Rio De Janeiro - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Groceries were readily available with lots of stores within walking distance. Less variety in the US but good quality. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables but very seasonal. I think less expensive than the US. - Jun 2024
Excellent vegetables and fruits available all year, groceries are equal to if not more expensive than the US. - Oct 2019
You can buy all of the necessities in Rio. Some people would ship in virtually everything, and I don't understand why as all the basics are readily available. It might be a brand with which you are not familiar, so you might have to use something other than Charmin. You might not be able to buy chocolate chips, but you can make your own; buy Meio Amargo chocolate bars and chop them into chunks. - Sep 2019
Zona Sul is all over Rio proper and Pao de Acucar is bigger, but less prevalent. Produce and fresh foods were relatively cheap, while U.S.-type packaged foods and cleaning supplies were more expensive. - Apr 2019
Variety is pretty good. Local staples are cheap, but high-quality or imported items are very expensive. Real ice cream (made with cream and not vegetable oil) is US $10 / pint. - Jun 2017
raw food and vegetables are cheaper here, everything else is not cheap. I ship cleaning supplies and soap dish. - May 2016
Prices are more than double for many things, almost double for most. Right now the dollar is strong so that helps, but groceries and dining out are easily the biggest hunk of the budget. You can save some if you purchase at street markets. Average quality dinner for 2 people will be US$70. Nice places will set you back US$200 easy. If you drive an hour out of town, prices are more reasonable, but you will spend two hours getting there and two hours back. - Aug 2013
Expensive. Expensive. With the exchange rate taking a nose dive during my time here, it was not fun. For example, I recently splurged and bought salmon filets for $30/kilo. You can't do that everyday. - Jun 2011
One would be surprised at how expensive Rio de Janeiro is. Expect to pay 25-50 percent more than you would in Washington for quite a few of the items. And there is no VAT return. Supermarkets, like Walmart, Sendas, and Carrefour, tend to carry most of the produce one would need, but the conditions in them often are not very sanitary. One supermarket with a better selection of fruits and vegetables is Horti Fruti, although it seems to be slightly more expensive than the others. - Jul 2010
Very expensive. Most groceries except for sweet corn and some other American things like cranberries (you can find these things at Santa Luzia in Sao Paulo if you get there) are here (but, sadly, not fresh milk - it's all the long-life stuff) but very, very expensive. Maybe 1 1/2 - 2 times what they cost in the U.S.Much cheaper to use NetGrocer or Amazon. Household supplies I just go local, except for good ziploc bags, wax paper, aluminum foil, and Pam spray. - Jun 2010
About 50% more than in the U.S. There is a decent selection. - Nov 2009
Decent availability. Not much as far as prepared foods however, not even things that many of us take for granted like pasta sauce. Going to the grocery store is not pleasant as they are mostly crowded, small, dark and smelly. Great fruits although not so much for veggies. - Jan 2009
