The average cost of groceries in Britain vs America

[@HF-tj8db]

Most of the items you chose in the U.K. were premium brands, I’d love to see this comparing basic brands like Tesco own brand for example. Would be even more jarring.

[@AmyFutch]

Those were the expensive ones!!! 💀💸

[@Noname-xu2mu]

Or aldi

[@chokolatelatte4764]

Yes, thought it strange picking some of those items, like taste the difference tomatoes when standard are a lot cheaper.

[@garygcrook]

@@AmyFutch Yes, as most stores have their own brand products plus cheap White Label goods or lowest price products under a specific name. Tesco have Stockwell as the brand on all their cheapest products.

[@AUniqueHandleName444]

Well, unless he went to Trader Joe's, or God forbid, Walmart. I thought those were all very pricey. $3.80 for white bread is NUTS

[@davidhyams2769]

And remember that the "local" smaller branches of Sainsbury's, Tesco, etc, are actually more expensive than the bigger branches. These smaller shop are not where you'd typically do your big grocery shop, but might be where you get your meal deal lunch or those occasional essentials that you've run out of or forgotten, like milk or bread.

[@mothturtle7897]

Although in London and other inner cities they do function as regular supermarkets for many people, particularly those who don't have cars - much easier to pick up your dinner on the way home from work everday than schlep to the big Tesco and back once a week. But definitely not a good representation of the UK as a whole, I agree.

[@KathleenMc73]

The local stores don't tend to stock the own brands for some reason. Only the big brands.

[@KathleenMc73]

Hiw is it a win for apples? A pack of 4 for £2.20 against $1 per apple in the States?

[@Akuu820]

@@mothturtle7897 it depends on what part of London you live in. North and West London tend to have larger supermarket in walking distance because the residential areas are hundreds of years old. South and East London were traditionally industrial and developed for housing more recently. Planners and developers obviously prioritised packing in loads of flats that they could sell rather than use the land for a large supermarkets.

[@RC-pj1pr]

Yeah, a lot of the advertised promotions are not valid in the local/express stores, as noted on the footnotes during the adverts.

[@oceanfloop]

My husband is American (I'm British) we have lived in both locations and it always blew my mind how expensive grocery shopping was. I cant stomach regular American super market bread so we would have to drive half an hour to a bakery and spend $6 on an "artisan" loaf, not too different to a fresh Tesco loaf at 0.70p. He didn't realise it was such a big difference until we moved back here and he would freak out every time we were at the checkout with a full cart without breaking £50. He recently went back home and would send me updates on just how bad all the food is and how expensive it is "Why does this have sugar in it" was the most common complaint, alongside "I miss Tesco."

[@luluah1198]

Sounds like my sister’s best mate. She moved to the USA and lived there for several years and she would often get my sister to send her suitcase stash of British products. But bread is fresh and perishable so…. She would literally cry for British bread 😂 She’s not a cook a very lazy but she gave in and purchased a bread maker. She only needed 1 large loaf a week, so she would make two and freeze 1. She said it tasted just as good as British bread,’if not better . So bread machine would save you having to travel all the time ;)

[@gnaeuscloudsleyclodiusrufu87]

As an American who moved to the UK recently, the difference is astounding. It's one of the surprising things about the UK. I'd love to see someone do an economic breakdown of food prices in the US vs UK and see the prices through various stages in the supply chain.

[@VoxelLoop]

Are some of those products imported to the US? You guys don't make your own bread or something? 😅 Those prices are insane if they're locally produced.

[@Evasion381]

this is blowing my mind because I'm always hearing how cheap things are in the USA (mainly clothes and food)

[@HonkerzGang]

@@VoxelLoop we don't make our own anything 😭

[@Rachel0tt]

As a Brit who just moved to America, I had the same but opposite experience to you!! I’m shocked how much money I’m spending just on food here!!

[@charlotteinnocent8752]

Oh yes I would LOVE to see where those costs are coming from. I lived in Cali near lots of farmland and even the very things I could see growing on the trees outside if bought in the store... I HIGHLY suspect price gouging.

[@RebakaChan]

I watched this yesterday but had to come back to comment this; The family in front of me at the grocery store, spent 673 us dollars (about 594 pounds at the time of typing) on one full cart of groceries. This wasn’t at a fancy place. That’s insanity to me.

[@gotham61]

Cleaned out the caviar department?

[@destinitra]

Okay that is crazy. I thought it was bad here. We are generally seen as one of the most expensive places in the uk where a one bedroom terraced house goes for £550k. I figured out that my weekly shop is probably about £100 but this is just insane.

[@TraceUK]

Jesus H Christ on a bike at Christmas!?! $673???????????

[@jaycee330]

@@TraceUK I'd like to see exactly WHAT they were buying? Lots of junk items/big name brand/sweets/sodas/etc? How big of a family?

[@EnglishTeaDrinker5]

what the fuck were they buying? was like 3 months shopping or were they buying diamonds and guns too? our family shop for a very hungry family of 4 never exceeds £120 (133 usd at the time of the pound's crash) and we buy fairly high end and name brand items. Edit: week's worth of food for clarification

[@craigbryant9925]

As a South African (lower median income and weak economy) we were terrified of what it was going to cost to feed us when we went over to the UK a few years ago. I was blown away to realise that, even with a 21\1 conversion on our currency, I was able to feed us for under what we budget for at home. Yes, there are things that are priced considerably higher but those are mostly vices and luxury items. Staple foods were extremely affordable and if you know what to look out for you could eat extremely well for not very much. I have always been a "frugal" shopper so I made our poor travel mates get stuck in supermarkets for hours on the first few days of the trip so that I could figure out our meals for pretty much the entire visit (perk/downside of traveling with a former chef and kitchen manager, I suppose).

[@unknowncommenter6698]

Damn, I heard in SA you don't have electricity a lot of time just because yet another selfish bastard have stolen a wire.

[@craigbryant9925]

@@unknowncommenter6698 We often don't have electricity. Sometimes it's because cables were stolen but usually it's just because corruption, nepotism and downright ignorance has lead to our infrastructure being near collapse.

[@unknowncommenter6698]

@@craigbryant9925 oh, so it's more like situation where they don't make any power in the first place, not that someone steals a cable...

[@craigbryant9925]

@@unknowncommenter6698 The power is often down and thereby makes it easier to steal the cables because there is no power going through it. We have a schedule that tells us when we will have blackouts because the infrastructure is so ill maintained and inadequate. The guys who steal the cables then use those schedules so that they are less likely to cook themselves while cutting the cable.

[@unknowncommenter6698]

@@craigbryant9925 oh, kinda reminds me of what started in Ukraine after Crimean bridge. Rationing, sometimes days for nothing

[@NoorAnomaly]

As a Norwegian living in the Midwest (Please send help! 🤣) it boggles me that American groceries are on par with Norwegian prices. I went over to visit my mother over the summer, and the prices seemed reasonable. Until I remember that I make about half in the US compared to what I'd make in Norway. Americans are being fleeced, not just groceries, but wages, taxes and health insurance.

[@tomrogue13]

Depends where you are in the Midwest lol

[@bigbake132]

Why did you move here then? Move back.

[@wholesome122]

It’s because we vote for politicians who complicate these things and spend and print money like it’s nothing.

[@michele4040]

I live in the midwest too. I am so amazed that people are offended by this comment 🤣 apparently they want low wages, high health care costs, and expensive food? Perhaps our us low standards of living makes us superior in some way? 😅🤣

[@mominthe209]

No, they are just afraid someone who doesn’t look like them may get the same. Praise Jesus 🙄

[@cacwgm]

UK grocery prices are famously (infamously?) low relative to median income. This is due to absolutely brutal competition between the major grocery chains, which has led to aggressive negotiations with suppliers, incredibly efficient logistics, and razor-thin margins in pursuit of volume. Here in Singapore, the industry is a bit more civilised, so prices make the US look cheap... I've been here 25+ years, and this sort of comparison still hurts.

