Cost of Groceries in Britain vs America - food prices in UK vs US

[@jclinton760]

My spouse, who is British, and I have recently moved to the USA after many years in the UK. We have been shocked and depressed by the rampant inflation in America. For so many years it seemed that Europe was expensive and the US cheap by comparison - but this has reversed. We have found car insurance, dining out, hotels, mobile phone and broadband services all to be significantly more costly than in the UK but the price of groceries was the most flabbergasting of all! We knew the food quality in the US would be inferior to Europe but we never dreamed we would be paying so much more to receive less. When we spoke to friends and relatives here they seemed surprised by our reaction to prices but your video shows us we were not wrong.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, what the video doesn't show is the quality of the food. Like you mentioned, produce like berries or carrots taste so much better in Britain than they do in the states. I don't know where you live in the US, but hopefully you can get some Products that are higher quality. Here in Texas we get delicious mangoes and avocados at least! Eventually I'm going to do a video about some of the other things you mentioned. We were gobsmacked when we saw how inexpensive it was to get a mobile phone and phone plan in Britain this summer! Cheers for your comment! Dara

[@SimoneOconnell]

but where usa wins is on goods like clothes electrical items toys often a lot less in usa

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@SimoneOconnell good point! But mobile phone plans in Britain are a bargain compared to the USA.🇺🇸

[@hongk0ngfu3y]

@@SimoneOconnell cars and fuel. Massive savings in US 👍

[@katrinabryce]

I've been doing comparisons between Asda and Walmart for many years (they used to be the same company), and I've always told anyone who will listen to me that Asda is waaaay cheaper.

[@afacelessname1378]

I lived and worked in the US for a dozen years and am now back in the UK. One thing that needs to be considered is that salaries are 2 to 3 times more in the US than the UK. When I lived in Dallas I had a lot more money left each month than I do now in the UK.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Oh wow, you lived in the area where we live! Yes, American salaries are typically higher. What part of Britain are you in now?

[@rich7447]

We loved living in Dallas (Frisco) but unfortunately work relocated us to Maryland.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@rich7447 there are a lot of wonderful things about Frisco! Great people, great schools, great shopping, great restaurants, lots of sports! 👍

[@zoebidwell720]

This is actually a critical point that should be factored in. Uk wages are very low.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@zoebidwell720 yes I'll attempt to factor this in to future COLA analyses... things like fuel and insurance and housing are also big factors

[@twofarg0ne763]

I'm a retired expat who has been living in France for the past 6 years. I normally spend about $120/week on groceries that will last 6 or 7 days for me and my wife. We buy everything either at the butcher shop or at the open markets. We're just back from a 2 week trip to the US to see our kids. I was completed floored after our first shopping trip with our daughter. She spent nearly $200 dollars for about 4 days worth of groceries. So, where I'm spending around $500/month for 2 people, she is spending close to $1000/month.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

It's insane. And if you are buying meat from a butcher and vegetables from a greengrocer, I can promise you that your food quality is much higher than the typical American supermarket...

[@twofarg0ne763]

@@MagentaOtterTravels Very true. France has some of the strictest food laws in the world.

[@marycoughlan353]

The average salary in the US was around $58,260 in 2021. In the UK, the average salary was around $38,291 when converted to dollars.

[@monacophotographyevents2384]

@@marycoughlan353 I think it's one of those things that's difficult to quantify. How is an average salary calculated, should one possibly look at minimum wage, or how a lot of people in the food industry in America work on tips?

[@dandycat2204]

@@monacophotographyevents2384 Another factor for why wages are much higher in the States is that there is much less welfare, so that pushes wages up.

[@jimcaufman2328]

I am a retired international airline pilot who had a hobby of comparing prices to the U.S. wherever I was laying over. I found the prices were cheaper overseas almost all the time and the food quality was much higher.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Wow, that's amazing! Now that you have that perspective... what foods do you find most disappointing to buy in the US? I share mine in tomorrow's video called "Reverse Culture Shocks" ;-) Thanks for watching and commenting! Dara

[@binxbolling]

Higher quality if you mean less taste. Except chocolate, which is better in the UK.

[@lkm3s]

I live in the UK now and I have found that the baking aisle is shockingly small compared to the US. I also have no tollgate chocolate chips, which is disappointing, though the chocolate in every other category is simply better here. The Lasagna is made with a disgusting "white sauce" and not the ricotta cheese that makes lasagna so special. They sell things like "American Pizza" and its disgusting like chicken and barbque sauce. There is more fresh food and lots of ready meals and pre-cook meals that are especially convenient AND healthy which is something the US hasn't quite pulled off yet. They sell something called "squash" and its basically as popular as kool-aid, but so much easier. Instead of a frozen blob or satchet of staining powder and giant cup of sugar, you put a few drops of squash concentrate into water and tada, you have cherry, or orange, or blackcurrant drink which is low in sugar. You can also add it to sparkling water for a fruity soda. Finally, blackcurrant and Rhubarb are popular foods, and disgusting. Oh! and being a lifelong detestor of baked beans I decided to try them here, because it is amazing how different some things can be, and I love the baked beans here! They don't have that gross vinigery odd taste that US beans have.

[@DaBestOhYeah]

@@binxbolling What example do you have for this? I have found nearly all the meat, fish and eggs much higher quality than that in the US. (when comparing uk supermarket food to us grocery store food). There may be arguments for comparing high quality butcher/fishmonger products in the UK and US but I have yet to try high quality US butchers/fishmonger.

[@dannyking4138]

@@lkm3s cause we have bakers for bakery items

[@dj_paultuk7052]

Having just got back from 3 weeks in CA and buying our own food while out there, we were utterly shocked at how expensive it is in US now. Its massively more expensive for just regular food items. Happy to be back in the UK and let my bank balance recover!.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, and food prices are more expensive on the coasts than they are in the middle of America. We head to New York City this week, and I'm expecting everything will be pricey! I hope you enjoyed your trip to California despite the high cost of food 😉

[@edwardmiessner6502]

@@MagentaOtterTravels Yet your Kroger in Dallas appears to be routinely more expensive than our Rouse's here in New Orleans... sometimes monstrously so, and we're basically an island!

[@MrLangDog]

Until you buy petrol. You will lose 4x.

[@checker3694]

​@MrLangDog fuel in California at the moment is £1.15 per litre Uk £1.48 and US cars are 15% to 40% less fuel efficient, UK has plentyfull supply of diesel cars which are 30% more fuel efficient than petrol. California always had diesel sales restricted.US spec Japanese Toyota corolla for example always smallest engine size is 2.0, European 1.6 and nearly always fuel hungry autos. Weighing everything up there is not much cost difference if equal nearly And shock of shock petrol ford f250s do 9 to 11 mpg on urban cycle, our diesel cars average 40 mpg in same situation. I would say running costs are cheaper in UK as we travel less distance, Americans jump in there car to post a letter 300 meters away.

[@soco13466]

Everything costs more in Kleptofornia, than in the real US. States like that gouge businesses, so the extra costs are passed on. We "flyovers" don't consider CA, NY, etc. to be real American examples.

[@Joanna-il2ur]

Food, excluding luxuries, carries no tax (VAT) in Britain.

[@alanmon2690]

"Most Food" is VAT free, biscuits are taxed, cakes aren't..

[@ians3586]

That's true in about 40 of the 50 US states too.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

In Texas groceries don't have sales tax but restaurant food is taxed. Of course, that varies for other states.

[@jpw6893]

​@@alanmon2690not all biscuits are taxed

[@lawrenceglaister4364]

​@@MagentaOtterTravels , while you're doing nothing 😂😂😂 have a look on here because it shows restorations of buildings ( your favourite themes ) and when they are finished they rent them out so you can get a taste of the old days . ". Great British Landmark Fixers "

[@andiscott8470]

I go to the US A LOT for work and often spend weeks at a time in longer stay style accommodation. I have always been amazed at the cost of groceries in the US. Bread, as demonstrated in this video, has always shocked me in the US.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yeah... bread is horrid. High prices for bad quality. I hate the ton of sugar and LOADS of preservatives. I can't even stand the smell of the bread aisle!

[@francismcdonnell753]

I’m the same. Spend a lot of time in the US. Bread is expensive & awful. Very hard to get good bread.

[@griswald7156]

A comparison between American Aldi and UK Aldi would be charming….

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Evan Edinger did that on his channel. I haven't watched the video yet, but I bet it's great!

[@griswald7156]

@@MagentaOtterTravels ive just subscribed to Evan…..Thankslot…

[@stephenlee5929]

@@griswald7156 He also did a Sainsburys verses a New England store. Was also good.

[@SuperLittleTyke]

Aldi and Lidl are just great in the UK. I used to shop a lot at Tesco, but not any more. I get about 80% of my groceries from these two discounters.

[@griswald7156]

@@SuperLittleTyke i shop 90% at Aldi and Lidl…then i always do a little 10% at markss,Waitrose and Budgens…and tesco..

[@christy3122]

Hi, Dara. When I lived in England, the difference in food costs was one of the first things I noticed. I thought grocery shopping in England was much easier on my wallet. Also, I shopped at Sainsbury's much more often than I did Tesco. :-) And I sooo miss British cheese and all the sauces! Yum!

[@christy3122]

My Kroger carries leg of lamb.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

The cheese is so much better!💖🧀😋

[@christy3122]

@@MagentaOtterTravels SO much better! I miss it.

[@MostlyPennyCat]

​@@christy3122 What sauces do you miss? Like, HP?

