Pork Neck or Chicken Breast: How Much Do Kebabs Cost This Summer?

As summer traditions unfold in Lithuania, the aroma of grilled meat fills the air, but the cost of this beloved pastime varies depending on the cut. For those who prefer traditional pork neck (sprandinė) for their kebabs, there's good news: its price has remained remarkably stable over the past three years, essentially returning to its 2023 levels.

Data from the Agricultural Data Center (ŽŪDC), reflecting prices in major retail chains outside of promotional periods, shows that in June 2023, boneless pork neck averaged 6.23 euros per kilogram. By June 2024, the price had slightly increased to 6.28 euros, then to 6.53 euros in June 2025, before dropping to 6.21 euros this June. This stability contrasts sharply with the trend for chicken breast (vištienos krūtinėlė).

For consumers opting for chicken breast, the news is less cheerful. The price for 1kg of chicken breast in major supermarkets has seen a noticeable increase, rising from an average of 5.73 euros in June 2023 to 6.95 euros in June 2024. This represents a jump of over 20% in just three years.

When calculating the cost of preparing kebabs at home, 1kg of pork neck, including a simple marinade of onions, rapeseed oil, lemon, garlic, salt, and spices, costs around 7.14 euros. The same amount of chicken breast, prepared similarly, comes in at approximately 7.59 euros. The marinade ingredients themselves add less than a euro to the total. For a family outing of four, with each person consuming 300 grams of meat, homemade pork neck kebabs would cost about 8.57 euros, while chicken breast kebabs would be around 9.11 euros. This means the price difference for a family meal is just 54 cents, not including vegetables, bread, sauces, charcoal, or cooking time.