[@VoxelLoop]

In the UK we have Aldi, they caused A LOT of pain for major chains as their off-brand products were always cheap, much cheaper than seen in this video for known brands. We had many TV advertisements saying "Price matched with Aldi", but then Aldi released their own TV ad mocking these other ones saying "Why not just go to Aldi?". 😅 It's almost like anti-monopoly laws create competition and bring prices down, right? If only the US could withstand lobbying enough to push similar legislation through.

[@rehurekj]

@@VoxelLoop I dont think it was just legislation thing, in Europe( including UK) we had several waves of price wars between supermarket chain in last 20/ 30 years which led to increased consolidation of their market share across the continent which ended basically dividing each market between few, like four or so, strongest locally present competitors, e.g. I liked to shop in Carrefour but they didn't manage to sustain the pressure and their market share, sold the stores to their competitors in mid 2000s and left Czech market. .

[@janebaker966]

No,I don't want to pay more for food in respect to the farmers because A) the farmers won't get the extra money B) that's a middle class affectation. And C) I'm poor.

[@JamieFrew]

Was this the baked bean wars of the 90s?

[@HF-tj8db]

Yup definitely. My mum lives in a very rural area and within a 10 min drive you have a Tesco, sainsburys, Lidl, aldi, heron foods and Iceland. Loads of competition so drives prices down.

[@andycooke6231]

As Aldi is a presence in both US and UK it would be interesting to compare prices, unfortunately their US site does not list prices, it just says 'see in store'.

[@jcmjcm1945]

Exactly I shop aldies and it is cheaper then what he is posting. Wonder why he chooses the ones he did which are more expensive.

[@MRSketch09]

@@jcmjcm1945 He said in the video that he was going for an "apple to apple comparison" on the store type... so that's probably why.

[@expatbrit32]

Aldis is not cheap anymore - their prices have gone up so much there's little difference in going to ShopRite

[@phaeste]

@@expatbrit32 that is gonna make for an even more terrifying comparison then

[@andrewlollis5441]

Yes. I was just thinking only brand name bread is over $3. Aldi's cheap bread is much the same at just over a dollar

[@bbibbibu]

a lot of the comments are saying the british ones were branded food so it would be super interesting to do another video like this but “on a budget” version where you choose the cheapest version of each product and see the difference

[@pjschmid2251]

To be fair he chose branded items for US as well. The only problem is it seems that he chose the most expensive US grocery stores he could. Unless New Jersey has food prices that are about twice that of Illinois some of those prices are just insane.

[@bbibbibu]

@@pjschmid2251 i don’t really know much about either country but it would be interesting for him to do the cheapest options from both countries (maybe he could find the no.1 most popular store in the us by number, even if it isn’t in every state, and then compare cheap own brand prices to uk own brand prices

[@VtorHunter]

@@pjschmid2251 Those prices were very sandard for out here on the west coast too. And he didn't choose Whole Foods so not the most expensive for sure.

[@katbryce]

For cheese for example, I would always buy own brand, and if I want higher quality, I would buy the shops finest/taste the difference range, and for fruit and vegetables, branded just isn't a thing. It is very different in the US in that respect.

[@fairlyironic]

@@pjschmid2251 Yeah, I'm in the Midwest as well and the prices he lists are about twice what is typical around here. The problem is that the US is so large that there are enormous regional differences.

[@LivvyAlex]

Groceries are definitely cheaper in the uk than Canada. When I went to England in 2014, it was about half the price. It was astronomical. I’m on a single income and groceries kill me every week

[@123a03-m]

The price of groceries in Canada is definitely out of control....

[@mgrd1118]

Yeees! I also live in Canada and it's so crazy expensive!!! I'm french and everytime I go back to visit it feels like everything is so cheap

[@stewedfishproductions7959]

My two sisters who live in Canada (one in Toronto, the other Vancouver), visit at least once a year (except during Covid). They were here a couple of months ago with my brothers-in-law and we spent a few days in London (where I live), then we travelled to the Wales, The Wirral and Scotland visiting relatives etc... The most conversation or commenting all the time was how cheap it is to buy food and drink in comparison to Canada. They were already aware of the fact, but noticed the price 'gap' seemed to have widened considerably. EDIT: I should mention that it did NOT apply to eating out in restaurants, bistros or pubs (except 'Spoons') - Only going to supermarkets or stores !

[@paulguise698]

Sorry to hear that Olivia, I thought Canada was really cheap, but likely not, Alanna(off Adventures and naps, you can Subscribe to Alanna's channel if you would like too) showed how much it was in the British section of Walmart, a bottle of Heinz Ketchup was like $4.00, a bar of Caburys Chocolate was $3.50 so it is quite expensive,

[@lizcollinson2692]

Oh excellent, I live in Toronto for like 3 years and I never managed to get the food bill down, now I understand why a bit more. I was never great with money and honestly tracking it all was just beyond me. Currency conversion with not understanding what was and wasn't a brand 🤯

[@tanyaansley8606]

We are also experiencing shortages on certain products in the U.S. and catfood is one of the shortages. Also, for a family of four...and we are not eating steak every night...our monthly grocery bill is around $1,000.00...it's insane! Last year our monthly grocery bill was around $750.00

[@simserelly3564]

As someone who has only ever really known UK prices apart from the odd European holiday, I'm curious as to what the income is like in New Jersey in comparison to the UK and whether that plays any part in it? Would love to see a UK versus US income video I.e. teacher, bin man, solicitor, customer service worker etc. Whatever the most common jobs are.

[@zahraaghaswala]

Yh would be interesting to see the proportion of income taken up by groceries. I think on average american salaries are higher compared to the uk for people in white collar jobs idk about other groups of workers

[@katyweaver7689]

It's really difficult to compare spendable income when the US has the health insurance issues to contend with. It can be hard to even compare between US jobs since there's so much obfuscation on what is or isn't covered and how much the employer is going to chip in etc.

[@TCJones]

Avg salery in the uk is like 25, mabye 26k, bin men make 30k ish. From what i have seem on other random online info. American jobs tend to pay twice as much in usd , like 70k but that s not enough, see people on redit complain all the time 70k a year is not enough and think, why, but i went to sf for the 1st time this year and it was 7$ for 8 slices of ham in safeway, we paid $11 for a hand full of cherries from a street stall, both items would have been £2 for twice as much food min, hell the cherries still make me feel ripped off!

[@CathyPowellGlass]

I'm a Brit who worked in California for a year back 16 years ago and I can vouch that my salary was also twice as much in the US as it was in the UK. You have to look at this in relation to the average earnings. They are much higher in the US, even after health insurance in my case. Its a little more nuanced than this.

[@chatteyj]

@@TCJones Bin men make £30k ? Crikey I'm in the wrong job!

[@KrisRifa]

Being from Norway this is shocking, not only the fact that the US is so much more expensive than the UK - but also much more expensive than here in Norway 😬

[@jackmason7823]

Having just recently come back to the UK from a work trip in Norway, I can honestly state that the fact the US beats Norway is absolutely insane! I nearly fainted at my Burger King in Oslo! haha

[@Henrik_Holst]

And Norway is so expensive that you guys (the ones who lives near the border) travels to us in Sweden to buy it cheap... Which makes me wonder one more thing, the prices are so much more expensive in the US but the stores still claim to not afford decent salaries, sick pay, payed holidays, maternity/paternity leave and so on...

