The costs listed in the article seem to be the result of random sampling without any price-consciousness, i.e. you can easily end up spending that much or more,

The costs listed in the article seem to be the result of random sampling without any price-consciousness, i.e. you can easily end up spending that much or more, but you don't have to. I spend much less, but I always compare prices (especially for food, I check the unit price per kg or liter) and take the cheapest option within a given category.