[@eileenspamer]

@@MostlyPennyCat uk Daddies sauce brown or tom 1/4 price

[@healgrowlovecommunity8397]

This was fascinating and eye opening! The Tesco items that you mentioned were on sale were actually showing the lower price for people with a Tesco Club card - which is a loyalty card. If you shop at Tesco regularly it's really worth getting one. They are free.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Oh yes, I've had a Tesco card the past 3 years, and use it for most of the things I buy at Tesco. I should have explained this in the video because I’m getting tons of comments on it. The Tesco club card prices are the same thing as the Kroger club card prices. In both stores, you get a free card that let’s you get MUCH lower prices when you scan it at checkout. But the reason I didn’t show club card prices in my comparison is that they would not be equivalent. Promoted prices vary from week to week and some weeks they are not “on”. So to make it comparable, I stuck to non-promoted prices for both retailers. In reality, I buy most of my groceries on “sale” using the club card prices both at Tesco and Kroger 😉 Thanks for your comment! Dara

[@samanthakennedy4023]

The Tesco club card prices don’t change often like ‘sale’ prices

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@samanthakennedy4023 my observation this summer was that some do. When we arrived in May the Bonne Maman jam was 2 pounds

[@joz6683]

Clubcard plus for £7.99 a month you get two big shops per month with 10% off your shopping. We'll worth it

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@joz6683 interesting! Didn't know about that!

[@Funeeman]

My first visit to the US(New York) was in 1970, last visit (Florida) was in 2015. This didn't really surprise me, the British grocery business has become dynamic and highly competitive. Great video Dara.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

It was an interesting comparison for me, because clearly prices have gone up so much in both countries with recent inflation. But on so many things the British groceries are still less expensive. Thanks for watching!!

[@Funeeman]

@@MagentaOtterTravels Inflation is obviously a very big issue pretty much all over the world at the moment unfortunately. I think competition and being able to buy fresh produce pretty easily has been a great thing in British supermarkets in the last twenty or so years. The arrival of German owned Aldi and Lidl has also been a good thing, it's kept Tesco and Sainsbury's on their toes.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@Funeeman yes it's obvious that Tesco has taken notice! Throughout the store you see tags saying "Aldi Price match" on things that are pretty low prices.

[@edwardmiessner6502]

Here in the US the grocery business is consolidating towards monopoly like with Kroger's acquisition of Albertsons. A US city will usually have 2 major chain grocery stores, 1 or 2 luxury "whole foods" chain, maybe a local chain and/or Latino chain, Target, and of course Walmart.

[@WhiskeyChaser-q3q]

What surprised me most about this video, was that I watched it until the end. It was far more interesting than I thought it would be. Good job.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

LOL that's a great compliment! Cheers! My next question is would you watch a video of me making scones with my Welsh friend tomorrow? All the way to the end to see how the scones turn out? 😉 Dara

[@WhiskeyChaser-q3q]

@@MagentaOtterTravels Well I appreciate the reply. I have now subscribed. So I await the notification. As it happens, I have recently started experimenting with baking my own bread. Maybe I could expand to scones.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@WhiskeyChaser-q3q that's great! What kind of bread? During the pandemic lockdown a lot of people started baking bread. In the states it seemed to mostly be sourdough bread. I have been grinding my own wheat and making honey whole wheat bread for many many years. It's delicious stuff, and keeps me from having to buy that nasty American bread! Lol 😂 I have an old video on my channel of me showing how I make my wheat bread. I posted it back in 2020.

[@WhiskeyChaser-q3q]

@@MagentaOtterTravels Still trying to master basic white bread. I have always cooked, but never baked. Have looked at some of your most recent videos. Was shocked to see you in my old stomping ground. The hare & hounds, Kings Heath. Used to drink there in the 1980's. Will check out some of your baking videos, after I have seen your upcoming Scones Video. (Given the general density of my bread . Scones or rock cakes might be a better fit for me).

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@WhiskeyChaser-q3q yes, my husband Ian has Brummie roots! My channel is very unusual because I don't stick to a specific little niche. I have cooking videos, hiking videos, animal videos, architecture videos, history videos, videos comparing British and American culture, and travel Vlogs of Europe! Of course that means the KZbin algorithm hates my guts, but I find it more fun and interesting to do videos about a variety of topics. I would get bored publishing a video every week about the same thing 😉. Thanks for tuning in and your support! Dara

[@lauraigoe2309]

I live in the UK and holiday in Florida each year and the groceries in the States are so much more expensive. We have noticed it over the years but more so in the last few years.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, inflation is hitting us all. But food in the US is getting ridiculous. And sadly the quality is lacking as well...

[@TwoBassed]

The thing that would worry me is the amount of toxicity that’s allowed in American food!

[@bazsnell3178]

@@TwoBassed Just like the frozen chickens from America that have been banned as illegal for import into the UK.

[@PotatoPirate123]

The difference is that wages are, on the whole, vastly better in the US. Poverty at its hardest hitting is worse than the UK though, with many people basically living in third-world poverty with effectively no healthcare Even a waiter in an iHoP in the US can earn double what I do as a tradesperson in the UK because of the crazy tipping system. In the UK employers have to pay a minimum set wage by law, but waiting staff in the US don't even want this, as they love fleecing customers for hundreds of dollars a day just to serve them pancakes and Coke. No offence to Americans out there but the health system alone in the US would completely put me off wanting to live there, for any money. And so much of your food is trash, unless you pay even more money for artisanal food at Whole Foods and the like

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@TwoBassed YESSSSS!

[@randysheeple909]

I keep running across info. on US food(s) being outright banned for sale in other countries. The FDA has been very lax in regulating ingredients and what quantities they deem safe. Do you find differences in ingredients in the UK vs US?

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

DEFINITELY! Sorry to say that the US does have more nasty stuff in the food supply and the American animal treatment practices are quite concerning.

[@fredquimby3260]

As an Englishman I'm surprised that the UK prices are generally less expensive than in "the land of plenty" even though we import many items.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes it's surprising. Though the US imports a lot as well. And just driving across this big country is also kind of expensive 😉

[@juliabarone8852]

Not all in uk are cheaper

[@lisak7380]

It's really hard to compare prices between nations as prices vary widely from store to store and region to region. I can tell you most items are way cheaper in the US if you shop at ethnic stores versus big national chains.

[@diane1390]

We grow strawberries and peaches in the county I live in, but Save Mart had organic peaches for $4 a pound.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@lisak7380 I plan to do some follow-up videos shopping at places like Aldi or regional grocers like H-E-B

[@heatherj9029]

I don't shop Tesco often but rather M&S and I do shop Kroger in the US. I find the quality very different in the UK. Even "apples to apples" something like Kit Kats have different ingredients. It's difficult to find bread that has sugar in it in the UK vs the US. I was shocked by the frozen micro meals had so few ingredients in the UK. So while prices matter, the quality is a difficult comparison. Plus the packaging (while some will dislike the plastic), I find the fruit and veg very appealing in the UK with the presentation. Also remember the NHS in the UK, it's in their best interest to make the food healthier with less ingredients.

[@VivSees]

Its not difficult to compare quality. Just look at the ingredients list on usa products and you’ll realize they’re mostly artificial, non natural ingredients. The UK ingredients in their products are majority natural, period. Also the taste will tell you which country has superior quality.

[@heatherj9029]

@@VivSees I agree

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Food quality is a topic in my video this Friday "Reverse Culture Shocks". I hope you tune in! Cheers! Dara

[@ThrowingShade]

I lived in Helsinki for three years, and the year round abundance of fresh leafy greens and vegetables really surprised me most of all.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Sounds wonderful! I do wish I had a garden in which to grow my own fruit and veg!!

[@jamiecaturani]

Wow this video absolutely nailed it. I’ve been living in Houston (from London) since 2016 with my Texan wife and I’ve been telling my family here how absurdly expensive groceries are. You should do a comparison of pharmacies because I think the asymmetry in prices is even greater. Looking to move to Bath possibly and although housing ain’t cheap, I’ll be glad to make a sandwich for under 5 dollars.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

We are living parallel lives! Houston versus Dallas and Cheltenham versus Bath! Yes, the price of groceries has really climbed recently! It's a bit painful. Especially since the food quality seems to have declined! If you aren't familiar with Cheltenham, I hope you watch my recent video about reasons I love it. You might consider it as a place to move, since it's a bit lower cost than Bath 😉. Cheers! Dara

[@The_Hero_Is_Back]

It’s hard to find the exact figures but looks to me like minimum wage in the UK is about 50% higher than it is in Texas. Which makes food shopping even dearer. Taxes, housing and fuel/energy costs may vary widely between the two countries. Salaries at upper levels may be higher but people on those salaries just buy food without having to think so much about the bill at the checkouts. So looking at minimum wage as well as prices might be instructive. Sorry if you have done so already.

[@ians3586]

Even though the minimum wage may be higher in the UK overall average wages in the UK are lower. The cost of housing and energy is higher in the UK than it is in Texas where we live.

[@ians3586]

Even though the minimum wage may be higher in the UK overall average wages in the UK are lower. The cost of housing and energy is higher in the UK than it is in Texas where we live.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Not done that yet but considering it... maybe looking at living as a retiree/pensioner... since most of my subscribers are older 😉

[@lottie2525]

For information, the Tesco Club Card prices (shown as lower prices on the yellow labels on the shelves) aren't really sale prices as such, they are lower prices if you have something called a Club Card - a kind of loyalty card idea. You have to scan your Club Card to release the lower prices.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I'm sorry I didn't take the time to explain this in the video. You are correct, and Kroger is the same way. They have a loyalty card that is also free, but lets you get the discounted prices when you check out. I have both the Tesco card and a Kroger card and try to buy as many things as possible which are on offer at discounted price that week. Thanks for your comment! Dara

[@lottie2525]

@@MagentaOtterTravels Yeah, it's great getting the lower prices - feels like you're 'winning' at shopping 😍

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@lottie2525 exactly! Very satisfying 😊

[@lizbignell7813]

Well done, Dara, that was vey enlightening, and your professional experience was clear. Not nerdy at all.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks for respecting my decades of experience. We are all nerdy about certain things that interest us, right? I could talk about Britain and food all day long... in fact, I do! Now off to work on a video for next Friday about making and eating SCONES! That will be much more fun to edit than this one was ;-) Have a great weekend, Liz! Dara

[@philipmason9537]

From watching other price comparisons videos on KZbin recently the result doesn’t suprise me too much as food inflation is rising everywhere. You’re right about US bread being less “bready” than in Europe which is not surprising as it contains so much sugar. Last year a court deemed that Subway couldn’t call theirs bread as it contained so much sugar and should be classed as confectionery !