[@KrisRifa]

@@jackmason7823 really? I just checked the prices of Burger King in Norway vs UK and a Wopper Meal in the UK is 6.99£ while in Norway it is 91NOK which equals 7,48£... Steakhouse Angus Meal is 8,99£ in the UK and 127NOK in Norway or 10,44£. So yes about 10% more expensive, but nothing close to twice the price as in the US 🙈😬😬

[@jackmason7823]

@@KrisRifa well it cost me £16 for a large BK meal in Oslo... So did I get ripped off? 😅😂

[@KrisRifa]

@@jackmason7823 holy crap, yeah sounds like you actually may have gotten ripped off! Never seen anything cost that much at BK before and can’t find anything more expensive than 14£ on their menu. But that’s for the a double truffle meal! Unless you ate past midnight on a Friday or Saturday? There are often night prices for people who eat after going out, then it’s much more expensive 😬

[@rivenadeshizzle]

I’m in Southern California and I am shocked at the “US prices” he’s showing. I never pay that much for food lol. I mainly buy from Costco and Aldi, and ethnic stores. I never buy groceries from Walmart or Target.

[@expatbrit32]

Try going to Safeway in San Jose. Everything costs $2 more.

[@thecrone7964]

I live in PA and can get a family size box of cereal for under $5 and butter is less the $3 - both brand names, not store brand which is cheaper. Everything is more expensive than the current crazy prices - except for the eggs which are currently over $4 per dozen.

[@jadeh2699]

Consider yourself fortunate then. Seemed to me he was quoting a little on the low side for US prices. People are moving from fruit, vegetables and fish, to pasta, rice and beans these days. And you can forget meat altogether!

[@marciamartins1992]

I paid $3.76 for a dozen eggs today in TX ...I don't consider it a big city.

[@marciamartins1992]

At least you guys have the 99cents stores...only one game in town here.

[@corynhaley]

I'm a Canadian that moved from Vancouver to London earlier this year and it amazes me how cheap groceries are in comparison even in central London. On the flip side though, restaurant prices and drinks are roughly 1.5-2 times more expensive here (depending on the conversion rates) which makes it so much harder to justify eating meals out. My go-to example of the difference in cost is a standard pack of Halloumi will run you roughly £1.50 compared to $8-10 in Canada

[@SirZanZa]

and that's with London tax premium, it will likely be cheaper outside of London in the rest of England and the UK ...London is also so expensive to have a meal out, everywhere else though, cheap as can be

[@jeanniewarken5822]

Thats because restaurant staff are paid a living wage so you dont feel obliged to tip at least 25% of the cost of a meal.. 10% tip is fine providing service is satisfactory

[@MrOgMonster]

Cyprus is also half the distance from the UK than compared to Canada

[@alstonjacobs4934]

@@jeanniewarken5822 12% is the standard tip amount here unless you get delivery food (15%) or restaurant (18%). Also, they get minimum wage, at least here in BC, which I think is the highest in all of Canada

[@alstonjacobs4934]

I feel the Vancouver squeeze even without moving away. Inflation has just moved that squeeze inwards to the heart.

[@RobertHDPotatoes]

Something overlooked at 10:10 is that plenty of other states in the US may allow a "local tax" or equivalent, instead of a statewide sales tax. For example, North Carolina is not listed on that list, and if you look it up North Carolina indeed does not have any "sales tax" on groceries, but instead has a uniform "local" sales tax on groceries of 2%. No idea how many other states are like this, but just goes to show how complicated and messy taxes are in the US.

[@VoxelLoop]

What's worth noting as well regarding tax is that the numbers you saw for the UK are including our 20% VAT! (Sales tax) We pay for products with the tax included, not included at the checkout. :)

[@kadams3029]

@@VoxelLoop I don't think VAT is charged on staple items (the kind of thing Evan was looking at here) -- just on things like sweets, snack foods, and alcohol.

[@LadyMephistopheles]

@@kadams3029 i think the point was mostly that what you add together is what you pay cause VAT is included in your total if applicable, as opposed to adding the tax on top of the running total more than whether VAT is included in groceries

[@travisdabis9805]

Idaho has a sales tax for everything at 6% ! Washington state is 8%. Oregon has no sales tax (but higher taxes for other stuff).

[@duncancallum]

@@kadams3029 VAT is applied in Australia if one buys a cooked chicken , uncooked no VAT. basic foodstuffs in Australia untaxed .also the price on the goods sold is the price one pays no hidden taxes .and i believe prices like uncooked chickens in the UK is the same as Aussie , cooked chickens Vat applies in the UK also.

[@tanglewife]

I assume we say 4 pints instead of half a gallon of milk is because milk used to come in 1 pint glass bottles, so it's just four of them. Nobody in the UK really uses gallons for anything anymore, and most people couldn't tell you how many pints to a gallon. Also, UK Imperial pint/gallon is almost 20% larger than the US version!

[@Deladus]

Every time I have watched a cooking show from the UK I always marvel at how much they get for the price. Glad to see I wasn't crazy and that things are indeed way cheaper. Wish I was mistaken though...

[@alaskanmolly4419]

I did a summer in the UK, and was astounded each and every time I went shopping! There were so many things UNDER a pound! Going back to the states made me sad as I realized how cheap groceries can be.

[@kingofracism]

Maybe your Alaskan location has something to do with that?

[@suigeneris6397]

@@kingofracism Nah, I'm in UK now, but before lived in Florida and Iowa. UK prices are vastly cheaper than both Florida and Iowa. Alaska might be a little bit more pricey than Florida and Iowa but that doesn't take away from the fact that UK is way cheaper in general. UK also has cheaper car insurance, phone data plans, and they spend less on heat and air con. The only things that are more expensive in the UK are alcohol, cigarettes and petrol.

[@kingofracism]

@@suigeneris6397 to add to your list of more expensive things in the UK, technology I think it more expensive. The UK being cheaper than Florida and Iowa isn't surprising but Alaska I would have thought would be a little bit different. It's all relative though, because us citizens on average also earn more than British citizens.

[@susie2251]

They have it made in the UK for produce, ie fruits and vegetables. And fresh herbs, OMG, they cost a fortune in the US.

[@susie2251]

@@debesysg6959 yeah, they went a little loopy there with the cheaper heat and car insurance. Food yes. Cell phone, yes. But I’ve lived in both and car insurance was more expense and heating was drastically more expensive. I think possibly Americans are forced to spend more in the aggregate on heating. But that’s just because it’s so super cold in some parts of the US and there is no choice but to be pay it if you want you and your house to survive. But the cost per kWh or relevant gas unit is lower than the UK. Likewise on AC, Americans will not put up with an uncomfortable temperature and prioritize it so jack it up in summer. So our bills are big. But that’s usage being more, not the cost being more.

[@hectorquinones5579]

Higher income drives demand led inflation (innit?), so it would be interesting to adjust the prices on both sides with Purchase Parity to see how expensive or cheap the groceries really are.

[@kazzagreen84]

Wow. I'm Australian and I just assumed that the US would have cheaper groceries than everywhere. Wasn't expecting this 😱

[@Guttlegob]

@@joatmofa0405 USA is expensive.

[@chatteyj]

@@Guttlegob And UK is cheap (for food) the supermarkets have been engaged in price wars for decades. Prices on some products haven't risen or are even less than twenty years ago eg chicken thighs. Although this is also down to the supply chain going back to the farmers doing efficiency and cost cutting measures over the years.

[@Cubeforc3]

Every time an American food KZbinr does anything to do with prices it's insane. It shocks me every time that a country that has so much space to grown their own food pays such crazy prices.

[@chatteyj]

@@Cubeforc3 Indeed this is all shocking news to me, I assumed US food was dirt cheap.

