People have asked me how prices at the grocery store compare here to shopping in the States. First of all, realize that there isn't all of the competition here like there is in the States. Aldi and Super Wal-Mart(or anything similar)don't exist here, though most of the chain stores now carry their own brand name products which are cheaper. Second, there are not a lot of "high-end" food products here, therefore we're not discussing gourmet items or anything organic. Third, I do almost all of my fruit and vegetable shopping in the outdoor markets, where the prices vary from person to person. Therefore, this list is composed primarily of staples and a few other random things I thought you might find interesting. I went ahead and converted everything from grams into ounces to make it easier for you. =-)The prices are approximations, as the grivna to dollar exchange rate changes almost daily.
*Milk-31oz. -55 cents
*Butter-7.05oz. -88 cents
*Sour Cream-14.10oz -75 cents
*Strawberry jelly-22.92oz -$3.12
*Wheat bread w/seeds-small loaf w/9 slices-88 cents
*2 jelly filled doughnuts -31 cents
*cheese-8.81oz. -$1.30
*hot choc. mix-5.29oz -$1
*crackers(like Ritz)-6.34oz. -31 cents
*dried navy beans-23.63 oz. -$1.06
*spiral noodles-35.27oz -50 cents
*bag of ice cream-35.27oz -$4
*bag of mayo-16.57oz -$1
*1 liter 100% juice -$1
*4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts-$1.75
Overall, I have found grocery shopping to be much cheaper, at least for staple items. What puzzles me, however, are other items with extremely high prices. My Brita container cost almost $33 and I pay $8 to change the filter monthly. I recently went to look for a hair dryer and toaster and they cost at least $25 each, even for the cheap looking ones. I didn't purchase either one, as I can't currently justify that expenditure. It seems kind of crazy to me. And I wonder how anyone affords to buy these items here, in a country where the average income is somewhere around $200 per month? Every day I watch people walk by, always looking their best, dressed up far more than the average American, and I just can't figure out how they do it. How do they survive? I know that they live crammed together in their tiny apartments and share the expenses, etc. But still, how does it all work? Perhaps one day I will find the answers to these questions that float around in my head. And when I do, I'll be sure to share them with you.
2 comments:
Interesting. We don't even bother to compare prices. :-)
At least one part of the answer to your question, is that people here don't save anything at all. So, payday comes, you get groceries, then you blow all the rest on hair dryers or whatever. Also, as far as clothing, everyone dresses way better than in America, but they often only have one or two of those incredible outfits. Americans would have a whole closet full.
Your comments reminded me of our experiences in Chile. Even the poorest of people...those living in little shacks...would dress in beautiful clothes. They take great pride in their appearance, even more than the living conditions. Pretty much the opposite of our American life style. We can live in a fancy house and dress like a bum...go figure.
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