Accra - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Grocery stores are generally expensive and stock is unpredictable. You have to be flexible with your shopping list. There are a couple larger chains but require a drive outside the Cantonments area. Anything western is 2-3x the US price. A small box of cereal for over $10, flour from the UK $7/bag (local stuff can be buggy), raspberries and asparagus, we don't even bother. When we travel outside the country, we always bring back frozen meat and other food items. To be clear, most things exist here, they're just pricey. Some tropical fruits, staple vegetables and eggs are pretty affordable year round. We got to a reasonable food budget by making a lot of things from scratch, less meat, more beans and seafood extremely rarely. Visiting the local markets (Makola, Nima, etc) is possible, but it's a half day affair in blazing heat and you'll walk 45 minutes trying to find what you need. And then the seller will see you're a foreigner and charge you the same price as the grocery store because you don't know how to bargain. - Aug 2024
Imported items can be quite expensive. Most things are available here, but often takes several trips to various stores to find what you need. Certain seasonable fresh fruits like watermelon and pineapple and vegetables are cheap and plentiful. This is currently a consumables shipment post. - Sep 2023
Most name brand or western things are imported from the middle east and can be pricey but not ridiculous. You often have to go to multiple stores to find the best things, but it can be enjoyably old school to go to the butcher for meat, the fish monger for fish, then the greengrocer for produce. - Nov 2022
Some people are surprised at store prices ($8 for a box of US cereal). There's a high import tax and most items aren't produced here. I have a bunch of Amazon auto-orders for things like Tide pods, pet food, fruit snacks, cereal, etc. And I used my consumables shipment, so I have all the liquids I want: maple syrup, sriracha, etc (which can be harder to ship via DPO). For the weekly stuff we get at the store, some stuff is higher than US, some is lower, but it is typically to go at least two places to get everything. For instance, Marina Mall has expensive produce, but it's the only grocery store to sell alcohol (other than AEA), so you go there for cheese, meat, yogurts, wine, etc, and go to Palace for cheaper produce (or the lady who has a stand outside the Italian embassy). I don't mind this because my driver takes my cook to do all the shopping every week. - Sep 2022
Availability is hit or miss; sometimes the store shelves are stocked with American products, and other times you can't find anything. There is no "1 stop shop" store here; you have to normally go to 3-4 stores to get all your groceries. Prices are quite high. Most people order their basics online (Amazon, Walmart) and ship to DPO/pouch. Accra is also a consumables post. - Mar 2022
Fruits and vegetables are plentiful and good quality. Some imported items are rare and more expensive (broccoli, strawberries). There are some larger South African grocery chains that have decent selection and pretty good availability. Brands will be different but you can find stuff. This is a consumables post and we do use DPO quite a bit. - Nov 2019
You learn your way around the grocery situation and where to find what. It took me a while to discover, for example, that the best way to get cheese of all kinds (from grated mozzarella to cream cheese to white cheddar) is from the deli counters at the shops that cater to expats. US and European-oriented products do tend to be expensive and sporadically stocked. Local produce is very inexpensive, and you will have all the pineapple, papaya, bananas, mango, and coconut your heart desires. Imported fruits and vegetables range from slightly more than you'd expect to pay in the US; for easily-transported produce like apples and pears and potatoes to ludicrously expensive for more delicate items like broccoli and berries. - May 2019
Availability is inconsistent (for example, you might find something one week and not the other), and groceries/food can vary from affordable to very expensive. For example, pineapples are consistently about 50 cents each, but broccoli is about $20 a head. Certain vegetables are always available, such as carrots, but you might get bored. US-branded products are much more expensive (shredded cheese, etc). Alcohol is widely available and not much more expensive than the US, which was surprising. - Apr 2018
You can find almost anything you're looking for here, but be prepared to pay for the name brand items. If you're willing to take your chances on the local or regional products, you can live quite cheaply. If you insist on American or European products, expect them to cost two or three times as much. - Aug 2017
Groceries are expensive, cheese is super expensive, fresh milk doesn't exist, UHT milk is what you have to drink. Imported fruit and veg is extremely expensive and local fruit and veg is limited to about 10 different things, which are available all time and mostly revolves around the squash family of vegetables. There are no seasons here so it is the same stuff all year long. Anything imported is expensive, and it is highly unlikely that a Westerner will want to eat Ghanaian food daily (unless you have a taste for white processed carbs). - Apr 2017
There is a lot that is available at high cost. - Aug 2016
It is so expensive here. We were shocked with the prices in the grocery store. You can find South African brands of almost everything. Local produce can be expensive so shop around for the best deal. Once they start to recognize you, the prices get better. - May 2014
Reasonable substitutes can be found for almost anything. If you buy from one of the “supermarkets,” like the commissary, MaxMart, Koala, or Shoprite, you can find just about anything, but it will cost you more than in the States. If you are intrepid and shop at local stores and at Makola Market, you can find most things very cheaply. When you see something you want, you should buy all of it. Supplies of most things are erratic. - Apr 2012
You will need to go to a number of stores to get everything you're looking for. Groceries and household supplies are quite expensive. You will be overwhelmed at how expensive they are. - Aug 2011
Western groceries are very expensive. Local fruits and vegetables are inexpensive. - Jun 2011
We have an AEA commissary here that gets regular shipments of dry and frozen goods. Prices are higher than in the US, so anything that you use a lot of you will probably want to ship in consumables. That said, there is definitely a plus to having cool whip and turkeys at Thanksgiving and having a place near the embassy to do your shopping. Koala, MaxMart and ShopRite are the three major grocery stores, but there are also some specialty stores. There really is no logic to prices; one month you might pay GHC 8 for orange juice, the next month the same brand is GHC 14.You will not be able to get everything you need/want in one store - grocery shopping is a several stop activity. Groceries can be VERY expensive on the local economy. Prices tend to be raised around the holidays - fresh vegetables such as broccoli can go for up to $20 in December. Locally grown produce is nice and can be gotten for a decent price; pineapples, mango and papaya are all staples. Household cleaners can be very expensive; especially name brands. Bring what you can in your consumables. Many folks order some things you can't get here from Amazon. - Feb 2010
Lots of products - good U.S. commissary that has American goods. - Feb 2010
Expensive. Maxmart and Koala are closest to the embassy and offer a good range of US and international groceries at prices that are moderate to high. Shopright in the new Accra Mall is bigger and slightly cheaper."Game" is a Target/K-Mart type store, also in the mall, but don't expect US prices. - May 2009
