London - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
If you’re in central London expect to pay a lot more for groceries and dining out. We are further out and I’d say groceries and restaurants are cheaper than in DC. - Jan 2024
Pretty much anything you can find in the US, you can find in London. Specific brands are sometimes hard to find, but we never had any trouble finding or getting what we needed. - Nov 2022
More expensive but I walk to the store everyday. Everything is available. - Aug 2022
Very expensive. We average 340 USD a week for groceries and around 60 USD a week for delivery (1x time). - May 2022
Everything is available here, and if you can't find it in the shops (canned pumpkin, Bisquick), you can probably find it on Amazon UK. Coffee creamer isn't a thing, but single cream works fine. Like most things in the UK, food isn't cheap, but it depends what you buy. London is such an international city that there are loads of ethnic grocery stores, with lots of interesting spices and sauces to make simple foods more interesting. Also, grocery delivery is available and so convenient! - Jun 2017
You can get everything in London very easily. Groceries south of the river are much cheaper than in central London, and we find many items, particularly produce, to be significantly cheaper than in DC. Amazon UK delivers everything within 1-2 days, even with no rush shipping, and packages arrive 7 days a week. Many people use grocery delivery services, but with the abundance of grocery stores within walking distance (there are three on our block, including one that we live above), it's not really necessary unless you have an unusually large order. - Feb 2017
Waitrose is excellent in quality; Tesco is good for odds and ends. - Feb 2016
You can get pretty much whatever you need or want, though be prepared for a bit of sticker shock. Everything is more expensive here, though you can find good deals if you look in the right places. - Nov 2015
Available, but more expensive than the U.S. Many colleagues would travel out to the base. I never went, but I hear it was 45 minutes away and had U.S. groceries/prices. - Aug 2015
Everything in London is expensive. Groceries were particularly expensive. You can find pretty much anything you need, but there's a heavy emphasis on pork products, so if you don't eat pork, be prepared for that. - Jun 2015
Everything is available and more expensive than in the U.S. Tesco and Sainsbury's probably have cheaper brands while Whole Foods and Waitrose are more high end. - Jun 2015
Lots of options but expensive. Many people order online and have groceries delivered. There are also many options for shopping in person. Lots of local markets that sell fresh fruit and veggies. Food tends to go bad faster here, as there is less preservative use (pro and con). We spend much more money on groceries than expected. - May 2015
2-2L of milk was 3.50£. You can get pretty much anything here. There's a grocery store in St. John's Wood that sold velveeta and rotel. There's Whole Foods too. There are great weekends markets for fruit and veggies. To get the most affordable fruit and veggies go to the off brand markets. They had great produce and a fraction of the cost as the big grocery stores. - Aug 2014
Everything. There is a clear price and quality difference between stores, and some North American staples can be somewhat difficult to find, such as nacho chips and certain types of cooking ingredients. All the stores have websites, so if in doubt check online or ask a colleague about a specific food item. - Sep 2012
We do 90% of our grocery shopping at RAF Lakenheath. You get American food and the prices are about the same as in D.C..If you shop on the market, you'll be paying a little bit more than you'd want to. A gallon of milk is about US$6-$7 right now. There are tons of grocery stores available and most of them deliver!That is one plus to shopping on the market. - Jan 2012
Just about anything you want is available, but at about 30% more than in the States. If you're lucky enough to be with the embassy, you can go to the commissary about 1 1/2 hours away and pay US prices for US products, which helps. - Aug 2011
You can get anything you want here, though many things won't be branded the same way as in the US. Tesco is the cheapest grocery store, but their quality and availability varies. Sainsbury's and Waitrose are very good, but a bit pricier. With the exchange rate, everything is more expensive in London, but you can live on a budget if you know where to look. - Nov 2009
Expensive. Most folks drive 2 hours to Lakenheath military base to stock up on American food supplies. Everything can be found on the local economy though - Mar 2009
Expensive!! - Sep 2008
EXPENSIVE. I experienced shell shock when I went on my first grocery trip. Pretty much everything is available but the prices are at least double the price of the most expensive areas of the USA. - Feb 2008