[@jaspermartin7444]

well that's why I'm wondering if this guy is some sort of fake news. Because an australian friend and I just happened to be talking food, and grocery stores, so we started posting links to each other, both of us using our local online grocery app. And the american walmart was cheaper than his australian grocery store

[@charleyb.8286]

As a young adult in America, I recently moved out of college dorms/parent's house and am budgeting and cooking all my own food, it's really sinking in how expensive basic groceries are. Even stuff like milk, eggs, and grain which should be very local to my area is two to three times the price of goods in London (it's about the same if you go to a farmer's market but those typically only run in the summer). I also lived in Sweden for a summer and from what I saw even there groceries were wildly cheaper than the US despite its reputation for being an expensive country

[@raultelles9896]

Find a cheaper grocery store

[@iNabber]

the terrifying realisation of that being my local sainsburys

[@evan]

Just passed you on my way back from filming the sequel lmao

[@lilacsrain6004]

oh I would love to see an "own brand"/budget version of this. I don't think we've ever had the luxury of buying tilda rice 😭😭

[@zahidshabir4038]

Tilda Basmati rice is usually not a thing most South Asians buy. That is normally just what non South Asians would get if they are making a South Asian rice dish. We normally get South Asian brands that are not commonly known outside of the South Asian community and usually get like 10KG-20KG sacks not a small measly 1KG bag you can easily get Basmati rice for as little as £1 per kilo when shopping around especially in Asian grocery shops like most South Asians do but that is only if you are willing to get like a 10KG bag or something. I actually think getting something like a 10 or 20KG bag is totally worth it since rice is dried food and has a few years shelf life. Usually the brands put 3-4 years date on it but from experience as well as from my mums experience growing up in Pakistan she said they would grow and harvest their OWN rice and even be using it 4-5 years down the line without issues and that is homegrown without being professionally harvested and dried like they do with rice that is sold in the UK

[@john_smith1471]

Sainsbury’s local to me is the smaller convenience version of their standard supermarkets, I find them more pricey than their larger stores, Evan showed branded items like Lurpak butter and Kelloggs cornflakes, Sainsburys own label brand is as good and cheaper.

[@RushfanUK]

I have a Sainsbury Local that I use near me and yes they up the prices in the Local compared to main supermarkets.

[@stewedfishproductions7959]

He shopped at a Sainsbury's LOCAL !!! Higher prices than a large Sainsbury's store... And more costly than ASDA, Lidl or Aldi - So not the best prices to compare - DUH !!!

[@LiqdPT]

Sure, but he also showed branded products from the US side as well. Those weren't the cheap store brands.

[@MogX34]

All the main supermarkets charge about 10% more in their convenience locations (Sainsburys Local or Tesco Express). This is mostly due to the extra cost of the logistics, as generally they need to be delivered in smaller volumes - for example a 'main' store might get a dozen cases of baked beans delivered with 24 tins in the case, while the convenience store would be sent three 12-item cases.

[@LiqdPT]

@@MogX34 10% doesn't sound like all that much. In the US, "convenience stores" are the things you find attached to gas stations. And if you actually buy any of the grocery items they sell, expect to pay 2-3x as much.

[@sarasate89]

It's crazy that the UK is so much cheaper, especially considering food prices have risen so much. My weekly shop 4 years ago was £65-70. It's now £95-100

[@joyaustin6581]

I’m American and have heard of the Uk markets but not the American markets.

[@JaidenJimenez86]

For how many people? I do a fortnightly shop at Lidl for myself and it's ~£60 with stuff like beer and wine in there. (Although I normally spend £5 a day on lunch at motorway services).

[@jimmydean1831]

Probably because wages are so much lower as well. Google the minimum wages of both countries lmao

[@salls523]

@jimmydean1831 Actually, this isn’t about wages. US groceries are just extremely expensive. Minimum wage varies by state but the UK minimum wage is actually higher than a lot of states. You also may get the idea that the average American earns 6 figures etc because they determine their median income by household income (2 people). But the American median PERSONAL income is around $40,000 whereas the UK is £32,000 which is around $40,000. The UK is lucky to have relatively cheap groceries.

[@nofiltersenzafiltro9596]

@@jimmydean1831 minumum wage in uk its double te usa

[@BOABModels]

It's 4 pints of milk as the traditional milk bottle delivered to your door is a pint so it's a unit which Brits are very familiar with.

[@jmurray1110]

Here in NI we just use litres Like my family buys 3l bottles Though we do drink a lot (30L a week for 6 of us)

[@Momo_1412]

@@jmurray1110 I’m glad you said this I was so confused by the 4pints, never seen this before in NI 😂

[@jmurray1110]

@@Momo_1412 yeah quite frankly I think we just don’t use gallons in general like even fuel is litres

[@Momo_1412]

@@jmurray1110 very true I have no concept of how much a Gallon is 😅

[@BOABModels]

@@jmurray1110 NI is Northern Ireland I presume? I wonder if what you buy is packaged for sale in the Republic as well where metric is more the norm. Britain has such a weird attitude towards mixing metric and imperial, in my opinion I'd prefer it if everything went metric - I used to teach and the children always thought imperial was some sort of joke. Milk seems to be the only liquid which is sold predominantly in pints (apart from at the pub) rather than litres and ml.

[@sarahmichie4382]

This goes a long way to explain the american love story with diners and eating out! I always wondered how / why it was more normalised in american culture to have breakfast out, never cook etc but it's all making sense now.

[@lisafleury1254]

Restaurants, in general, are cheaper in the US, so that has to be factored in. Plus if you're single, eating out can make a lot of sense. No food waste/spoilage at home, and it's a total part of socializing culture. Dinner parties are becoming more of a rarity, and people meet up in public to eat together.

[@donaldhoult7713]

@Sarah Michie. That doesn't add up for me. The vendor of cooked food buys his supplies at wholesale prices, pays ( most times I imagine ) both him/herself and staff wages, premises and energy costs. It MUST be much cheaper making food at home, so it must be a cultural thing, big income, idleness or sheer stupidity.

[@raultelles9896]

Americans eat out because they have the wealth to do so NOT because it's cheaper than cooking at home. It's way cheaper to cook at home.....

[@brandijohnson1326]

It's cheaper cooking at home and healthier people need to learn how to cook.

[@janesmith9024]

Interesting. I just about never eat out in the UK as wages are so high, minimum wage etc, that it is much much more expensive than eating in.

[@reebeeable]

I am in Minnesota and pay about half of what you show as US prices on most items and no tax on food. Of course our salaries reflect the lower cost of living. I’d love to see, a comparison of prices in different states within the US. Glad I found your channel.

[@wholesome122]

Exactly, each state and even city is going to be vastly different from another

[@littleredhen3354]

The prices for US are way lower than we get charged here in nowhere anyone visits Florida.

[@jamestaylor3805]

No, the lower cost of living reflects your salaries, not the other way around. Rural americans are proof that inflation is a corporate construct. Your prices stay lower because you don't have anything more to be fleeced for.

[@reebeeable]

@@jamestaylor3805 I live in Minneapolis which is a bit above the average median income. It is a sad fact that people in rural Minnesota (not including Minneapolis/ST. Paul) earn less but pay much MORE for food. I assume this is because many rural towns have just one grocer who can charge whatever they want, because they lack economies of scale and from higher transportation costs. We don’t pay tax on groceries so maybe that factors in too.

[@jamestaylor3805]

@@reebeeable then Minnesota is the opposite of the trends I have enountered in several states. Food in cities can cost upto 5 times as much as in the suburbs of that very same city.

[@Sayitlikitiz101]

France is known for having very high food standards and a culinary culture emphasizing seasonal and local produce and typically higher grocery prices than neighboring European countries (or used to), but I was always surprised by how much cheaper than in the US grocery shopping there was. And if the quality is taken into account, the difference is even more astonishing. Shopping in Spain or France is a pleasure, Europe is doing things right!

