Kolonia - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Amazingly, you can get just about anything you would find in the US at the ex-pat grocery store (Ace Office Supplies). There is a sticker shock though as everything is imported. Meat and US branded products are widely available but very expensive. If you eat the same diet as the locals- fish, ramen, spam, and rice then you can actually save money. - Jul 2021
If you like bananas, coconuts, rice, ramen, and fish then you can live here on the cheap. Otherwise, you will do nearly all of your grocery shopping at Ace Office Supplies. It is expensive, but they carry nearly everything an expat could want. Imported fruits and vegetables need to be consumed immediately as they are basically rotten when they are put on the shelves. Meat is very expensive. The other grocery store which is across the street is called Ace Commercial. They sell alcohol. The beer is cheap, but it is limited to Bud Light, Carlsberg, and Asahi. Wine and liquor are expensive. There are three stores on the same block and they are all called Ace. - Apr 2021
Most groceries that are not locally grown or procured, like the local tuna, are shipped in and are expensive. Availability of fresh fruit and vegetables is sporadic. - Mar 2020
Very hit or miss. We buy almost everything on Amazon. The cost of some groceries is very high ($15 for a bag of chips), while other things are remarkably cheap ($2.50 per pound for lobster). The bottom line is that availability is the problem - one day there may be eggs and the next not. There may not be any butter for a month. Better stock up when you can. - Feb 2013
Availability is the main problem. Fresh fruits and vegetables are in limited, inconsistent supply. What is available, besides local root crops and bananas, is often rotting, yet still overpriced. If you get a consumables shipment, use it!! Cleaning products and paper products are available, but they are 2 to 3 times the price of what you'd pay at home. Markups on canned goods are lower. In general, the selection is really limited here. There's plenty of canned food however. And UHT milk has been consistently available during my year here. Checks dates on cereals carefully before buying, especially at Palm Terrace - what's on the shelf is often well past its sell-by date. Ace Commercial has better prices, though Palm Terrace is the biggest supermarket. Neime's imports items in bulk from Hawaii (Costco items), but you really pay for it!! Still, I pay the US$9.95 for that bottle of Tropicana OJ just to get it. - Apr 2008