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I hadn't heard that about Subway. That is CRAZY! I usually bake my own bread, but haven't been able to since getting back to Texas. I can't stand opening a bag of bread here and smelling all those preservatives!!!

[@philipmason9537]

@@MagentaOtterTravels Google the Subway bread and there’s lots about it online.

[@johnclements6614]

The sugar dries the bread. With less moisture it has a longer shelf life.

[@arwelp]

I think that was the Irish Supreme Court.

[@JustBrowsing8ro]

I’m a Brit shopping in HEB just now and even if you adjust for a recent years exchange rate that was more in our favour, I still can’t understand how some highly processed stuff (and domestically produced) in the US is inexplicably highly priced. I also adjust a bit in my head for portion sizes and still can’t figure the economics of it out.

[@gloriaonyebeke4458]

Glad to see your post. I was in London over the summer and I noticed that my sensitivity to foods such as dairy products disappeared. Have you ever compared quality of the products by their ingredients?

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I haven't... but there is a lot of publicity about the difference in food standards between the US and the UK. It's a bit of a controversial topic, because some people get a little defensive about this... but I do think the food quality is better in Britain. I'm glad to hear that your food sensitivity issues have improved!👍

[@e.t.phonhom5829]

Food prices are indeed crazy in the U.S. it's interesting that you chose Kroger, they're considered pricey in my area.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I wasn't trying to be the least expensive, I was just trying to compare something equivalent. And I do feel like Tesco is very similar to Kroger. Their prices can be on the high side, but they have really good deals if you use their loyalty card. I already did videos last year where I shopped at two very high-end Stores and then low end stores as well in both countries. Those videos were also a lot of work! Lol

[@rosspearson2805]

`tesco is also expensive here for comparison. i think asda/ Walmart would be interesting as Walmart used to own asda in the uk and is the budget store here

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@rosspearson2805 last year I did a video where I showed full shopping trips at Walmart and Asda.

[@nodebt6188]

Winco is cheap.

[@StephenandAndie]

for bread here in the US, we usually go to the bakery section of the store, rather than the bread aisle. more seeded and actual whole grain (without all the added sugar) options.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Definitely! As soon as our current loaf of bread runs out I'm going back to making my own whole wheat bread! Can't stand those preservatives!!

[@SuperLittleTyke]

Is it true that Americans do not spread butter on their bread when making sandwiches? I've seen it in so many videos I think it must be the norm.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@SuperLittleTyke it's true! Americans butter toast of course. But for sandwiches, if it's meat and cheese they usually use mayonnaise or mustard. And then of course there's the very popular peanut butter and jelly(jam)!

[@SuperLittleTyke]

@@MagentaOtterTravels So weird! (sorry)

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@SuperLittleTyke i've been traveling to Britain for over 30 years, but I only recently learned that pretty much all British sandwiches have butter in them. And that's why they have the nickname of butties 🧈 🥪

[@danmayberry1185]

Great comparison. Worth noting, the UK has ⅕ the population, and is post-Brexit (UK now out of Euro trading bloc), and in a cost-of-living crisis that prompted a Parliamentary committee to interrogate the Big Grocery CEOs on pricing.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Interesting! I didn't know about that parliamentary action!

[@Sulaeyes]

They trade in Ireland.

[@dianakidd4219]

@@Sulaeyes Ireland is the size of Indiana. No tractor trailers of food traveling thousands of miles. Now that Biden has raised gas prices here, that cost is passed on to grocery stores.

[@jogon331]

Dam someone had to do a bit of Brexit bashing Remaniac alert

[@Sulaeyes]

@@dianakidd4219 I live in Ireland.

[@stumccabe]

A very thorough comparison - thanks. The reason for the surprising weight of the sirloin steak is because 227grams = 8 ounces exactly!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

That makes sense! Thanks for watching!! Dara

[@kenvoysey8222]

Using tesco is a bad comparison as they over price a lot of products. Odd you ignored the reduced price which is what we would pay.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@kenvoysey8222 I did the same thing at Kroger to be fair.

[@LoftusRD1882]

Thank you for taking the time and effort to make this video Dara. As a Brit I was very surprised overall at the results especially with the steaks and you living in Texas. Thanks again for the video and take care.👍

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment! It was a lot of work, but thankfully I don't do a video like this every week 😉! I'm looking forward to this week's video where I get to have some fun and make delicious scones with my friend Emma who has a lovely Welsh accent and some rambunctious chickens!💖🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿Cheers! Dara

[@helenag.9386]

I presumed meat would be so so much cheaper in the USA!

[@happycook6737]

We have grain finished beef that is a lot cheaper than grass fed beef. Tbones were $7/500g a few weeks ago but not grass fed ones. Mince (20%fat) is $4/500g on sale not grass fed mince though.

[@ImTheDudeMan471]

Exchange rate is 15 Oct, 2023: 1 UK pound = $1.22 usd. So mutiply the UK price by 1.22 to get equivalent usd price.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, precisely! Cheers! Dara

[@atomiswave1971]

When I lived in the USA I never really compared prices, but I did notice that although I earned more money in the USA it didn't translate to better savings in my account. I'm sure someone mentioned it already, but USA states include sales tax at the checkout, where as UK prices have no sales tax on food. I am not sure if food is exempt on tax in the USA or not. Looking it up it seems to change state by state on food, the consensus is most states have zero tax on food.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

That's right. Texas is one of the many states that do not have sales tax on groceries 😉

[@terrylandess6072]

In the US costs can vary wildly depending on the product and your location. I find using ones spending power and the % of cost a much better indicator. No one works in a High cost area where they make more wage and then drives a day to go to a very cheap place to shop for groceries. It would be wise but free time has a price as well.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Very good point. Thanks for your comment!

[@amandamuzyka3704]

Yes, I'm a nerd. I have tons of other things to do and I am watching this. Thanks for all the work.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

#FoodNerdsUnite! Thanks so much for watching! Now I hope the rest of your day is more productive 😉 Cheers! Dara

[@happycook6737]

The food prices where I live in the USA are a lot higher than what you quoted for the USA. I live in the Southwest. I think the key is to identify what is cheapest and healthiest in each country and focus on that. It is what I've done living all over the world.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes this is my first video like this... I'll experiment with different types of food in the future. Thanks for watching.

[@johnhansen4550]

Dara, Half of our food budget in the USA is eating out! What percentage of the UK food budget is spent on eating out! In Omaha, Nebraska food at the grocery store is tax free- the the restaurant 10% luxury tax. (We have lived and worked in other countries for ~20 years, so have some international perspective)

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Good question about the percentage of food budget spent eating out. I don't know the answer, but that would be interesting! Yes, we don't have tax on groceries in Texas, but restaurant food is taxed. Between that and the higher restaurant prices and of course tipping, eating out is pretty dang expensive these days🤑!

[@fionastill8560]

Bearing in mind that the essential items in the uk are not taxed, but the expensive ones are already taxed with VAT so I hope that the usa items are including the tax.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

There is no sales tax on grocery shopping and most of the states in the US.

[@corringhamdepot4434]

I went to check out my local large Tesco store after a long time. Then walked out again, because I didn't have a Tesco Clubcard with me. All the special prices and multi-buy discounts were only for Clubcard holders.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Oh yes, you have to have that Tesco card or the prices are a bit of a ripoff! I think you can get it on your phone? Ian always has his miniature card on his keychain.

[@philharper20]

Dunno about Tesco, but in Sainsburys, just pick up a card at the entrance or poss at the till, and use it. It doesn't have to be registered. Been using mine unregistered for months, no problem. You could pick up a new one every visit, but that would be a waste of plastic

[@kaythegardener]

In Oregon, all the grocery stores with loyalty cards also keep your phone number in their database, as an alternative, if you leave your member card at home!!

[@isobelmcfadyen4625]

In UK we complain how expensive things have got over the last year but compared to the US i was shocked. I fully expected things to be more reasonable because your packages are more bulk sized and you don't need to import so much.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I was surprised as well!

[@JayandSarah]

What is going on in North America, is profiteering under the ruse of pandemics and wars. The food industry is very consolidated, it's often not local - and they are charging whatever the heck they like. Even government is trying to intervene with these greedy business entities and slap them with excess profit taxation.

[@solentbum]

The cheapest Supermarket in the UK varies between Aldi and Lidl, You will have noticed the cost comparison notices shown in Tesco. Even within a chain the prices can vary slightly, depending on the neighbourhood, as does the range of goods stocked. Also there is a degree of quality competition between supermarkets, which can be reflected in differing prices for apparently similar items.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, it's a good thing that ALDI showed up because it's making Tesco and Sainsbury's lower their prices on a lot of items ;-)

[@ASmithee67]

Are you comparing prices at the equivalent level of stores? I shopped at a US Walmart tonight, my Ben & Jerry's pint was $4.48. You have it at $6.49 in the U.S.

[@ians3586]

Yes, they are equivalent stores. Walmart is often less expensive than Kroger just like in the UK stores like Aldi and Iceland are cheaper than Tesco. Mid-level stores were used in this comparison. Dara is planning on doing a comparison for Aldi in the US versus Aldi in the UK. Asda in the UK is comparable to Walmart in the US.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I believe so. Kroger is much higher than Walmart, and Tesco is much higher than Aldi/Asda. Thanks for watching! Dara

[@ishure8849]

G'day Dara, to simplify the whole process globally it makes more sense to be grams and cents !