[@truckerfromreno]

@Meh Is it heck.

[@medealkemy]

Also the EU subsidies a lot of foods (fruits, vegetables, milk, cereals...) so there's that

[@medealkemy]

@@aeolia80 oh yeah, then again I'm not sure a lot of people are into roasted turkey in France - it's anecdotal, but I've spent more Christmases eating chapon, venison or foie gras than turkey

[@medealkemy]

@Meh okay ??? I'm talking about the cheap prices in France

[@LouLou10000]

Only to the french. It's not known for high food standards by any other eu nation lol. It's known for being expensive.

[@Rhubba]

My wife and I went on a self-catering holiday to America a few years ago and we were so shocked at how expensive groceries were in the US we ended up eating out most of the time as restaurants were cheaper than eating in!

[@eclipse369.]

1lb hamburger near is like 4 bucks and makes 6 burgers. You just lazy and/or expensive tastes

[@greeneyedredhead61]

Wouldn't be that way now, restaurants have gone way up, ever since they raised minimum wage and then there's inflation. But even a few years ago, still way more expensive to eat out then to cook for yourself. What cities did you visit? And convenient foods are always more expensive in grocery stores. Such as pre cut up fruits and vegetables. Ready-made sandwiches. Cooked fried Chicken. All these are more expensive in stores. But if you buy groceries raw and fresh and have a place to cook them yourself you would find that it is much cheaper to do that than to go out to eat. When I go on vacation I like to rent places that have a kitchen and I do my own cooking.

[@minkgin3370]

I’ve visited Australia quite often in recent years & I have found their foodstuffs are a lot more expensive than in the UK. We went for a quick lunch we could walkabout eating one time from Subway & I got my standard Tuna & cheese 6” baguette. When we worked out the price it was half as much again as in the UK. I didn’t bother after that. Btw…I bought the same sandwich in Beijing, China & that was quite a bit cheaper than in the UK.

[@liadanducky]

In the uk right now and I keep marveling at the prices. My husband keeps reminding me we get paid more in the states but with the cost of rent and insurance etc, I’m still spending more back home on everything and coming out poorer

[@TG-nd9rj]

prices have been increasing exponentially as well. I work as a Deli clerk at my local Kroger store. when I started working there in February, most of the deli meats that I slice (turkey, ham, etc) cost $7.99-8.99 a pound. now, 8 months later, it's $11.99-13.99 for the same amount. I can barely afford groceries.

[@sagichdirdochnicht4653]

The problem is that ANYTHING went up. Meat should be (WAY) much expansive anyway and the extra cost most go into compensating the damage done by the meat. No I am not a vegan, nor a vegetarian, I do eat meat. We just consume WAY to much of it. Meat, as we "produce" (raising and killing animals) it in our industrial world is anything but sustainable. Vegetables. Fruits. Grains. Dairy. ANYTHING is more expansive. And that is the problem.

[@topvivid91]

You're preaching to the choir !! One of the first things I noticed about moving to the UK was how insanely cheap food was. And then I was flabbergasted again when I went from sainsburys to lidl. I went back to the US recently on a trip and accidentally bought a tub of cherries which I thought was the equivalent of £3.50 but actually ended up being £16 (I read the label wrong, as it was based on weight). When I got home I saw the same amount of cherries at M&S for £4.

[@paulguise698]

Dick Turpin (famous English highwayman) wore a mask

[@C0SM1CPR1NC3]

not to mention m&s is the UK's INFAMOUSLY expensive grocery shop.

[@RickyT15]

@@C0SM1CPR1NC3 fruit and veg in m&s is reasonable and similar to other places everything else though is a different talk.

[@chatteyj]

Wow, although I gather US wages are higher generally.

[@upfulsoul826]

Food is not cheap in London if you want quality products.

[@McJibbin]

First time watching your channel! loved it! keep up the awesome work :)

[@scifirocks]

How do the average wages differ? I've seen people saying that they are struggling on $45,000 online, but I earn ~£25,000 (NHS) and I'm not rich but I can afford the basics in a high cost area.

[@da3dsoul]

It depends on the state for housing cost and wages. On average, rent is half of your income now. Here that is $1500/mo in rent

[@Halfbloodprincesss8]

In the US, my husband makes $100k/year and I am a stay at home mother. We live in a very nice house in the suburbs with new cars but we definitely are not rich beyond our wildest dreams. We’re extremely savvy with our money and if he missed about a month of working due to illness or something, we’d be flat broke. When he was making $50k/year about 5 years ago, we were barely scraping by. I was on government assistance for food because we weren’t married but it was barely enough to help.

[@lucie4185]

@@Halfbloodprincesss8 that's a significant difference though, doubling your income in the past 7 years has been impossible for most people in the UK.

[@Halfbloodprincesss8]

@@lucie4185 for sure! my husband changed careers and got his Commercial Drivers License in that time and it helped a lot

[@Halfbloodprincesss8]

@@lucie4185 for sure! my husband changed careers and got his Commercial Drivers License in that time and it helped a lot

[@justinalvino6616]

I just moved to Birmingham, England to pursue my masters after living in Massachusetts my whole life. I was in actual awe when I went to Sainsbury's for my first shop. Especially now with the pound and the dollar pretty much equivalent, my first shopping trip in the UK I spent 21 pounds! I couldn't believe how cheap it was here. My usual shopping trip at College in the states would cost around 50 dollars per week, and that was me super budgeting as well.

[@ahudspith]

"I just moved to Birmingham, England" My condolences.

[@djlads]

@@ahudspith At least they can get the train to Manchester or London. Edit: Scratch that will cost them a mortgage, probably best and cheaper on the Megabus.

[@chickflikguru]

As a brummie, who admittedly lives in Manchester, welcome to my hometown!!! I hope you've enjoyed Mr Egg - it's a Birmingham institution!

[@user-ed7et3pb4o]

@@chickflikguru As a Brummie - wtf is Mr Egg?

[@user-ed7et3pb4o]

and welcome to Birmingham! Ignore the jokes, it's actually a great city. Presumably you're at the main university? One of the best campuses in the country imo

[@pennyslone7680]

The price has more than doubled in US over last couple years. Many generic brands have just disappeared. I bought a 2.5 pound grapes at grocery store was almost $14 for the bag.

[@laikanbarth]

I’ve noticed that the generic stuff is disappearing too.

[@michellebusby949]

Sainsbury's local, Tesco express, Morrison's Daily, Asda Quickshop are all more expensive than the large supermarket versions of their stores. You pay more for the items there due to the locations of the smaller stores which have higher overheads such as rent being usually in town centres or neighbourhood areas for convenience

[@CJonesApple]

Good job that the £££ has absolutely floored it. I didn't want to wait until the price conversions were out-of-date.

[@EmmaTee25]

So I’ve just found your channel… I live in North West England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and I absolutely love see Americans move here and seem like they are having a good time and hearing you say “arsed” and picking up our sayings and mannerisms. It makes me proud to be British that people like you enjoy our country and nutty ways…. Brilliant mate 😂much love ❤️

[@justloadalready8839]

As someone from the States in the PNW, I spent about 50 USD yesterday on a loaf of bread, some peanut butter, a small container of milk (12 oz container), pizza bites (a 60 pack), and some jam. It is literally cheaper to eat out everyday... well it was most of the time, until several local chains stopped accepting coupons (looking at you Subway).

[@libbybaker86]

Would be interesting to feed in data for average income for both countries and then calculate cost relative to income.

[@alistairpbigos251]

This is literally called purchasing power parity, or PPP its how people measure incomes across countries, ie median salery in various places

[@clairenoon4070]

But you'd have to feed in all other costs, too, for it to be meaningful - housing, transport, healthcare, household items, clothing, eating out, electronics, entertainment, holidays, home improvements etc etc.

