USA Food Prices

[J Anoni]

I just looked up some food prices in the local flyer of a New Jersey supermarket, converted the prices to kilos and pesos, and I am posting them here for interest's sake and comparison purposes. I mostly chose real foods such as meat and vegetables, and a few other items:

Bottom Round Roast: MX$66.19/kilo
Whole Roasting Chicken: $28.61/k
Center Cut Pork Chops: $57.52/k
Boneless Chicken Breast: $71.97/k
Sirloin Steak: $71.97/k
Rib Eye Steak: $144.24/k
Ground Beef: $109.55/k
Wild Salmon (fresh)(not farm): $144.24/k
Tilapia: $173.00/k
Cod Fish (wild)(fresh): $173.15/k
Italian Sausage: $86.43/k
Frozen Ravioli: $35.22/k
8 inch Apple Pie (store baked): $52.18
Barilla Pasta 500g: $11.51
Coffee Ground (canned): $78.48/k
Pears: $37.28/k
Grapes: $28.61/k
Onions: $14.35/K
Green Peppers: $48.85/k
Zucchini: $43.09/k
Potatoes: $17.34/k
Plum Tomatoes: $28.61/k
Baby Pie Pumpkins (2 kilo average): $18.06/k

[Jzmackenzie]

Explains why I have "sticker shock" in the USA.

Thanks!

[admin]

Folio for Mega/Comercial

[philyrossy]

Where we go in Texas (the Hill Country), H.E.B. and Wal-Mart compete for the food dollar, and both match the ad of the other. So, today we can buy apples, grapes, oranges for $ 0.67 per pound, bananas always for $ 0.48 a pound, strawberries for $ 0.98 a pound, kiwi 3/$1.00, 5 lbs. potatoes for $0.98, quality wheat bread at $1.50 a loaf, split chicken breasts at $ 0.98 a pound, etc. The high quality of the food and the availability of weekly specials makes (at least in this area) the food a much better buy than we have found anywhere in Mexico. Also filled up with gas today, $ 2.75.9 a gallon for unleaded. (Need a car to go to the store to buy.)

[MNRon]

In Minnesota, in October, mango and avocado are over a dollar each, and you need to do a lot of sorting to find good ones. A rotisserie chicken is $6-8.

In GTO I got mango and avocado for 4-5 pesos each, and a chicken, rice, tortillas, and salsa for 85 pesos.

[Barbara]

Yes, food is cheaper here in Mexico than in the U.S, but for those of us living here on just a Mexican peso salary with no dollars coming in, it doesn't seem so cheap!!

[pianoheat]

Jersey looks cheap compared to Colorado or California

[J Anoni]

Having spent a lot of time in California in the past 7 years on vacations visiting relatives, I am well aware that New Jersey is cheaper than California; a lot cheaper, and not only food.

However, the reason that I checked these prices is because I have been suspecting that food prices are more expensive here in Guanajuato than in New Jersey. As far as I can tell, 13 of the listed foods are cheaper in NJ, 3 are about equally priced, 5 are more expensive in NJ, and 2 (Fresh Cod and Fresh Wild Salmon) are invalid due to unavailability in Guanajuato.

Note: I would have to get exact prices in Guanajuato at Mega to be 100% accurate, but I have a pretty good idea of what things cost there.

[philyrossy]

I have to disagree that food prices are cheaper in Mexico than in the USA (where we go-Texas). Certainly some items are cheaper from time to time in both places, but overall, we find food prices in Mexico significantly higher, and the quality normally is not near as good. Most restaurants (not taco places) are more expensive here than what we find NOB. Meats, seafood, etc. is of much higher quality and cheaper in Texas, than Mexico. I would agree that I have found food much more expensive in California than in Texas, but wages are also much higher in California than Texas. To balance this out, one needs A/C and heating NOB, and here, very little. Most things come at a trade-off price, anywhere. Everything and everywhere has its +'s and -'s.

[pianoheat]

Well I'm a price hawk and i know for a fact that American gala apples are almost twice the price in Colorado than here. And a quality rib eye steak is also substantially cheaper here. Bell peppers also about half of the price of Colorado. One has to be careful the commercial and mega do not price the same even though they are the same corp/ example: french baguette at the commercial is 12.90 at the mega 17.90. I spend a lot less on groceries in Mexico but i do mostly shop at small tiendas and fruit stands and only buy what is priced well at the commercial or mega. Yes things like good cheese is more here, as well as wine, but hey the tequila is much cheaper there again tepetapa liquor 750 cien anos 100 pesos Mega and commercial 128 pesos.
You gotta shop around