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Do you live in Australia? Shane Nixon, who lives in Oz, watched this video and then did his own analysis to compare it with Australia. If you look at his comment you can see his result 😉. Cheers! Dara

[@ishure8849]

Yes I do, and we farm here beef cattle lamb we also have a small orchard chickens and a lake stocked with fish. I'll check Shane out I know as a MLA accredited primary producer we export sixty percent of what we produce in this country 👍🇦🇺.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@ishure8849 so interesting to hear from a farmer! Thank you so much for your comment and sharing your point of view!

[@gacaptain]

I really really struggle to understand how a country that is much bigger, less crowded, more rural with more arable farmland per person can have higher food prices. It really just doesn't make sense to me and I would love to get an explanation of how this came to be.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I am far from expert on this topic, but having read dozens of other commenters addressing this issue, it sounds like the farm subsidies in Britain are much higher than the US. I think that is a major factor. Possibly transportation costs as well.

[@gacaptain]

@@MagentaOtterTravels I guess maybe. I grew up in rural Georgia and even when I visit down there grocery prices are high. And this is a place where you can jump in your car and in no time be driving through a farm or orchard and a huge variety of food products are produced. There’s something screwy to me about the fact that Europe has food for less ( oh yeah and I forgot the growing seasons are longer In America with many farms able to harvest twice a year unlike European farms. So it just doesn’t make sense to me.)

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@gacaptain I agree

[@MrBlaxjax]

It’s competition I reckon. You will probably find that the us food market is relatively closed to importation. One obvious exception are bananas which even the USA has to import and voila those are cheaper in the USA. The uk tends to import about half its food and really the uk has always done this. It means more competition and fewer vested interests. I mean the price of American bread is just silly and it’s probably because the bread industry is somehow fixing the price. It’s a similar story with medical supplies which are just too high in the USA. Travel across the border to Mexico and your meds are half price or less. For balance, most branded beverages from coke to various beers and California wine are typically much cheaper than in the uk. Another factor is the economy and exchange rates. In the last 10 years the American economy has motored ahead and the uk economy hasn’t. The dollar is strong and Americans usually earn more than brits so the prices are partly explained by local market conditions. Basically Americans are richer so can afford the cost. At the same time I think that economic life for families in the uk is a bit easier. Maybe.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@MrBlaxjax I agree that for wealthier Americans the food prices are still affordable. For the most impoverished Americans, they can get food stamps to supplement their food budgets and give them free food. The people hurting the most are the ones who are just above that poverty level in the US and don't get food stamps. It's really hard for them to get adequate nutrition.

[@akula9713]

The prices in the U.K. have increased so much since the Ukrainian war started. Fuel costs that affect fertiliser costs, and transport costs have increased so much. I used to pay £1.10 for 2 litres of semi skimmed milk, I now pay £1.35 for 1 litre!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, if I had done this video before the war and the pandemic I wonder what it would have looked like?

[@ians3586]

It's crazy how the actions of one person can impact so many people's lives.

[@akula9713]

@@ians3586 Biden or Zelenski?

[@daveofyorkshire301]

I get 6 pints (UK pints 3.41 litres) for £2.29, where on earth are you buying your milk Sainsbury's?

[@akula9713]

@@daveofyorkshire301 Tesco local. But it’s the same in Morrisons and Asda up here in the North East.

[@TheEulerID]

Did the US prices include whatever taxes are added (which I realise varies from state to state)? Also, that's a very comprehensive survey and the results are backed up by other comparisons I've seen.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

In Texas we do not pay sales tax on groceries

[@nicolebyron5484]

If you have a Texco Clubcard you get the cheaper price label otherwise you pay the price shown.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Oh yes, I ALWAYS use both my Tesco card and Kroger card when shopping at these stores. Gotta get those discounts!

[@Person01234]

What do you think of the butter quality? I ask because from what I gather Americans hold Kerrygold up as some kind of high-quality ultra-butter, when to me it's pretty much just baseline butter. Wondering if the comparison is really like-for-like or if there are differences between generic US butter and butter elsewhere.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Good question! I think ALL dairy products are better in the UK. Kerrygold is more expensive, and I do think it's "fancy" butter. I usually buy Tesco butter for general use in baking and buttered popcorn (I have a bit of a popcorn obsession.... I eat it several times a week!)... but sometimes I splurge to buy Kerrygold for eating on toast. Have you had the Welsh butter that shows miners with dirt all over their faces on the wrapper? As a marketer who spent decades of her life designing "appetising" packaging, I thought that was an odd choice! But I'm sure the butter is delicious ;-) Cheers for your comment! Dara

[@rikmoran3963]

Many years ago, it seemed that everything was much cheaper in the States, compared to the UK, and that was when the pound was much stronger against the dollar. It amazes me that food is so expensive there, as land for farming is so readily available compared to the UK. I know that sometimes people say transportation costs come into it, what with US being so large. However, I would have thought that food production could be done more regionally to reduce these costs.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Unfortunately, we still ship a lot of our food cross country. Also, another commenter mentioned that British farm subsidies are much higher than American... so that impacts the prices as well.

[@Poliss95]

@@MagentaOtterTravels UK subsidies £2.4bn. US Federal subsidies $30 billion. It's more complicated than the taw figures of course.

[@lynwratten9857]

i wondered if you included tax for the USA shopping as I have heard it can vary considerably, whereas in the UK the price you see is the price you pay.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Very true for most items. And you would not believe how much sales tax varies... not just by state, but by city and town within the state! However, here in Texas we don't pay tax on food... so the price is the price when food shopping at least! If it is not food, then 8.25% tax here.

[@davidfuters7152]

Missing you guys already , enjoy your winter over there 👍👍

[@brianbradfield3985]

My family relies 90% of the time with Costco. Savings are pretty good. As there only 2 of us in my family, we use a vacuum sealer and that works wonders.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Costco and ALDI are very good sources for discounted food products! Unfortunately, we don't have a Costco near us in the US or UK. We do shop at Sam's in Texas though.

[@kuhndj67]

So one factor I'd like to see controlled for is city size... Dallas being a big urban center is likely to cost more than a town of 100k. How do Dallas prices compare to London? (may still be more expensive but IMO that's more of a balanced comparison).

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@kuhndj67 I think London is like New York City. Dallas is more like Manchester 😉

[@ronaldzent6321]

Fresh and Easy markets were owned by Tesco. Sort of thought they were trying to be like a Trader Joe's and Aldi combined, but the prices seemed somewhat higher than both TJ's & Aldi. Which I believe, owns TJ's

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I understand there is an ALDI North and South. I believe the North one owns TJ and the South one owns ALDI in the US.

[@da90sReAlvloc]

A little KZbin channel, a great informative KZbin channel , full of wonderful sights and useful information, Your little channel is great Dara you and your family stay safe 👍

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Small but growing... as I crank out a video every Friday at 4pm UK time for nearly four years now ;-) Thanks so much for watching, and your continued support! XX

[@markmenzies4218]

interesting, i've actually been wondering about this for a while. food prices have just gone crazy in the last year or so here in the UK. easily doubled in some cases. by the way the tesco clubcard price is more like the normal price it should be. the higher price is they're way of insidiously getting all of your personal information and using it for god knows what.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, and it is exactly the same way at Kroger by the way... the card price is much cheaper. But since those promoted prices change all the time and the deals go on and off, I compared non-promoted prices just to make it fair across retailers. But as for ME, I try to always buy things on the card price whether I'm shopping in Britain or the states! Thanks for your comment. I know there are lots of ways of doing this type of comparison, but I just did mine in a way that is relevant to me since I live and shop in both places at both these stores all the time ;-) Cheers! Dara

[@teams3345]

The U.S. had a country wide bird flu.

[@katrinabryce]

@@teams3345 So did the UK.

[@jh115]

A lot of Americans that move to the UK say they have way less allergies, especially to breads. In the US here, I love that seafood and shellfish are really cheap (New England) but miss the variety of organic veg

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, I heard someone say the same thing about how they can eat dairy in the UK but not US.

[@Home8rew]

A work colleague of my wife moved from New York to (Old) York for several years and noticed that, while he ate as much as he did in the states, he lost about 2 stone in weight due to much reduced levels of sugar in food generally. He said that corn syrup is ubiquitous in food stateside and it seems like a pointless additive in many cases.

[@patriciastaimee]

It depends on where the foods are being imported from...well ladies and gentlemen this is life you do what you got too do..every country is different but it was nice too see your comparison..of of both..you shop where you live and do your best...too eaches own..

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks for understanding the video was just a slice of life for me and the two places I shop... not a holistic analysis of the entire countries of the USA and UK ;-) Cheers! Dara

[@stephenlee5929]

Hi, Not sure why you did not use the Tesco Clubcard price, Its a store loyalty card, its free, not sure you can consider it a 'on sale price'. Note many supermarket chains in UK have these type of card, and they are normally free. You need an email address generally.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I should have explained this... Kroger and Tesco both have club cards that are free and let you get REALLY good prices if you use them. But since those "promoted" prices vary by week and aren't always "on" I tried to be equivalent and compare non-promoted prices in both stores.

[@stephenlee5929]

@@MagentaOtterTravels Yep seems fair. There were some 'ALDI price matches' on Tesco (which basically brings down Tesco price to match Aldi and are also temporary (depends on Aldi, Lidl and others) but no way to know what they were reduced from so not much you could do.

[@roberttimms2502]

Live in England and shop at Tesco’s.Did not expect to be cheaper as the quality of British produce has improved tremendously over last 40 years.Shows our competitive market place works I suppose and the fact we try the overpriced French stuff next door ( so to speak).French take immense pride in saying their food is so much better and seem to be prepared to pay 50% more for it

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I do love the British grown fruit and veg... as you'll hear about in my upcoming "Reverse Culture Shocks" video, I'm still trying to find good tasting carrots!!

[@ginojaco]

I don't buy into the French myth of having the best food; certainly post WW2 UK food was genuinely dire, but we're well past that and back to the high quality of before, and it's cheaper in relative terms now. Not saying food in France isn't alright, just not as great as they claim. As for cost, if you want to pay 50% over average here, of course you can get better stuff, you get what you pay for!

