The Competition Authority must examine price-fixing in supermarket meat prices and pub drink prices, according to the Consumers' Association of Ireland.
Responding to the results of a Central Statistics Office survey, which indicated that some two-thirds of goods and services analysed were more expensive in Dublin, association chairman Mr Michael Kilcoyne, said there were a "lot of questions to answer".
He was surprised by the survey findings which, he said, proved Dublin was one of the "dearest cities in the world".
In some areas, such as the cinema which was 18 per cent more expensive in Dublin last May, he said there was a "clear lack of competition. If anything prices should be cheaper in Dublin". Cinemas had "a captive audience and use this to extract more money from them".
He said drink pricing in pubs, up to 14.5 per cent more expensive in Dublin, and meat in supermarkets, 17 per cent more expensive, should be examined by the Competition Authority. "There is no justification for such differences whatsoever," he stated.
Publicans' complaints that they are experiencing a drop in sales should be seen in the light of these figure, he said, and not the smoking ban.
Although there were "striking" price differences between Dublin and towns and cities outside Dublin, the price of fruit, dairy products and petrol was cheaper in the capital, according to Prof PJ Drudy from TCD's department of economics.
Describing the CSO results as a "mixed bag", Prof Drudy found the fact that the price of drink was almost 10 per cent higher in Dublin pubs and the price of take home alcohol was the same as "unusual".
Huge demand and large population were likely to have influenced these differences, he said. Wages, rates and rent must also be taken into account, he added.
"You could argue that greed is a factor in relation to pubs. The population is so large and so concentrated and there are only so many pubs. If publicans offend a few customers by raising the price of a pint by 10 per cent they will still get more customers.
"Alcohol is very expensive and the Irish are now in danger of killing the goose that laid the golden egg. The price of alcohol could be a very serious problem for our tourist industry. Publicans have to look to the future and decide if they want a tourist industry or not."
Mr Phil Hogan, TD, has called on the Tánaiste and the Director for Consumer Affairs to begin an inquiry into why certain consumer goods are significantly more expensive in Dublin than the rest of the State.
"While some of these higher prices might be attributed to higher labour costs in the capital, margins as high as 32.7 per cent seem excessive. Only a proper investigation will reveal the extent to which the people of Dublin are the victims of even greater rip-offs than in the rest of the country."
Labour Party spokesperson on consumer affairs, Ms Kathleen Lynch, has called for an "end to the exploitation of Dublin drinkers". She said it was time for the Government to consider price controls in the drinks trade. "Why should Dublin drinkers have to fork out significantly for the exact same product, merely for the pleasure of being able to drink it in the capital city as opposed to the country?"
The average price of a pint in Dublin would soon move towards the €5 mark, she said, with "detrimental effect" on tourism. "The Government has completely opted-out of controlling the price of drink, and the cost of living in general. They are betraying Irish consumers by not taking responsibility for controlling prices."