Johannesburg - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Groceries are widely available and cost approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of similar products in the United States. Specialty grocery stores can be found in several neighborhoods, such as Kosher World and Asian Mart. - Aug 2023
Even the pickiest of eaters will find something to like here. Grocery stores like Woolworth’s or Pick-and-Pay have a wide selection of fresh meats and vegetables, as well as specialty or gluten-free products. In our experiences, groceries seem slightly cheaper and much higher quality than in the US. - Aug 2022
Groceries are about 75% the cost of back home, but restaurant prices are not much higher than the grocery store, making eating out about half the price of back home. - Jun 2022
You can basically buy almost anything your heart desires in Joburg. For specialty items, you might have to work harder to locate them than you would in a city of comparable size in the U.S. (e.g. ingredients for Asian cuisines). Oddly, given the amount of coast the country has, there isn't much in the way of fresh fish. Some restaurants get fresh fish deliveries, but only a few grocery stores do (and I sometimes think the fish have been frozen and then thawed...) I would say most food products are a bit cheaper in SA. Some products - like beef steaks and lamb - are remarkably cheap, even in restaurants. And of course there are products you can easily get in SA that are hard to find in the U.S. (e.g. porcini bullion cubes!) I buy lots of cleaning supplies, but haven't paid attention to whether it's more expensive in SA or the U.S. Wine - you'll hear about SA wine: very inexpensive for truly outstanding wines. The sticker shock when you return to the U.S. is palpable. - Oct 2019
You can get everything in South Africa! We do ship in special products for baking, like baking chocolate and brown sugar, because we prefer US products for that, as well as some favorites for the kids, but generally you can get whatever you need here. - Apr 2017
Anything you could ever want is here, and much more. The only things that aren't as common are: mac and cheese, the huge cold cereal selection - mostly corn flakes or Cheerios/Granola, and Pillsbury biscuits. - Sep 2016
wide availability of groceries and household supplies. prices are comprable to the u.s. most popular grocery stores are woolworths, pick n pay, spar, and checkers. - Aug 2011
Woolworth's is the best grocery store with lots of fresh fruits and veggies and also premade dishes that actually taste fabulous; it is a little bit pricey, but in my opinion worth every penny. Pick n Pay and Checkers are also good but not as gourmet, but you can find everything there. Also Thrupp's is good for imported items, it's expensive but good for finding those hard to find U.S. items such as Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup, etc. The deli there is also amazing. - Jul 2010
Woolworths is quite possibly the best grocery store on earth! They are amazing. You will hear everyone say they got it at "Woolies". There are also a lot of other options. You can get US brands for a bit more, but the local brands are really good. Toiletries are widely available and reasonably priced. You can get local, US and UK brands. - Oct 2009