[@kaglaw]

Thanks for making this video. We lived in England back in the 90s. This brings back memories. I think the median income in the UK is about 40% less than US, so I would expect food prices to be less. I lower our grocery bill here in the states by focusing on loss leaders and manager specials and stocking up. For example, I found some bottom round roasts reduced to $3.49/lb last week and grabbed 10 of them. One for dinner and the rest in the freezer. But the food quality always seemed better in the UK. I still splurge and buy British cheese here. No comparison in taste. Plus we have Aldi and Lidl, but even their prices are going up. Our family has a garden to offset grocery cost.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

After making this video, as well as watching a rather shocking Netflix documentary about food sold in the US, I really wish I could garden! It's just not realistic given when we live in Texas and the fact that in England we live in a small flat. But one day I hope to live in a freehold property where we can grow vegetables in the back garden! I agree with you on your shopping strategies. Buy what's on sale, and use your deep freeze! 👍 I think I save a lot of money by grinding my own wheat and making my own whole wheat bread. Plus it tastes so much better and doesn't have gross preservatives in it!

[@markenetube]

True, but we don't have to pay £100's per month for health insurance

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@markenetube touché!

[@thebigm4]

You are wrong about the Cheese. Cheese from my home state of Wisconsin is better then any British cheese you can think of.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@thebigm4 I do love Wisconsin cheeses... I grew up in the Chicago area and have visited many farms and factories making cheese. Can we just agree that Wisconsin and English cheeses are both good?

[@andywilliams7323]

The main reason why a majority of food is less expensive in the UK and EU than in the US, is because agriculture and food in the UK and EU receive far more government subsidies. The UK and EU provide higher subsidies to every single farm for all food types, including fruits, vegetables and livestock. The US provides less subsidies to only 33% of its farms for only crops, seeds, grains and dairy. There's also much more market competition in the UK and EU than in the US which drives lower prices. Stores in the UK and EU also receive most of their food stocks from local farms. Whereas US stores receive their food stocks from distant farms, often in a different state to the stores. So US stores have much higher transportation costs than UK and EU stores.

[@charlesunderwood6334]

There are different subsidies, but even things that are very heavily subsidised in the US (dairy, items made from flour) are still more. Ironically, a lot of British bread uses US flour, and is still cheaper.

[@ians3586]

That's a good point. I wasn't aware of the difference in subsidies.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

THANK YOU!!! That is very helpful context. I'm not as versed in logistics and product supply, so those facts definitely shed a lot of light on how the countries differ. I really wish that we could all #EatLocal in the US more than we do. Better for the planet and better tasting, fresher food! Cheers for your comment, Andy! Dara

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

The bread thing is crazy! No matter which way you slice it. Forgive me... that happened accidentally and then I couldn't stop LOL

[@nevillemason6791]

The argument that European stores receive most of their food from local farms just doesn't wash. Much of the fruit on sale in the UK comes from Morocco, South Africa or even South America. Also the cost of transportation is a poor argument. Much US freight goes by freight train long distance and the cost of diesel in the UK is 50% higher than the USA. Evan Edinger who's video compared the cost of Sainsburys with the USA found the cost of raisins in the USA double the UK cost. Raisin grapes are grown in the USA but not in the UK. Go figure that out.

[@brianpowell6058]

In the states you have to pay a purchase tax on top of your purchase costs. In Britain the tax is included in the price stated on the pack.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

That's true for most things, except for groceries ... we don't pay sales tax in Texas or most of the other states.

[@dominique8233]

Its great seing the like for like weight/ size prices but if you live in certain states in the USA isn't tbere an additional tax added on at the checkout, which would increase your overall shopping bill ?

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, but not most states. In Texas groceries have no sales tax. But in restaurants you get taxed...and are expected to pay a big tip :-)

[@krissyg7026]

Yes we were surprised by the prices in America, I’m glad I don’t live there. But what was worse was the price of phone contracts, and internet, we were talking to a couple that paid 4 times what we pay.

[@NewCastleIndiana]

Seems like everything has pros and cons but stuff in America can be pretty expensive. Just depends on where you look. I think the actual price of iPhones there is higher than here. And you can get pretty cheap plans here. But I just got my phone bill and it was $255 for five top-of-the-line unlimited plans. That also includes the phones. So the phone I have is a $1200 iPhone Pro Max. But you can go cheaper in many ways. But you can find cheap houses with actual space to stretch out, not stacked on top of each other. Fuel for automobiles is reasonable enough. We don’t pay a TV tax to watch over the television. And I don’t have to for the most part pay to park in every high street around town, etc. Most places have nice big parking lots or car parks where again you’re not backing into a tiny little spot. One of the things I couldn’t believe when I was over there is that it cost money to call some companies/stores. I don’t know what you call it but when I got a Sim for whatever reason I couldn’t just call a store or a storefront or a business without it, being some sort of 4 feet charge connection. That sort of price thing doesn’t exist here. It would also be interesting to see Energy prices.

[@griswald7156]

Internet should be free ..if the government are serious about education for the poor…but maybe theyre just serious about maintaining an underclass..

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

We finally got a British mobile phone this year for the first time. WOW! The phone was super cheap and the phone plan is crazy cheap. We are so glad we did that, since using an American mobile phone whilst living in Britain for 5 months just DOES.NOT.WORK. Thanks for your comment! Dara

[@ians3586]

Since we live half the year in both places, we've really gained insight into the pros and cons of the US vs the UK. What you say about phone contracts is true. Communications costs are high in the US. However, I would say overall it is less expensive to live in the US when taking into account everything. Wages are generally higher in the US, taxes are generally lower and the cost of housing and energy are lower in the US. Of course, just like in the UK, housing costs vary considerably. In the UK the further you get from London the cheaper it is. In the US, it's the coasts vs. everything in between. Medical care is considerably more expensive in the US, even if you set aside the use of the NHS. As self employed individuals, it's always been our largest cost and bankrupts many families in the US. My background is in accounting, so I'm particularly interested in taxes. In general, I'd say the US system is very good for those who are wealthy - that make their money through their own business and/or passive means. I'm not saying this is right or fair, I'm just saying it's the way it is.

[@PolarBear4]

I tend to buy my iphone outright (I currently have a 12 pro but prices are similar to all new iphones). To compare with you, if I got an iphone pro max with the same storage as my current 12 pro it would cost me £1200 - that includes tax which I don't know if yours does. If I were to be on my current phone plan, I'd pay £25 a month (if I started a new contract) for unlimited everything. So if I add all that up over a year (and factor in the cost of the phone which I ordinarily wouldn't as I tend to keep them for 3 or 4 years so the cost is a lot more spread out), I'd pay the equivalent of £125 a month. The reality though is most people will have the phone on contract. So using my current provider, on a 24 month contract (pretty standard here) for unlimited everything I'd pay £115 a month (and an upfront cost of £60 although you can pay more and drop down the monthly payments). If I picked the 12 month contract it would be £115 a month also. The only real difference is with the 24 month you'd drop down to just paying for the SIM after 12 months (which is apparently £20 a month). We don't have a TV tax. We have a license fee for BBC channels (inc radio stations/online). If you never watch/listen/consume anything BBC then you don't have to pay it. You may get harassed though as they assume everyone does consume BBC stuff but I think ultimately it's up to them to prove you do before they can force you to pay a fine so many people just ignore the letters. Cheap houses here are hard to find unless you don't mind living in a rougher area. It's crazy trying to afford a house as a single person! Next to impossible in places. Space is at a premium here. We're a relatively small country with a *lot* of people. Something like 1/5th the population on the US crammed into a fraction of the size of it. Our parking spaces may be smaller - and some are far too small and haven't moved with the times! - but our cars are in general also much smaller so don't need as much room and to use a stereotype (and research), we are on average also smaller so don't need as much room to get out. If we had US sized cars here they'd never fit on the roads and honestly, you'd be laughed at. We also have more public transport so no need to have big car parks when people can use that which is cheaper and more and in many cases more convenient. Most places you have to call here have freephone numbers that cost nothing (usually start with 0800 but I believe there's some others) so I'm not sure who you were calling with a connection charge? I know there's companies that basically try and what feels like scam you by having you make calls via them so they can charge you but I haven't had that happen. If you were calling a particular branch of a store you may be charged a regular phone call amount? Is that what you mean? Sorry, I'm a little confused! Energy costs are ridiculous. There's def no way around that. Gas and electricity especially are daylight robbery and keep just going up. Petrol/diesel are all over the place. They got up to around £2/litre during covid and a few weeks ago were both about £1.40/litre (where I live). They're currently somewhere around the £1.55- £1.60 mark for no reason whatsoever.

[@roxaneh99]

I enjoyed seeing a comprehensive comparison video which totally supports what I thought. As someone who also spends there time between the two countries, I maintain that my grocery shop is one third to half more expensive in Florida as it is in England. Thank you.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, you might get a deal on oranges in Florida, but other than that I think grocery prices are more expensive on the east and west coast than they are in the center of America. And particularly if you shop the deals, British grocery shopping is so much cheaper! When you spend your time in Britain, what part are you in?🇺🇸 🇬🇧

[@roxaneh99]

@@MagentaOtterTravels I am British and live on the Isle of Wight. I am just lucky to be able to spend 4/5 months each winter in Florida (as long as I can afford it 🙂)

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@roxaneh99 how interesting! I would think that on the Isle of Wight prices might be more expensive than the mainland? That often seems to be the case on small islands. How wonderful that you can divide your time between those two fantastic places!🇺🇸❤️🇬🇧

[@Buddybrindle]

That was so interesting! I was born in London and spent my first 26 years there. Since then I’ve lived in Alabama for 47 years (American wife). I’ve had to pay crazy prices for UK food here (tinned steak & kidney pies, HP sauce, baked beans, etc.). Lamb is hard to find here and expensive when you can get it.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes for sure! Do you have World Market near you? Or any regional grocery stores that have a British section? Ordering British foods from Amazon is crazy expensive!