[@lemondrizzlecake7766]

That's exactly what I was thinking!! median salaries are significantly lower in the UK than US (according to google right this minute, £31k vs $54k), and of course that affects supermarket prices

[@onisakura9]

As an American teacher, I'm now considereing getting a teaching job in the UK.

[@timeformore]

My weekly grocery budget for a family of 4 is $300. This includes some household items like laundry detergent, pet food, etc. I think I’ve noticed prices increasing lately though.

[@Supvia]

We usually spend between 60 to 100$ per week for a family of three - or three and a half 🤰🏼 - here in Germany. It used to be 40-70$ last year, before inflation hit us. When we visited the US in 2017, I was surprised, how non-food items were about the same price as here, but groceries were sooo expensive! 1$ for a little yogurt? I could get 4 of them for 1$ here! (That was before Inflation though)

[@Itstime1231]

Yeah for two people, no kids, it's probably around $150+ unless you only go for non prepared items. Like only buying vegetables on sale, rice, eggs, skip meat (expensive), and whatnot that will bring your costs down. Trader Joe's has some good deals, the giant grocery store near me is absolutely absurd. It's like everything you want to buy costs at least $5-$6 so 5 items and you'll pay $30. Eating out is really expensive around me too so would love to pay UK prices.

[@TheOneAndOnlyJDB]

I live alone in the UK, Aldi was £30 a week

[@RaisonLychi]

The changes are between $1-$5 in price raises, if you go weekly you definately notice. I can't even see the justification for alot of it as there wouldn't have been shortage of some of these local grown stuff. 😒

[@JennaGetsCreative]

I'm Canadian and our prices are very comparable with the American store prices. It's getting absolutely ridiculous! We're a family of 3 and our weekly shop is routinely $150-180 CAD, which is roughly $110-132 USD or £97.50-117 GBP at today's conversion rates. Insane! Just 6 years ago when we were a family of 2 with no baby in sight we were regularly paying $80 CAD a week ($58.65 USD or £52.) You can't tell me introducing a little girl doubled our food needs.

[@chuck1804]

I can second this. I moved from the UK to Canada and used to send photos to my brother to marvel at. $5+ for cereal is unheard of in Britain, and Loblaws want to charge $18 for four chicken breasts?? There is a price fixing monopoly on essential goods over here. The irony is most of these perishables are so prohibitively expensive they spend a short time on display and then go directly to the garbage. A strange way to do business but there must be enough people falling for it.

[@EmmaCruises]

I just got back from New York and based on the amount of bread I eat, and how much it cost me in the US, I don’t think I could stay there long. 😂❤

[@wholesome122]

Your problem was being in New York.

[@paladestar9758]

It'd also impact your health too! US bread contains a lot of additives that are banned in the UK and Europe. US bread also contains copious amounts of sugar.

[@charlesa9757]

Thanks for making a clear comparison between US and UK food prices, I honestly don't think I'd have found this information out without this video 🤙

[@evan]

It honestly took quite a lot of time to get all the info done and converted thanks :)

[@flawless6631]

@@evan all efforts appreciated

[@flawless6631]

@@evan u spent most of your life in the US and yet u still have a Uk accent

[@flawless6631]

@@evan its cause u studied uk curriculums(igcses) right i guess?

[@randomness051]

@@flawless6631 it's coz he tries really hard to sound like he's from here

[@micheleosullivan4430]

I go back to the states every two-three years. The first time I realized the price difference between the UK and US. I was truly baffled. Free range organic eggs was my lightbulb moment! The price was nearly triple in the US. And I don't even want to go down the organic produce differences! I've been in the UK for 10 years - I am a citizen now and the UK is stuck with me. :D

[@user-ed7et3pb4o]

Welcome! Always nice to come across North Americans who have made the switch:)

[@chatteyj]

@@user-ed7et3pb4o as long as they don't eat all our food hehe

[@micheleosullivan4430]

@@chatteyj 👩‍🍳

[@jhwheuer]

Lived in Chicago for 10 years before returning to Germany. Food cost were insane in the USA, given the dismal quality you could get in normal stores.

[@marchi.fleming]

As someone who's watched lovely British YTer Grackle engage in her most favorite pasttime of checking out what's new at the shops in her vids & vlogs (which technically are on Extra Grack, but anyway) for years, where she will almost always mention the price, I'm often **gobsmacked** , as you say, at the difference not only in price but also in quality. Having known many ppl that have upped sticks from the US to greener food pastures the world over I can't think of a single one that doesn't mention the immense difference in the quality of food pretty much worldwide...& never in the US's favor. 😕

[@loc4725]

I had a discussion with an American a while back about grocery prices and looking at Walmart one of the things which stood out was just how much sugar is in American bread. Despite the massive range it was actually difficult to find some which wasn't more like cake.

[@grahvis]

I have heard a number of people saying how they ate the same type of food in Europe as they did in the US and lost weight as a result.

[@AntoniaMorris]

Germany is also extremely cheap when it comes to groceries, even in comparison to other European countries. I can do a basic weekly shop for myself (milk, bread, fruit, veg,...) for about 10-15€.

[@satsumamoon]

Really? I guess it depends where you live and also the quality of the food. Here just outside Heidelberg we spend abt. 120 euros per week on bio food for a couple. I notice sometimes the pesticide versions are three times cheaper but typically it 30_ 50 percent cheaper.

[@theancientsancients1769]

@@satsumamoon True , Berlin is expensive! Only eating out is cheaper in Berlin bit supermarkets not

[@mindfullymellow2323]

Visited UK in September. Found my favorite pita bread for less than £3; back in the US, exact same brand/quantity is $8. Groceries aside, it was also cheaper to send my kid to a UK university than it would have been to send him to a state school, even factoring in housing and travel costs.

[@5556665012008]

Who on earth pays $8 for pitta bread lol. I buy 8 pitta breads for £1

[@mindfullymellow2323]

@@5556665012008 - not me; was just pointing out an example of the insane disparity in food prices between the US and UK.

[@francisbell1961]

Wow that’s unbelievable it’s cheaper to send your kids to the uk with travel and housing

[@schwarzalben88]

Im afraid that Sainsbury's Local, Like Tesco Express tend to charge higher prices than the larger versions of the same supermarkets especially in London.

[@theboywithathorninhisside.4179]

And this Channel stating SAINSBURY'S as you're typical Bog~Standard Supermarket that most Brits tend to Shop at l personally found quite hilarious and vastly untrue. As in higher Quality and Price its obviously more akind to M&S than TESCO or ASDA. The actual leading affordable option. But its UTUBE. Where basically everything is unreal and based in sheer Entertainment and Comment reaction as usual. 👌

[@animationcreations42]

@@theboywithathorninhisside.4179 Sainsbury's is not higher quality, nor are the prices really higher than Tesco (it's often cheaper). That's just marketing that makes you think that! In my experience, Tesco is the most expensive of the 'normal' supermarkets, even with the Clubcard prices, followed by Sainsbury's, ASDA, ALDI and LIDL. Morrisons doesn't even get a mention because it's both expensive and shite (although their bakery is decent)

[@cbrown182]

I remember visiting Canada from the UK and loving it so much that I considered living there...... Then I saw how expensive cheese was and I scrapped the idea.

[@jt5765]

Our cheese is expensive? I hope you are not comparing our real cheeses to the plastic you get in North America?

[@RandomJane104]

I noticed this in September when we spent a week in Edinburgh. We bought some groceries to make breakfast each morning. It was cheaper than it would have been in the US. Restaurants were also less expensive unless we were really splurging.

