Consumer price guide
How to think about food and everyday product prices
Everyday purchases are familiar, which can make them surprisingly difficult to estimate. Memory mixes supermarket packs, café service, promotions and prices seen years apart. Unit size and purchase context are the first things to clarify.
By Jeremy Martinet · Last reviewed 16 September 2026 · Approximate reading time: 2 minutes
Define the unit before guessing
A price per kilogram cannot be compared directly with a prepared serving or a packaged portion. Cheese age, coffee service and bakery format each describe a different unit of value. Read the detail line carefully and translate it into a quantity before recalling a number.
Multi-packs can lower the apparent unit cost while requiring a larger purchase. Smaller convenience formats often cost more per unit because packaging and distribution are spread across less product.
Service and location can outweigh ingredients
A café price includes staff, seating, rent, cleaning and the time the table is occupied. An artisan bakery price includes preparation and daily production. These products should not be estimated from raw ingredient cost alone.
The same principle appears across countries. Local habits, wages, tax treatment and distribution make a familiar item feel inexpensive in one market and specialised in another.
Processing, ageing and waste add cost
Aged products occupy storage space and can lose weight during maturation. Prepared food requires labour and may have a short selling window. Retailers price some expected waste into products that cannot remain on the shelf for long.
Packaging protects freshness and simplifies transport but can become a noticeable share of a low-cost item. Premium presentation does not always change the food itself, so decide whether the game description refers to everyday or specialist positioning.
Correct for promotional memory
Frequently purchased goods are often promoted, and shoppers tend to remember an attractive offer. Use a normal reference rather than a loyalty discount, bulk coupon or closing-time reduction. If the description specifies an artisan, aged or served product, move away from the supermarket baseline.
A sensible range starts with unit and location, then adjusts for preparation, ageing and market. This keeps the estimate connected to the product rather than to one memorable receipt.
Further reading and source context
These independent public resources support the comparison principles in this guide. They do not supply or endorse Frame a price’s indicative game values, which are maintained separately under our methodology.
Examples from the Frame a price catalogue
These are educational notes attached to products used in the game. Prices remain indicative and are not live shopping offers.
Food
Traditional Baguette
Artisan bakery, representative loaf
A baguette’s long, thin form creates a high crust-to-crumb ratio, so baking and fermentation choices strongly affect its texture.
Food
Espresso at the Bar
Neighbourhood café, counter-service reference
Espresso pricing is as much about rent, service and location as coffee beans, which is why the same cup can change price from counter to terrace.
Food
Aged Comté 24 months
Price per kilo at the cheese counter
Comté is aged in large wheels for months or years; storage time, milk volume and maturation losses all show up in the final kilo price.