[@Bim2464]

Depends of where you shop in the USA all prices aren’t the same at all stores all the groceries you mentioned I can get at Walmart or food bazaar way cheaper

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I did a video last year showing shopping trips at Walmart and ASDA. I assume you are new to my channel, so let me give you a bit of context. I live in both the US and UK. Most of my subscribers are 50+ and know me. I was showing them a "slice of life" look at what I buy when I live in both places and how that compares. I didn't plan on 90K extra people watching this and expecting that I was conducting a scientific macroeconomic analysis of two entire countries and ALL the people who live in them. Just me. Just my life ;-) Cheers! Dara

[@CarterKey6]

I’m in South Carolina and our prices are so much higher than where you are. I found that the UK and Europe are so much more affordable

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

It really seems the coasts pay higher prices than middle America places like Texas ;-) Sorry about that. But you probably have prettier scenery than we do!

[@jeffreykyle8587]

I’ve always found fruit to be more expensive in the UK. But definitely surprised how much less expensive food is in general.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Not surprising, but I think the British grown fruit is less expensive... like berries and carrots. Also tastier! Imported fruit like oranges, bananas, grapes might be more expensive than other countries.

[@capitalb5889]

If you can find a market stall, seasonal fruit and vegetables are much cheaper.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@capitalb5889 and much fresher and tastier as well! Plus, you get to support local farmers, which is even better 💖

[@capitalb5889]

@@MagentaOtterTravels - ideally, but I think where I am they still buy it wholesale at New Covent Garden market.

[@rayosullivan4398]

Not just food is less but better quality everything is cheaper in the UK but the pay checks suck

[@stephennewton2777]

Very interesting snapshot of how prices compare in the two countries. I lived in the US for 4 years and Kroger was the supermarket I visited most due to it being the nearest. One observation I would make is that Americans (as a gross generalisation) are much more influenced by “brands” than the Brits. It was generally thought that a branded product was superior (in some undefined way) to a store’s own brand. An example would be Tylenol (brand name) which is just acetaminophen (paracetamol in the U.K.), could be 5x more expensive than a CVS equivalent, but was still preferred by most. In the U.K. we can (and do!) pick up a 12 pack of supermarket paracetamol (acetaminophen) for about 40p (@ $0.33).

[@SuperLittleTyke]

That's how advertising, i.e. brainwashing, works! You pay more for branded items, the brands can thus afford fancy, glitzy advertising, so you buy even more!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, I agree 100%. I think it's because Americans have grown up with not nearly as many store brand products, where Europeans are used to most of the store being "own brand" goods. Aldi is a great example and they are changing the way Americans shop. I worked on Walmart's store brand products for 8 years. When it comes to OTC meds, I can tell you that they are the SAME whether the med is store brand or national brand. But when it comes to some other things (cheese comes to mind... although I currently have some Walmart butter in my fridge that is disgusting)... the store brand is not as good as the national.

[@edwardmiessner6502]

Prices for a 12 pack of that drug, even as a CVS store brand, could be easily 10 times that, plus sales tax!

[@stephennewton2777]

@@edwardmiessner6502 🙁

[@paulknox999]

those yellow lower prices in Tesco are not sale prices, they are the normal price you pay if you have a tesco storecard. so basically tesco have overinflated a lot of prices to make you think if you have a tesco card you are saving money.... if you want to shop in tesco really is not worth it now unless you have a tesco card your just paying over the odds if you do.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I should have explained this in the video because I’m getting tons of comments on it. The Tesco club card prices are the same thing as the Kroger club card prices. In both stores, you get a free card that let’s you get MUCH lower prices when you scan it at checkout. But the reason I didn’t show club card prices in my comparison is that they would not be equivalent. Promoted prices vary from week to week and some weeks they are not “on”. So to make it comparable, I stuck to non-promoted prices for both retailers. In reality, I buy most of my groceries on “sale” using the club card prices both at Tesco and Kroger 😉

[@robertstenton6763]

Good comparison . All i will say is .. Buy as much as you can from the grower. Meat from a Butcher, bread from a Baker or make your own from sourced grains/flour from a Miller. Eggs from a local producer. This goes for all fruit and veg , local . If you keep it tight, you keep community , growers, workers for future , hands on .

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I agree 100%! I definitely support the idea of #BuyLocal and want to support local farmers wherever I live! As for bread, I grind my own wheat and make honey whole wheat bread. I even made a video about the recipe I use back during the pandemic lockdown when everyone was trying to make bread for the first time lol! I've been making my own bread for years because I can't stand the taste or smell of the preservatives in American bread 😝. My favourite thing to do in the summer in Britain is to buy berries off a farm in Herefordshire and then local rhubarb from the farmers market in Cheltenham and make rhubarb berry crumble with double cream. The most delicious thing ever! 😋 Cheers for your comment! Dara

[@bobulationnation]

Been as you asked so nice i gave you a thumbs up

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Cheers, mate!

[@wrd777]

I have just received an email promo from Aldi for pumpkins. As Halloween is a much bigger thing in the Staes than here in the UK, I wondered how the costs for those compare. Here, they are £2.85XL, £0.95M, £0.59S.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I just posted a pumpkin photo on my community page. Especially for you! ;-)

[@karenjackson6090]

Hi Dara, well done on this video. I shop in Tesco every week and it seems that we buy similar products. I am not surprised by your findings. Earlier in the year my friends in Memphis and Nova Scotia did a swap of our weekly grocery bills so we could see how the cost of living was affecting us . Diane, who shops in Kroger did pay more than me, but the bill from Nova Scotia was much, much more expensive, especially for meat and dairy. Enjoy Autumn and Winter in Texas.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks Karen! How interesting that you did a comparison amongst your friends! Places like Nova Scotia really suffer from being out of the way and having high transportation costs I think. When I was in Hawaii, it was TWELVE DOLLARS for a loaf of bread!!! Of course, those of us who shop at Tesco and Kroger use our club cards and do save a lot from the discounts they offer ;-)

[@simonoleary9264]

When you were comparing the US brand prices, such as the Oreo ice cream and Ben & Jerry's, I actually suspect that the UK versions were probably manufactured in Europe somewhere, since lots of common US food additives are actually illegal in the EU (and maybe in the UK - bit of a grey area there). Kinda makes me wonder about the ingredients list between US & UK.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, I think you're right! Someone else commented and mentioned where each of those ice creams are manufactured. I think Oreo was in Britain and Ben & Jerry's was the Netherlands? Having compared ingredient lists for confectionery in the chocolate videos I did a while back with my son Weston, I am certain the ingredient lists are different!

[@Arltratlo]

if its made in the EU, you are fine, but USA and UK made i wouldnt touch!

[@Gambit771]

​@@ArltratloWhy wouldn't you touch the UK made ones? The UK probably has higher for standards than the eu, especially for beef (which I know isn't in ice cream).

[@Arltratlo]

@@Gambit771 since BREXSHIT, the UK got lower food standards... and since they importing now Aussie beef you cant export to the EU, they got even much lower standards.. they have to print on their meat packets that some meats are not to be send to the EU... because the EU got higher standards the UK dont have anymore... just look at the sewage in English water... in a sports event 60 swimmers got sick from the water!

[@Blayda1]

@@Arltratlo Please provide factual evidence of the food standards.

[@TryptychUK]

One thing I didn't hear you mention is that UK prices include 20% VAT, whereas US prices may have an additional sales tax added at the checkout, depending on what state you live in.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I really wasn't trying to do an exhaustive comparison, just show my experience shopping in Gloucestershire vs. Texas... and in Texas we don't have sales tax on groceries. Thanks so much for watching and commenting! Cheers! Dara

[@TryptychUK]

@@MagentaOtterTravels I am in Gloucestershire myself, about 10 miles from you. I do think it is worth pointing out to non-UK viewers though that the price you see on the shelf is the price you pay.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@TryptychUK nice to meet you! I do wish I had clarified about sales tax in this video. I forgot to do it, and was trying to make the video not be too long. But I have received dozens of comments about it 😬

[@tonyeden2944]

Good morning! Thanks for your lovely videos. I am an 83 year old Briton. Two points:- Have you visited my home town of Harrogate? If not then you must! A beautiful former spa town. And as you mentioned good bottled water. Your food price video was good but I wonder whether you appreciated that the Tesco "today" price you mentioned is not really a "today" price. The Tesco price which was lower is the "permanent" price for customers with a FREE Tesco Clubcard so we only pay the lower price because we have the Clubcard. It does not invalidate your calculations since customers would be daft not to have a Clubcard. (Do you use "daft" in the USA?). Another point which I am sure you know is that home delivery is so ridiculously inexpensive. You do the selection process on the PC but Tesco does the picking and delivery within a one hour time slot to your door. We haven't done a main shopping for over 20 years! Of course all the major supermarkets have home delivery. As an addition to Tesco we have an Ocado yearly plan as they deliver M&S food items; this is £40 PER YEAR for any deliveries on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday with a minimum order of £40. Why drive to the supermarket, spend time wandering round the aisles, paying, loading into the car, driving home, unloading from the car when the supermarket will do it all for next to no cost? And they price-match with eachother. I should add that our daughters and families live in Alaska and in Florida so we have spent months in the USA and visited many States over 30 times! So we are very familiar with the shopping trips to Costco, Target etc etc. In fact we have a huge Costco near where we live in Wokingham, Berkshire. One more thing. We have been on nearly 40 cruises worldwide but I feel the best ones have been around the UK and Ireland. REALLY! Usually the UK cruises have about 50% Americans/Canadian so you can see how popular they are. Forget Stonehenge - see better ones in the Scottish islands as well as Neolithic villages, yes Neolithic! Again, thank you for your videos and your sensitive and human approach to them. And you pronunciation!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Hello Tony! It's lovely to meet you. Most Americans don't use the word daft but I do... because I am quite often daft! Yes, I have a Tesco club card AND a Kroger card and ALWAYS use them when shopping to get all those great discounts! Sounds like you have visited the states as often as I've visited Britain, so we get each other ;-) And I am 100% with you on skipping Stonehenge... so many other fascinating neolithic remains to explore elsewhere... at much closer range with fewer crowds and no cost! Most importantly, I HAVE been to Harrogate, and plan to return to Yorkshire this summer with our American friends. Please check out my Harrogate vlog which I've linked below AND my Knaresborough vlog as well, because Ian captured some stunning drone footage there! Cheers for your comment and welcome to the Magenta Otter Tribe! Dara Harrogate - kzbin.info/www/bejne/m2PEmZyCoaZ9hsk Knaresborough - kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYvRo4yEbqhpjqM

