St. Petersburg - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Aside from real dairy products, most everything is available. The sanctions have caused a problem with the importation of EU dairy products and Russia has filled the gap with subpar, and sometimes counterfeit, butter, cheese, milk, etc. There are some acceptable brands - it's really trial and error to find what is good. The Finnish border is not that far to stock up on items as well as trips outside of Russia where you can always pick up a small cheese supply. A large variety of fresh fruits during the winter is harder to come by. During the warmer months the supply is better. There are some decent grocery stores around town as well as a big box store similar to Costco. There's also Peter Justessen's from which the consulate places orders on occasion for liquor, wine, etc. There are also wine stores around town that have a decent selection (the sanctions have not affected the importation of EU wines). - Apr 2017
Good range. There are small shops on corners for quick supply runs (milk, butter, eggs), and there are big, even enormous places at the hyper-mega markets that sell in bulk. Costs are comparable to the States. - Feb 2016
I'm not familiar with traditional "kid's food" but since Stockmanns opened, you can find almost anything here. There are small mom and pop stores (Producti's) and larger grocery stores such as Auchan and Okei. It's helpful to have a car to go to the larger grocery stores, but Stockmanns is only a metro stop or two away! The only products I buy online are Tex-mex products. Diplomats can also order some items through Peter Justesen and the Helsinki commissary. - Aug 2011
