Anatomy of regional price differentials: evidence from micro-price data

Micro-price data collected from Germany's consumer price index are used to compile a highly disaggregated regional price index for the 402 counties and cities of Germany. A multistage version of the weighted country-product-dummy (CPD) method is introduced. The unique quality of the price data allows one to depart from previous spatial price comparisons and to compare only exactly identical products. It is found that the price levels are spatially autocorrelated and largely driven by the cost of housing. The price level in the most expensive region is about 27% higher than in the cheapest region.