[@hectorsnet]

I noticed you mentioned the sale prices. I go round all the main supermarkets and only buy the utility stuff on offer. This saves me enough per week to buy all my meat and vegetables from quality butchers and organic vegetable shops. You definitely show that fruit is very expensive in the uk. Which is annoying... And also fuel (petrol diesel electricity and gas) is very expensive in the uk 😀

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I agree... I stock up on essentials when they are on discounted offer at Tesco. And we also stock up on nonperishable stuff at Asda. I also agree that fuel and energy bills are higher in Britain. British salaries are lower too. Thanks for watching and commenting! Dara

[@roberttimms2502]

Yes important to note petrol (gas) is a lot more in uk.US shale revolution has given people living in USA cheaper heating and power.Price to pay in uk for green wind energy of which uk has more than anybody in world.Are we mugs for doing it though?

[@SuperMikado282]

Fruits are expensive in the UK because they are all imported.

[@mr-nobody-on-youtube]

The yellow club card price is really the real price. Tesco punish non members rather than so deals for members as people think

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I hear you.

[@rosemarieharvey9368]

I was really surprised at the outcome. Really thought it would be cheaper in the USA. Thank you for posting this really interesting video. Best wishes from the UK x

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to leave a comment! On Friday I'll be comparing housing costs in the US and UK. Cheers! XX Dara

[@curiositylandrover]

Interested to know if there is sales tax, when food shopping, added to the bill in the US? It is suggested that the British go shopping more often because the food has less additives and preservatives. Finally your egg comparison does not mention the health of the chicken and egg. The UK flock is pretty well salmonella free, which is why UK eggs do not need to be refrigerated, which may explain the 10% premium, or just the improved animal husbandry. Transporting live animals is highly regulated if allowed for export for example.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

There is no sales tax on groceries in Texas, as well as most states in the USA. I agree that people in Britain go shopping more frequently because the food has less preservatives, and also because many of them have much smaller refrigerators than we do in the states. Yes, American eggs are a problem. The percentage of eggs as well as raw chicken sold with salmonella is staggering! I didn't want to bring it up because it's so gross! And also, I was worried the video was getting too long! The other reason my egg comparison was difficult was that the British eggs were only a half dozen. I really needed to compare pack size of 12 to make it equivalent. If you're interested, watch my video from last Friday where I make scones with my friend in Herefordshire. She has her own chickens and they are lovely! We used a blue egg when we were making the scones!🩵 Thanks for watching and leaving your comment! Cheers! Dara

[@kcourtney6826]

In the UK you get 1-2 options in the USA you tend to get more options. Just like the beef. She was comparing organic free range when there are other options. We also tend not to shop at just one store and most people would shop deals. Bulk buy and free dry store items/freeze meats.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Next video is of low priced foods in ALDI in both Texas and England. I've already filmed it, and I'm in the middle of editing... it takes AGES!

[@westcountrywanderings]

This was a fabulous and well researched and edited video! I must admit I was very surprised that food was overall cheaper in England. Wow! We have been complaining and moaning about the +30% increases in some foods over the past couple of years here, but I guess it is a global issue, due to shortage overall, bigger populations and wars too, as well as climate change. You did this brilliantly with excellent graphics! Well done Dara! This video fully deserves to have done as well as it has. Take care, Paul

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks, Paul! You know how it is... you think a topic might do well with the algorithm and sometimes it does! Like video. But for me, most of the time it doesn't ;-) I did spend a lot of time on the calculations and graphics. Thanks for understanding the work involved. Cheers! Dara

[@williamwilliam5066]

Climate change? HAHAHAHA. Inflation everywere and always is a monetary phenomenon, ie money printing or goverment inflation tax or counterfeiting, whatever you want to call it.

[@solracer66]

In the USA it is quite common for grocers to raise prices 20% when the price they pay for an item goes up 10%. So every price increase they get from a supplier is doubled for the consumer. This means that grocers love inflation because they make a much wider margin. Oh and if you are wondering the opposite is true if a supplier price decreases. For each 10% in the decrease the grocer will drop the price 5%, or maybe even 0% if they are feeling greedy.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@solracer66 yikes 😳

[@williambelford9661]

Tesco is an expensive supermarket, unless you use their Clubcard which brings their prices down to the level of other Supermarkets 😉

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Same with Kroger. That's why I compared them... at their "non promoted" prices. Thanks for watching! Dara

[@hardywatkins7737]

Tesco is nowhere near as expensive as the Co Op, although the Co Op deny they are a supermarket ... even though they are. They call themselves a 'convenience store'. - I don't see anything 'convenient' about it. Their prices are certainly not convenient.

[@johndowds5770]

Tesco isn't an expensive supermarket , sainsbury is more expensive , the expensive supermarkets are co op , budgens ,waitrose , marks and spencers .

[@hardywatkins7737]

@@johndowds5770 In my town we have Tesco, Co Op, Lidl, Iceland. If i want to save money i'll go to Tesco and Lidl.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@hardywatkins7737 yes, in my experience they are often in small town centres that don't have other supermarkets, so they have a captive audience. And they charge you dearly😬... and sometimes I don't like their quality either.

[@RollerbazAndCoasterDad]

Great video. Worth telling the US audience those clubcard prices are available with just a free loyalty card. Also that Tesco is a mid price chain. Lidl and Aldi are cheaper. Thanks again

[@ians3586]

Exactly, never shop Tesco without a club card. We'd shop Lidl or Aldi more but there aren't any close by.

[@griswald7156]

@@ians3586you must live deep in the sticks..

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

We are too lazy to drive to Aldi... but I intend to give it a go next summer!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, the Tesco card is free just like the Kroger card. They are both mid-price chains where if you have a loyalty card you can get great deals on what you buy. That's why I compared them. Thanks for your comment! Cheers! Dara

[@keithparker5103]

​@@ians3586I never shop at Tesco, it is always Aldi or Lidl for me. I thought some of the prices quoted here from Tesco were quite high.

[@KomarBrolan]

I was curious if taxes change the price comparisons? Does the VAT tax in the UK apply to food? And does Texas tax food? Here in Minnesota food is not taxed.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

No sales tax in Texas for groceries either. The prices shown in the UK include VAT 😉

[@vjohnson2400]

I live in London and am currently on an extended holiday in the west coast of Florida and have also travelled extensively across the U.S. so have a reasonable idea of prices across a number of states. I can absolutely assure you the price of groceries in Florida cost a vast amount more than the cost of groceries you found in Texas. Additionally the prices quoted very much depend on the state in which you were shopping and of course the exchange rate of the U.S dollar against GBP.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, I agree. I have lived on both coasts, and I think they are always more expensive than middle America

[@samg2620]

If you were shopping at Publix in Florida, you were paying probably 60% more for most staples than you would have at Walmart or Aldi’s. Publix is an absolute ripoff.

[@theresabigwideworld2632]

Well done on all your work for this video! Not just comparing products but then doing currency conversion and weights and measurement conversions as well! Reading some of the comments it seems people are VERY passionate about grocery comparisons!😄

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

It's crazy, isn't it? The fact that the video has received so many views shows what a hot topic this is! Unfortunately, when a video does this well and I get a lot of views from new people, it also means I get more nasty comments. I deleted the worst ones, but there are still a lot of people who are very critical. Kind of weird since I'm just doing this for a bit of fun and people really needn't get their knickers in such a twist!

[@michellehutchinson9569]

How could anyone be negative about this video? You did an amazing job and it was just the facts. I will never understand the human mind.@@MagentaOtterTravels I loved it! I love seeing different grocery stores, price and food comparisons!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@michellehutchinson9569 some people are just cranky and critical... I feel sorry for them. Not a pleasant way to live! 💖

[@FTFLCY]

I split my shopping between M&S Food and Sainsbury's. I saw one survey that showed Tesco overall more expensive than Sainsbury, which is unusual. I've been going to the States for years, watching it get slowly more expensive year by year. The depreciation of £ has an effect for sure, but even at a theoretical decent rate, I could not believe the prices of everything (bar subway) in NYC in 2022. And don't get me on eating/drinking out!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Honestly, we shop at about 5 different stores for food! Iceland/Food Warehouse for frozen stuff, Tesco for fruit & veg, M&S when we are having guests over and want nice food, and Waitrose for popcorn! I used to go to Sainsbury's on the edge of town because it was the only place Ian could get his plant based protein milk and my pre-washed spinach! haha Yes, eating out in the states is crazy expensive... we felt like we got a much better deal at British pubs ;-)

[@andersonomo597]

I complain about the price of eating out here in Australia too but we still have some reasonable alternatives. For example, The Returned and Services League Clubs, or RSL Clubs are really nice venues where you can get a decent plate of food for under US$15 but eating out at 'nicer' restaurants is ridiculous!! Cheers from Oz!!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@andersonomo597 cheers! I love to hear comparisons with life Down Under! Nice restaurant are obscenely expensive here too...

[@alicebrewer8838]

Wow so shocked that America is so expensive compared to Britain .Its a struggle here to buy groceries so feel for you guys over there ❤

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

It's especially difficult for low income families!!

[@happycook6737]

You are very kind! We in the USA worry about UK energy prices as we hear constantly about pensioners in the UK unable to heat their living spaces. I guess times are tough everywhere.

