Monrovia - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
There are a couple of good grocery stores. Fresh produce is limited but sufficient. Dry and canned goods are abundant, and the Lebanese grocers have a decent deli with good cheeses and meats. I am a very healthy eater and was able to make it work. Cost is on the high side due to most things being imported. - Oct 2021
You can find most things but it does take some digging. Groceries are expensive here especially considering we are going through a period of inflation. You will usually shop at a few places because no one store will have everything you are looking for. Also availability of any one item is very inconsistent. You may find it in a store one week and then not see it again for a few months. - Aug 2019
Groceries are expensive, however its a consumables post, which helps out a lot. - Aug 2019
There are a few Lebanese-owned grocery stores in town. They have a wide variety of products available. Prices vary, but often tend to be higher than one would pay in the US. Produce in the grocery stores is limited and of very poor quality. It's best to shop local markets. Fruit and vegetable items are limited and you need to adjust your menu accordingly. Household supplies are available but of lower quality than in the US. Laundry detergent is ridiculously expensive. - Aug 2019
Very poor availability of fresh fruit and vegetables that are not locally grown, very high prices for very very poor quality. Locally available fruit is good and cheap but seasonal, think mangoes, pineapple, pawpaw, bananas, passion fruit, citrus. Vegetables are more limited due to difficult growing conditions, sweet potatoes are available but not great, cabbage, cucumber, some small tomatoes and onions, potato greens, squash are the staples and available most of the time. Oh and lots of very hot peppers.
All other non-fresh items are available, usually, at high prices. This includes lots of US brand goods; canned foodstuff, jams, sauces, etc etc. Cleaning supplies also available but not the selection of brands and not everything all the time, pet food also available. - Nov 2017
Western groceries are a bit expensive, but COLA more than makes up for the difference. I was VERY pleasantly surprised by the variety of grocery items available here compared to other places I've lived. Produce is disappointing in the grocery stores but one can find good items in local markets, the embassy Friday market, or Grain Coast Farms, a local CSA. - Jun 2016
Everything is imported, so most things are very expensive. A pint of Haagen Dasz ice cream was $15 while I was there. Bleach is made locally and not very expensive, but most other cleaners, soaps, pre-packaged foods, etc. are very expensive. Brand selection is limited, and quality is not always the best. - Aug 2015
You can find anything if you look hard enough. Might have to go to two or three stores. Add 50% to usual U.S. prices, more for electronics and appliances. - Dec 2013
You can get most anything here if you look. There are a few decent grocery stores here, and you can get just about everything you want if you make a morning of stopping by a couple of them. As for prices, it can be quite expensive. Everything here is much more expensive than the States. Cereal costs upwards of $10 a box, ground beef is around $6 a pound, and a box of detergent can be $30. Make use of that consumables shipment you get, diplomats! What kinds of organic, vegetarian and allergy-friendly foods are available, such as organic produce, meat from animals raised naturally, gluten-free products, meat substitutes for vegetarians, etc? You can get tons of naturally-grown fruits and vegetables here on the local market. That's the only way they come. Thr best pineapples and mangos I've ever had, bar none. As for gluten free, meat substitutes, or anything special like that, you will probably only get blank stares if you ask. - Dec 2012
Local foods can be cheap - but quality is inconsistent. But I've never had such delicious pineapples or mangoes in my life! Grocery stores import almost everything, though, and the cost is typically twice what it would be in the US. - Aug 2010
Very expensive. All grocery items, including produce, is all imported and brought in through the dysfunctional Monrovia Freeport. Use your consumables shipment to send an abundance of the food items and household supplies you use. Many of us use amazon.com or netgrocer.com to send ourselves dry grocery items (no glass, liquid or aerosol can be sent through the pouch).For example, a box of cereal is $8, a small bottle of olive oil can be $15, cheese is $21/pound, etc. - Jul 2009
