Brasilia - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Brasilia actually has a small 5% COLA - don't expect a Latin America discount on many things. You'll find that with local fruit and such obviously, but eating at a good restaurant basically feels like American prices. There aren't necessarily deals or coupons to be had either - a couple of pizzas is $40 rather than a $10 special at pick your place in America. - Jan 2024
Local groceries are good and cheap. The fruits and vegetable are great and also cheap, with a wide variety of tropical fruits. Many neighborhoods have a smaller grocery store for quick trips and if you need a larger one there is always Carrefour hypermarket and Sam's. - Oct 2021
Nearly everything is available. However, products come and go misteriously from the store and then reappear weeks later. It is hard to change brands when you can't find what you want. The Facebook group in Brasilia will often help out if you are looking for a certain product - someone is bound to have seen it somewhere. The prices for fruit and vegetables is reasonable, though some imported products can be more expensive. - May 2020
Groceries are more expensive than in the U.S. and produce is usually not of the quality we expect there. Its common to find bugs in your broccoli or lettuce, or get the occasional rotten egg. The nice thing is all the exotic fruit here. I'd encourage anyone coming here to try as much as they can. You can get all your regular supplies here if you aren't too fussy on brands. The dish and laundry soaps leave something to be desired, but its fine. - May 2017
It depends on where you buy your groceries. Carrefour and Pão de Açucar are larger chain grocery stores and they tend to be a bit cheaper than Oba. But when buying meat, I generally always go to Oba because the quality is better. The cost of groceries is comparable to the States; I would even say it is cheaper here. You can also buy fresh produce from the farmer's market at Ceasa every Saturday morning and save a great deal of money. Their products are very good quality and very cheap. - May 2017
Goods are similarly priced to DC area, but you will pay a lot more for imported items. I would highly recommend if you are coming from the States to stock up on liquids (laundry soap, dishwasher soap. Dawn, etc) and bring in your HHE, especially if there is anything specific your family requires or needs. - Mar 2017
The fruits and vegetables are higher quality and less expensive than the states. Except for the imports (canteloupe, blueberries, raspberries) which cost a fortune. There are plenty of Saturday markets where you can buy from the farmer and get good prices and even some farms like Fazenda Malunga that have organic products and will deliver to your home. - May 2016
We don't buy anything imported because of the cost. We came with all the basics and just buy spices, fruits, vegetables and meats on the local market. Brazilian food is not expensive, and since we do our shopping at the Saturday markets and cook all our meals. it's cheap for us. - Aug 2015
A grocery-store run for a week for a family of four is usually between R$150, depending on what you buy. Fruits and vegetables, especially those in season are incredibly cheap. For example, a small package of strawberries on sale was R$2. Farmer's markets on the weekends are a great deal and have a lot more selection that the groceries. Meat is cheap, especially if you go to a butcher. Packaged and processed foods, especially if they are imported are expensive. I once paid R$27 (about US$10 at the time) for a jar of peanut butter. - Aug 2015
Produce is cheaper than in the U.S. Milk products are more expensive. Fresh milk is available, but costs a ton and might be spoiled. Meat is about the same price. When we arrived, household supplies were expensive, but many are better prices now since the exchange rate went in our favor. Imports, especially electronics, are heavily taxed, though. - Aug 2015
Any imported products are very expensive - double or triple what it would cost in the USA. Availability is pretty good, except for a few food items that are just not eaten here as much - berries, mushrooms, greek yogurt without sugar added, cheddar cheese, sour cream, certain vegetables. If you are used to certain brands from your home country, you may not find them here. Cleaning products aren't so bad. - Jun 2014
Big-box grocery stores are in just about every residential Superblock in Brasilia's "wings." (Big Box is, in fact, the name of one of the chains.) Grocery selection is good, but you'll pay about 1.5 times the price you'd pay in the U.S., even for things like dairy and meats that are produced nationally. - Sep 2012
Sooo expensive. Everything here is pricey. A Barbie costs $50 (R$90). We go to CEASA(a farmer's market) on Saturdays for beautiful, reasonably-priced produce, but basically buy everything we can through the DPO. - Dec 2011
Expensive. You can find anything (except for sour cream), but it will cost you...dearly. - Aug 2011
Supermarkets, such as Carrefour and Pao de Acucar, are well stocked and available in Lago Sul. For more items and some international items I'd go to Walmart in Asa Sul. Groceries, except for fruits, veggies, and meat, are much more expensive than in the US. - Dec 2009
I really missed sour cream, as it was available only once in our year there. Luckily I bought extra and froze it for later. - Nov 2009
Okay. - Jun 2009
About 30 percent more than in the U.S. at a 1.6 : 1 exchange rate. - Aug 2008
