Sao Paulo - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Prices for produce are perhaps a bit cheaper than the US; specialty items and imported goods are definitely more expensive. Availability of certain items can be inconsistent and challenging. Difficult to list all of the issues, but I would highlight the following: Brazilians make many unlicensed imitations of well known trademarked cheeses that aren't that good, and getting the real deal from Europe or North America can be very expensive locally. Yogurt in Brazil is also very bizarre and even plain yogurt is often ridiculously sweet. Any sort of "ethnic" ingredients, especially any Asian ingredients are challenging to find at regular Brazilian supermarkets. Some Japanese and Korean markets do exist in Sao Paulo but they may not be convenient to go to on a regular basis. - Jun 2024
Mostly anything can be found-except real sour cream, buttermilk, US style powdered sugar and real vanilla extract. Cost is relatively equivalent with the exception of berries-those are expensive. Amazon Brasil is a good source if you know Portuguese enough to search. Sams Club is also an option for a membership 1/2 the price of that in the US and sometimes they have US products in stock. There are local butchers and bakeries and even fruit/vegetable markets. Most areas/neighborhoods in the city hold a "feira" (street market) once a week-offering fresh fruits/veggies, smoked meats and cheeses, fresh breads and other things. The feira is typically less expensive than a market but the fresh fruits/veggies don't last as long-in my opinion. - May 2021
Easy to find anything you might want. Prices have gone up during the pandemic but it is still very affordable compared to grocery prices in the U.S. There is a lack of good cheese available but there is enough selection to get by. - Apr 2021
Varies greatly depending on neighborhood and which store you go to. Most neighborhoods have many American-style grocery stores and also have their own weekly produce markets. Anything imported his hilariously expensive (Stop N Shop pancake mix at my grocery store is about $12). Some things are really cheap (mangos). I think overall, I spend less on groceries than I did in DC. Though booze is really expensive unless you want the local cheap beers. - Aug 2019
Sao Paulo is expensive when it comes to buying groceries or retail products, especially if they are imported from the US or elsewhere. And their availability is random even at the stores frequented by expats. Subscription to Amazon Prime or frequent orders from Target, etc. are a must for most. However, the fresh fruit is AMAZING and affordable at street markets (versus the stores). - Nov 2017
You can find whatever you want, but if it is a luxury product, you will pay for it. Think brie, soy milk, nuts, berries, juice that isn't just sugar water, any natural food product that isn't loaded with preservatives and chemicals, etc. - Apr 2017
You can find pretty much anything here. There are great supermarkets and stores here that sell anything you may be looking for, but it will certainly cost more than in the U.S. Take advantage of Amazon Prime. - Apr 2017
Pretty much the same. Some things are really expensive though like diapers and peanut butter, so pack those in your HHE. You can find pretty much everything here... except Cheddar cheese.... we all miss that! And tortilla chips and many spices are hard to find too. - Jan 2017
Groceries are affordable.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are typically cheap. Boxed and canned food as well as house hold items are about the same price of what you would pay in DC. - Jan 2017
Excellent grocery stores near us in Brooklin. We go to Mambo for groceries and Carrefour for household supplies. But there are other grocery chains all over the city. Again, Sao Paulo is an enormous developed city with everything you could possibly need. It's not exactly the same as in the U.S., and the quality might be different, but you can find everything you need. - Aug 2015
TOTALLY depends. Groceries at our house (family of 4) is about US$300/month TOTAL. But I am a shopper. I know to get certain things at certain stores and I take advantage of the local street markets. One could easily spend triple that. - Aug 2013
Groceries are on par with or more expensive than US major-city prices. Imported items are of course much more expensive. - Dec 2012
Everything is available but at a steep price. Fruit and vegetables are best bought at the weekly feiras/markets – unless you insist on imported brand names and goods, you can make do but expect to spend more money on groceries here than at home. - Jan 2012
All available but all expensive--we do get a COLA that helps, but that is the shocking thing about the monthly budget - Jan 2012
Expensive, and limited, compared to the US. Farmers' markets have fresh veggies, fruits, and fish at reasonable prices. Cost of beef is reasonable, and better in taste than what we had in the US. Shrimp is expensive. The variety of some foods, such as cereal, is very limited. Remember, Brazil is a socialist country. - Jan 2012
Moderately expensive. Depends on what you want. Peanut butter is about US$12 a jar, maple syrup is like gold, Mexican food like taco mix is about US$15.Other stuff is more typical. I usually spend about US$150 at the grocery store, which is about the same I spent in the U.S. Candles are ridiculously priced and for some reason it seems very difficult to find envelopes...but overall you can get anything you can get in the U.S. and pay just about the same or a bit more. - Oct 2008
Everything is so expensive. Plan to spend all your money. - Aug 2008