[@Jade-hm2xz]

I did my study abroad in the UK right before the pandemic and I could tell groceries were WAY cheaper even before inflation. I could never figure out why. Going shopping after I came back was so sad :(

[@theancientsancients1769]

I always thought America was way cheaper! But im surprised. The UK hi as the entire of Europe as supply chain making things easier

[@Kay-ly3hb]

The start genuinely felt like I was watching the local news

[@hannahcarney2250]

Really interesting. I moved to the UK in 2012 and I remember being blown away with how cheap groceries were. I was also living on dollars at the time (and the exchange rate was not good that direction then). When I lived in the US I literally ate eggs, bread, squash, potatoes, butter and that was it. I had $500 a month for food, travel, clothes and fun. To be fair, I probably prioritised "fun" in my 20s but would still spend $50 a week on just those items - I couldn't afford to eat well, and was sick a lot (7-8 times a year) probably due to my lack of nutrition. As soon as I started living in pounds, I stopped getting tonsillitis so much (not sure if connection?) and get sick two times a year on average. My diet is way more varied!

[@elizabethleyden892]

Wow, that has changed a lot. The first time I went to the US (Florida), I went to a petrol station, filled up, bought an ice box, ice and a range of snacks and when I was told the price I actually said, "Did you remember to charge for the fuel?" How/why/when did it all change?!

[@mermaid1717]

Inflation hit us very hard this is very last year. Before groceries were always expensive as Americans would think but nothing like they are now.

[@wrenbird8352]

oil every thing in america has to be transported thousands of miles. if oil goes up gas goes up and everything goes up. why do you think we invaded Iraq to keep oil cheap. Russia and opec+ are toying with oil prices like its 1970s again. literally every single action in America is gated behind a car and therefore gas prices. you can walk nowhere unless your in a major city like New york.

[@lemondrizzlecake7766]

@@wrenbird8352 LOL if you think gas prices are high in AMERICA right now you have no idea how we're doing in Europe mate

[@andscifi]

​@@mermaid1717 inflation in the US was about the world average. It was still high, but this year it was about 7.7 percent. The Uk was 11.1 according to the sources I could find.

[@jonblackburn7634]

I presume someone has mentioned this already, but there's no VAT on most basic food items in the UK.

[@Nulgy_bugly]

What stores are you comparing? My local Walmart does not cost that much!

[@HowtoblogAmber]

As a Brit living in NZ, our grocery prices make the US ones seem cheap 😂😂 (supermarket duopoly in a country so far away from everything else!) You should do a series for other countries in the world to compare 🇳🇿🇳🇿 also it's weird having to buy seasonally, the UK you barely need to think about what is in season!

[@pickledkumera5065]

Do you think anyone would believe the price of tomatoes at the moment or you think they'll all think we're lying???

[@irissupercoolsy]

But NZ is also an island and especially food prices are known to be more expensive there. The US isn't. They even have mass production of agriculture.

[@pickledkumera5065]

@@irissupercoolsy and what is New Zealands top exports??

[@TechyBen]

I was wondering if monopolies and duopolies are the cause? In the uk we have a few UK stores and a few move in from europe to compete. Only the smallest towns will have 1 or 2 stores only. When they do, it'll usually be a cooperative of some sort or a Tesco/mini superstore. So will end up expensive at times, as those charge more (though I found Tesco ok prices for most things, and not worth the extra petrol cost of travelling further).

[@donaldhoult7713]

@TheGreatAmbini. But what awful, tasteless imported stuff it usually is!

[@Dunbardoddy]

I haven't been in the US since 2010 but I do remember being surprised how expensive a groceries shop was in the US supermarkets. Groceries are perhaps too cheap in the UK and the primary producers should probably be getting paid more but it is the supermarkets that decide pricing (while maintaining as best they can their margins) and is is difficult to see how this will change.

[@mollymollie6048]

I’ve seen a few videos of the cost of food (as of late 2022) and I was blown away by how much cheaper it is there than the US. Are food prices subsidized by the government in the UK? Or are we just getting ripped off in the US? I’d be interested to see a comparison of standard living costs (mortgage/rent, gasoline, house gas, electricity, water, cable, cell service…I guess these would be standard expenses for most.) Comparing an average middle class neighborhood in an average sized Midwest city would probably be the most “average” and not have extremes such as CA or the east coast.

[@lisabethkelly1269]

I’m moving from NY to the UK in the next few months (whenever my visa comes through) and this just made me feel so much better!

[@duncancallum]

Plus the NHS will be a bonus also.

[@glynnwright1699]

You will see the most benefit if you cook from basic ingredients rather than buying processed foods. You will also get better quality and prices if you the farmers markets which are generally much more common in UK towns. There is a law in the UK that every council must provide land to grow vegetables and keep chickens for the residents at economical costs. It is priced so that a family of four will pay around $50 a year for a plot that would produce about 50% of all the vegetables and 25% of all the fruit consumed in a year. When food was cheaper, before Covid, it was quite easy to get the land. Since Covid the waiting time for land is about 6 months in our town and people are investing in greenhouses and cold frames to increase the productivity of their 'allotment' as they are called. Of course, a lot of people don't bother because they would rather use their time for other activities, but I find that tending a crop early in the morning or late in the evening to be very therapeutic, our days are long in the summer due to our high latitude.

[@jaycee330]

@@glynnwright1699 But how many people actually use their allotments?

[@glynnwright1699]

@@jaycee330 Their contracts are terminated if they don't use them after 3-4 months, unless they have mitigating circumstances, such as illness or domestic problems. In that case other allotment owners offer their services to maintain the allotment in good order until they have recovered. There is a requirement that a minimum of 60% of the allotment must be in cultivation during the growing season, there is always a waiting list of people wishing to acquire allotments, in certain areas such as Central London, that may be several years, but is typically a few months. Around about half of all allotment owners give up in the first three years when they realise that it is hard work.

[@EmGeniusz]

Living in the North West of England, we spend around £150/month for two people. That is with both of us being vegan and me strategically shopping for the best deals. We cook and bring leftovers to work for lunch as well, and always have treats and favourite convenience foods on hand for when we don't fancy making proper meals.

[@BallisticBurns]

How? Just, how? We’re at £400 a month and can’t seem to get it any cheaper.

[@oliverhickman9747]

@@BallisticBurnsIk I’m late but as a student the best way to lower it is to find out the day when stuff goes on clearance to find the best discounted items.

[@mr.y.mysterious.video1]

The local versions of stores are usually the small ones that charge more. The regular supermarket ones are best for comparison

[@robinbraden3873]

It's so great I watched this video after going to the grocery store! To feed my family of four (for approximately four dinner/supper meals and *hopefully enough fruit and snacks to get through the week...teenagers...) cost me $180 at my local grocery store. This is a bit higher than usual because we needed to restock some pantry items. I usually like to keep it below $150/wk.

[@AthynVixen]

I KNEW iT! The first time i went to NYC i tried to save money but buying groceries and making my own food/packed lunches etc. At that time you could buy a saver loaf in Tesco for about 50p. In NYC the cheapest crappest bread was about $2.50 to $3 and anything actually edible was like $5. Using a 1 to 1 conversion rate for ease that was a massive percentage increase.

[@Jade-hm2xz]

It’s true the US is more expensive, but I will say NYC is a bad comparison. NYC is notorious for really expensive groceries, much more than other parts of the US.

