

Groceries here are incredibly inexpensive if you buy the seasonal fresh produce and local meats. There is also a great local farm that delivers to the embassy if you're interested. We are flexible with our diet and house supplies and we had no problems here. It is a steal. Wine and beer are cheap and when my father was here he laughed out loud how cheap it was to buy groceries. I eat gluten free and had no problems at the grocery store (a little harder at restaurants). Cleaning supplies are a bit more expensive and I would think worth sending down a bit of. Your cleaning lady will go through a lot quickly if she is thorough. Friends have pointed us to another location, a specialty store where items are less expensive, but we haven't found the need. We generally save money so it hasn't been a problem. - Jun 2019

Comparatively similar cost to the US. A lot of people here say it's expensive, but I think they're comparing it to other countries they've been. Being land-locked, most things have to be imported, so you're paying for that. We spent an average of $400/mo on groceries in the States and we spend $400 here. Availability, you'll find most everything you need, but not want. There's maple syrup, for example, but it's all sugar-free. Brown sugar isn't quite brown sugar, nor is sour cream or cream cheese. Their "cheddar" is really American cheese. Some families order food from Amazon. The only time we did was for Thanksgiving and Christmas to get cranberries and candied yams. OH! And Campbell's soup. Canned soup is not a thing here, but different stores will import a variety of American goods and there's a large population of Koreans, Germans, and Italians here, so you'll find a wide-variety! - Aug 2018

You can get just about everything here at a grocery store, Casa Rica, which has two locations. There are many Asian grocery stores owned by Japanese and Korean families, so there is a wide variety of options available. Weekly there is an farmers market that has the harder to find veggies. - Jun 2018

American products are definitely more expensive but I think it is very cheap to buy fruits, vegetables, and meat that is locally sourced. Fish is ridiculously expensive and not that good. There is a very nice supermarket called Casa Rica and a chain supermarket called Superseis and you can find about anything you need except for real maple syrup and cheddar cheese. The Meat Shop (a Mennonite coop) has homemade peanut butter and amazing homemade breads. Mercado Cuatro is the huge market downtown that sells everything. There is a section run by the carpenters and a section for plants and herbs. But, much of it has the feel of a dollar store with tons of cheap products. - May 2016

Groceries and household supplies are plentiful and relatively inexpensive. Beer and wine are really cheap. - Sep 2015

Groceries and household supplies are about the same as the U.S. - Apr 2015

Grocceries are generally more expensive than the U.S. although meat is cheaper. Fruits and vegetables are available year round with less variety than other South American countries. Seafood selection is limited (all frozen except for locally caught catfish). - Aug 2014

Some things are higher some are lower, but all in all is it not horrible. - Jul 2013

I would say cheap compared to other Latin American capitals, but getting more expensive due to inflation (booming economy), and falling dollar. - Aug 2011

Same as Washington DC prices. - Jun 2011

I spend about $150/week on groceries (if I'm not buying US products).Pretty cheap. - Feb 2011

Much is available here, and all is reasonably priced as long as you aren't wedded to US brands. Good cheeses and fish are hard to find. - Apr 2010

This was getting more and more expensive while I was there. If you have American products you can't live without bring them or plan to spend a lot on shipping via Netgrocer. - May 2008


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