the year, and this trend was repeated in 2025.
The biggest jump was in Nitra
Looking at the year-on-year changes, it is clear that the cost of lunches is increasing across Slovakia. The Nitra region (+0,89 €) recorded the largest increase, followed by the Košice (+0,84 €) and Bratislava region (+0,73 €). The national average for the first eight months of 2025 reached 8,65 euros - which is 35 cents more than the annual average of 2024 (8,30 €).
The Košice region has maintained the highest average spending for a long time. From January to August 2025, people here paid an average of €9,70 for lunch, which is almost a full euro more than the Slovak average.
Food allowance is not enough in most regions
The value of the meal allowance is currently 8,80 euros, which might seem like a decent amount, but reality shows that it is not enough. In August, six out of eight regions exceeded this limit. In other words: most employees pay extra for lunch.
If we look at average spending from January to August, only three regions remained below the food allowance threshold, in the others it no longer covers the cost of lunch and hot food is becoming an increasingly large item in the monthly budget.
"The meal allowance should serve to cover a full hot lunch. However, data shows that in many regions this is no longer enough. For employees, this means higher monthly expenses, and for employers, it is a signal that the meal allowance is playing an increasingly important role in people's motivation and satisfaction," added L. Bachratá.
Why is this important for employers?
Meals are one of the benefits that employees really feel every day. If the meal allowance is not enough, the employer can use the situation as an opportunity - to contribute more and show that they care about people.
Higher meal allowances combined with other digital benefits via the Edenred card are solutions that help employees manage rising costs. Employers see a return on investment in the form of loyalty, satisfaction, and lower employee turnover.
Lunch as a mirror of reality
The rise in lunch prices is a challenge, but also an opportunity. Employers who are able to support their people beyond the law send a clear signal - that they value their work and want to make their everyday lives more enjoyable. The meal allowance is therefore not just a formal obligation, but a real benefit that has an immediate and tangible effect. And that is why it is among those that employees appreciate the most in our surveys over the long term.
