Krakow - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Much cheaper, and great access to all EU imports, but some things like maple syrup, black beans, or corn masa are expensive or hard/impossible to get and, if you find it, may not be the best quality. Fruit and vegetables are a huge plus here: when it's in season, a pound of strawberries is cheaper than my daily coffee, and I have strawberries and raspberries and blackberries growing in my yard. My other nit-pick is that beef quality in the grocery stores is pretty poor, so we eat a lot more chicken and pork because it's cheaper and better quality than beef. If we really want a steak, we splurge on good imported beef from Pimento's shop by the train station. Note that everything is closed on Sundays, and it felt like our first three months here we went shopping every Saturday at the big Auchan or Carrefour, but finally we found Frisco grocery delivery, and the fruit/veggie stand and a bakery near our house, and now we rotate between all of these to get our groceries. If you like Costco, then Makro is your best grocery store. - Jun 2024
I liked shopping from the local vendors in the village- excellent fruit/ vegetable stand, butcher, bakery etc. There were also large grocery stores including Carrefour, Lidl and the bulk store- Makro. We were able to get whatever we needed and the prices were good. - Nov 2016
Most things you want can be found and are generally much less expensive. Specific products from the U.S. can sometimes be found at the international store in the mall. - Mar 2014
At first, I couldn't find things I was looking for, but it was just because of the language and the overwhelming experience of living in a foreign country. Once I got used to it, I could find almost everything I needed. Most things are cheaper than in the U.S., but quality can be debatable. - Apr 2013
Tesco and Carrefour are fantastic. You can buy most everything there. - Sep 2011
Fruits and veggies in season are really inexpensive, but out of season you won't find much or you will pay an extreme amount for what you do find. There is a wholesale-type store, Makro, that offers a pretty good selection, and a few higher-end grocery stores like Alma. A lot can be purchased at fruit and veggie stands or bakeries or specialty meat shops. - Aug 2011