[@boink800]

The next big battle ... which is cheaper? The US Aldi or the UK Aldi?

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

That will be my next grocery video! But I have some other fun stuff in the pipeline first... cheers!

[@Chickenlover121]

The median wage in the UK is, 34,963GBP adjusted to USD is 44,224. The median wage in the US is 46,310. Data is from 2023. As you can see by the numbers, we make similar, but the average cost of living is vastly different. The median rent in the UK is 1,276 GBP, which adjusts to 1,614 USD. The median rent in the US is, 2,146. Take home pay in the UK for that salary would be 28,694 or adjusted to USD would be, 36295 using generic tax code on gov website. I do not know enough about local taxes in the UK to know if there is something like a state tax, all I could find is council taxes which are paid by property owners. Take home pay in the US for that salary would be, 42,734 using IRS tax withholding calculator. There are only 7 out of 50 states that do not have state taxes, however, and they would be subject to one of those as well. The lowest of which is 2.50%in Arizona, leaving 41,665. The highest being California at 13.3% which would leave 37,050. Median would be 6% which would leave, 40,169 on average not including local taxes which would be far too hard to crunch the data on. Unlike the UK though, this also does not factor in health insurance which costs an average of, 8,435 per year for an individual in a group health care plan in the US. Some other interesting things is that 53% of your income in the UK is spent on rent, using the median wage and median rent. In the US, rent would be 64% of your take home pay, using the median tax rate figure for state taxes. Insurance on top of that would be another 20 % once again using those median numbers. So overall, the UK would be considered cheaper just going off of the medians for rent and insurance, let alone food.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thank you for that! Very interesting. In Texas we do not have state income tax, but property taxes are relatively high compared to other states. And we have 8.25% sales tax on purchases other than groceries.

[@jeanlongsden1696]

Dara I love how you pronounced the items in both English and American, does that make you bilingual? lol that butter was expensive, I buy 250g of Jersey butter for £1.05. I was surprized that the American meats wasn't alot more cheaper, as you have much more farming land for animals to graze. I thought you might have checked out the prices of premade taco's and also tins/packets of kidney beans, as they are local to you. great video as always, I am glad you took the time to make it.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

THANK YOU for noticing! Yes, I am bilingual! Though I often confuse myself as well as my American friends LOL Jersey might have more expensive island prices on some things... but at least you get great butter and cream at decent prices! This video was way too time consuming and hard work. Now I'm off to make a fun video about scones! Thanks for watching as always! Dara

[@fizzyridertoo]

Although there is more land for animals, a lot of American meat is raised in sheds.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@fizzyridertoo sad 😢

[@SuperLittleTyke]

@@fizzyridertoo Here in Britain, increasingly free range chickens cannot wander outside any more because of bird flu. They are confined to the sheds, but at least can freely range within the shed and are not further confined in cages. I used to buy free range eggs from a lady who keeps rehomed hens on 2 acres of land. She told me that within 6 weeks of fetching them from the factory farm their feathers start growing back and they become proper healthy chickens. Unfortunately, bird flu decimated her flock of 30 birds and now she has spare eggs only occasionally.

[@bowman4275]

I think the comparisons were really good, interesting on both sides of the aisle if you catch my meaning. The cost of ice-cream was a surprise but I would guess that with all branded items, they will charge whatever they think they can get away with which differs from country to country. Luckily, I detest Cookie-Dough ice-cream!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I don't really buy ice cream in the supermarket, but I wanted to show the comparison. Turns out Ben & Jerry's was bought by Unilever a British company... and that ice cream is produced locally ;-)

[@Electrowave]

Have you ever compared prices as a percentage of income? It would be interesting to take an average well known job such as plumber, shop worker, or something both countries can easily relate to, then break down all the expenses as a percentage of salary. I think us lot in UK often view Americans as better off but I wonder what the figures say. Maybe you have cheaper rents and cars in some areas but then large medical expenses could take quite a chunk of your income, I imagine. Are there any expenses we have in UK that you don't have in USA. I know USA varies a lot from state to state, so I imagine it would be difficult to compare as a whole country.

[@ians3586]

This is Dara's husband, Ian. In general, incomes are lower in the UK, however, based on my experience, that's not the case across the board. We had rising damp and several other problems in our flat in Cheltenham that required the use of various tradesmen. Plumbers, electricians, plasters, bricklayers, basically anyone that does skilled labor makes at least as much as similar tradesmen where we live in Texas and we're comparing two areas of similar socio-economic status. This could have something to do with a shortage of these tradesmen in the UK and it does seem like all these people are extremely busy and so can quote whatever they want for a job. The crazy thing is some of these tradesmen are doing a lot of their business "under the table" despite the huge amounts they are making and so any income statistics could be skewed. I feel bad for salaried people in the UK. The salaries are relatively low and there's nothing going under the table. In 2022 the median household income in Texas was $74,640 or £61,180 based on today's exchange rate. In the UK that number was £35,000. People in the US at that income level qualify for a large subsidy to help cover the cost of medical insurance premiums. Despite this, as you say, medical expenses in the US are higher than in just about any other developed country and often bankrupt people.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, it would be interesting... and yes it would also be very complicated! I think I need a break from the spreadsheets for a bit... so I'm off to edit a video about eating scones ;-) LOL

[@Electrowave]

@@ians3586 Thanks for that, Ian 🙂 I agree about the tradesmen, they do seem to do okay in UK. Sadly a lot of them are also not properly qualified but that is also partly the fault for people looking for the cheapest service rather than checking if they are properly registered. I hope you have a better winter in Texas this year 🙂

[@dylandajhharwood5566]

Someone may have said this here already but Tesco is very clever with its products. They've essentially got 4 levels of own-brand (store brand) products. From highest 'quality' to lowest Tesco Finest Tesco Creamfields, Eastmans, Hearty Food Co etc etc Rather than have a plain white package with "TESCO BASIC CHEESE" stamped in plastic, they've designed a brand above that. These internal names are only available in Tesco stores but the quality is actually very good. The cheese, meat and dried pasta is just as good as Tesco or name-brand. - You'll notice these brand with the little white disc on the front which says "Exclusively at Tesco"

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks for that! Is Stockwell's one of the basic names too? I have to say that I think the Creamfields fresh mozzarella is just fine. I'm happy to keep buying it because it's cheap as chips and better than what I get in Texas... for much more money!

[@zaphodbeeblebrox6627]

I was about to bring up the ‘Tax’ issue ( any VAT is included in the purchase price) in the UK, but maybe someone already brought that question up. Is that the same for groceries in the US as I thought tax was added at check out and can vary from state to state?

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Yes, Sales Tax is always added at the till, but groceries are not taxed in most states. Everything else is though 😉! Cheers for watching and commenting! Dara

[@britainonabudget]

YES !!! Grocery Nerds!!!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

#FoodNerdsUnite

[@ulsterfly]

I have travelled frequently from the uk to New Jersey many times over the years , I have noticed especially in recent years how much more expensive groceries are in New Jersey supermarkets compared to Tesco here in the UK . Also the quality and labelling of food here in the uk is so much better , mainly due probably to the lack of food regulation in the USA .

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I agree with most of what you said, but I have one small disagreement... I absolutely hate the nutrition facts paneling in Britain! I find it so confusing! They are actually are a lot of food regulations in the US, and the nutrition facts panels were completely overhauled a couple years ago. I think they are really good now. And much more useful compared to Britain.😉

[@DVB1848]

@@MagentaOtterTravelsI live in U.K. since 1968. I have a heart condition and I am Type 2 diabetes. I always read the nutritional information on whatever I buy - except vegetables and fruits. It helps me to buy foods that are low in fat, carbs, sugar, and calories.

[@johnwaddell7239]

Lack of regulation in usa also in usa food producers are allowed to use chemicals and systems that have been banned in europe and uk for many many years ,this should have lowered their production costs along with cheaper fuel but it does not seem to have done so ,obviously the america farm companies have a much stronger lobby with their politicians of course no fam subsidies in usa which have always been a subsidy to consumer in europe ,these subsidies have been dramatically cut in uk in recent years and are due to completly stop in next couple of years which can only mean less uk producers and less food produced which will raise the price

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@johnwaddell7239 that's concerning!

[@cjb8010]

Let’s not get carried away. There is extensive food regulation in the US.

[@davidmarsden9800]

When you're back in the UK you should shop at Aldi as a lot of the items such as hummus is 89p and a lot of your items were much cheaper as well. Although there is not as much choice of the same items and some items that they don't stock. I used to shop at Tesco and changed some years back and use Tesco or Morrisons for the items that Aldi don't sell. I've seen a few videos on US food and how our food laws won't allow the things in some of the US food such as bread have in them especially the difference between the McDonald's and KFC fast food ingredients. Interesting video although a bit of a busman's holiday for you though. Still keeps you mentally agile.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

It was EXHAUSTING! Now I'm going to do a fun video for next Friday and take a break! Time to show me baking and eating scones with a friend... using fresh eggs from the chickens in her back garden! Yes, I really need to give a try at shopping at Aldi or Lidl back in Chelthenham. The Aldi where we live here in Texas is really far away. But I dont' like that I can't get EVERYTHING on my list. Since Ian does all the driving in Britain, I try to just have him take me to do one big shop a week ;-) Here in Texas I shop for food at probably 5 different places since different things are best in certain stores!

[@sarahporter3782]

Wages aren't the same rent isn't the same so obviously food will have different price. The only way you could work this out is to work out 2 family's food allowance after expenses and seeing what each family can get. In the UK and the US

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

According to overall macroeconomic data, Britons spend more on food as a percentage of income than Americans do.

[@StraightAA]

I lived and worked in North America for 22 years. Back in the UK now, I have to agree with the comments re: quality and price. The UK (and Europe) diets are far more healthy with less additives etc, Interesting videos, thank you.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Thanks very much! I talk about food quality in my recent "culture shocks" video 😉. I notice a big difference... Cheers for your comment! Dara