[@gemmarobinson4185]

@@Jade-hm2xz he is comparing to London though which is more than the rest of uk

[@AthynVixen]

@@gemmarobinson4185 tbh I thought that until I went back up North to Lancashire for the first time in years for my dads funeral and pretty much everything was almost as dear as my area of West London

[@davejones542]

no british people go to sainsbury local for emergencies not everyday. We go to lidl normally

[@glynnwright1699]

My son married an American girl, they have three small children and live in South Carolina. I went shopping a few times with my daughter-in-law over the summer at roughly the equivalent of Waitrose and also Costco. With items such as nappies, it was costing them around $100 a day to feed the family, although having two grandparents with them pushed up the cost a bit. They have no concept of an allotment, we source the majority of fresh fruit and vegetables from our allotment for nine months of the year and provide them for our neighbours. Our allotment costs £100 a year to rent, plus the annual plants, although we grow most stuff from seed. It produces around 35 types of vegetables and 15 types of fruit, we freeze the surplus. We source our lamb, meat and fish from local suppliers using the farmer's market, or direct from the farms and ports at much lower cost than the supermarket. Venison is actually cheaper than dog food! There are very few farmer's markets in SC.

[@k8eekatt]

We also have local farms in the part of the US where we live. I get pastured eggs for 8$ a dozen and otherwise we are vegetarian. Even beans are approaching the 4$ a pound mark.

[@glynnwright1699]

@@k8eekatt From what I have observed it is very dependent upon region in the USA. I am so grateful for the UK laws that requires UK local administrations to provide agricultural plots at peppercorn rents. It isn't practicable for a young family to find the time to grow their own fruit and vegetables, as we do. Even so, farmers markets here provide a way of getting high quality food at realistic prices. I know that inflationary pressures in South Carolina have really pushed our American family's finances, despite both my son and daughter-in-law having good jobs.

[@k8eekatt]

@@glynnwright1699 yes, on regional prices. We live in a region that grows lots of produce. Strawberries are usually around 6$ a pint. I was astounded to find strawberries for 1$ a pint 2000 miles away in Tennessee. An enormous head of collard greens was 4$ and stretched for 3 meals for 3 people. A pound of lentils which cooks to 4x volume, was 1$. I know a lot of people just can't afford the time to cook from scratch, I am very fortunate to have the time to sprout peas, lentils, brocolli seeds etc. I really feel for young families. At a local store, there was a poster bragging about how you could make lunch for 4 people for 12$: cheese sandos and tomato soup. That shocked me. It seemed expensive and not very balenced.

[@annmariedeignan2596]

I'm American, but I've lived overseas for about twenty years. I 've always experienced sticker shock when I've visited my relatives in the States, but this year I was floored by the increases that had occurred since my previous visit (about 8 months ago). I then spent a month in Canada, and nearly fainted when I saw what Canadians are paying for their groceries. I had planned on staying for 90 days, but cut my visit short, departing after only three weeks. Not sure if the citizens of these two countries realize that they're paying 2-10 times (or more) what the rest of the world is paying for their groceries, but if I were them, I'd start asking my politicians why that is.

[@lisahoshowsky4251]

I’m Canadian, we’re aware🥲 or at least some of us are. A lot of Canadians border hop to shop the US because it’s cheaper, but I’m learning they’re still more expensive than the rest of the world. I watched a video recently where normal people shop at a bougie grocery store frequented by celebrities and was like, those prices are pretty normal for our low end grocery stores here. It was a Californian store😩 I also watch a lot of British cooking shows where the prices are broken down and it’s depressing what’s considered a luxury price there compared to what’s considered a middle market price here. Even when I went to Finland we grocery shopped for most of our meals and like the high quality food I was able to get compared to back home was sad.

[@sassi7966]

You have to compare what the two countries earn though. It may seem expensive to you but if they earn more, it's fine.

[@davidkulmaczewski4911]

The prices in metro Detroit are mostly a bit higher than the ones shown for US stores in Jersey. If you look for sales you can do better on some items, but no where near as cheap as the UK prices.

[@LunaNatz]

Sainsbury's used to be up there with Mark's&Spencer's where people with a bit more money would shop but over the years they've either dropped their prices to match Tesco and Asda or the latter have increased their prices (just Northern Ireland based though since we don't have Morrisons or Waitrose over here)

[@Jake_5693]

Sainsbury’s has always been a poor man’s M&S

[@LunaNatz]

@@Jake_5693 aye but if you can afford Sainsbury's over Tesco/Asda you're going to Sainsbury's (not you personally)

[@biblemademedoit]

I grocery shop weekly in the US and he is not lying. When our minimum wage increased in my state, so did our prices. Next month the state changes to $13.20, but the local trend is $15/h minimum. We have cut back on our meat, eggs and butter lately because it's so expensive.

[@jadeh2699]

Absolutely. Meat, eggs, butter, and fresh produce is disappearing from my list a little more each payday. Even rice, beans and pasta have gone up. I don't know where people will go at the point split peas and lentils get too pricey!

[@marciamartins1992]

I got a 2% raise, but they raised the prices 25%....dollar tree.

[@theproplady]

I may live in flyover country, but food is much cheaper here. It's even cheaper if you go to discount/overstock/dollar stores. Most dry goods (rice, flour, cake mix) packages I buy are less than 3 dollars.

[@Jono1982]

was wondering why everything was so expensive then i remember you're living in London, its about half the price in the north

[@nr5076]

Also non of them are own brand products

[@MsPeabody1231]

And he used the express/local versions which are more expensive than larger stores.

[@evan]

@@MsPeabody1231 lol it's online you can't use local online

[@joanna.mytravels]

I shop mostly at Lidl and ASDA. Everything is getting more expensive, I can see about 20% increase in my weekly groceries shops. Recently I went to Madrid and then Lisbon for a holiday and we were amazed at the price differences. In a supermarket in Madrid we were paying almost a double to what we were paying in a local shop in Lisbon.

[@TheGrandDurian]

Joanna, I've spent the past 4 years in Spain, and over the past year and a half the prices have really surged. However, prices are nowhere near the prices back home for many of the same products. I regularly shop around (Día, Lupa, Gadis, Mercadona, Carrefour, Prima Prix) and get reasonable prices. Each store seems to have a better price for something than another, and then there are the almacén everywhere for fresh produce that have much better prices than the groceries. Sometimes El Corte Inglés has good sales, and when I'm nearby, I'll check out Lidl or E. Leclerc, but honestly, Lidl is not that much cheaper than Mercadona. Back home in Fla/Ga I go to lots of different places (Publix, WinnDixie, Walmart, The Fresh Market, Harvey's, Target, Trader Joe's, and a couple of independent ethnic grocery stores), but I don't have any memberships to the likes of Sam's or Costco's. I can't believe just how expensive basic groceries are back home. Some places have always been expensive (Publix, for example-where I worked one summer in college), but when I was home last December there was nothing inexpensive that was not heavily processed. Raw foods are just too expensive for my mind. It's hard to understand why groceries are so expensive in one place (home) and so cheap in another (Spain). I would like to think/believe that a mighty country like the USA would be able to have large quantities of healthy foods at reasonable prices. What's wrong in our system?

[@holyholley]

Did you factor in sales tax as well, since that is a variable figure in the US, but vat is included in all UK prices.

[@AmyFutch]

I live in Texas and I always get really excited if my groceries are under $100. Recently I feel like I'm always at the checkout hoping I don't go over $200. 😬 I had no idea things were so much less expensive in the UK! Also the price of fast food has gone up a lot recently too. It seems like it's always around $10 a meal! For just junk food!

[@theparanoidandroid3583]

Wow. I tend to spend £20-30 a week on groceries for one.

[@amandaworden2]

Yep a burger and fries with drinks now about $10 from a cheap burger chain near me.

[@MultiMidden]

Do a UK vs US prices for Aldi / Lidl, it'll be interesting to see how the 'discounter' supermarket prices compare.

[@DragonriderEpona]

And match them with the German prices as both companies are German

[@zarasamuels9377]

asda to Walmart might also be interesting as well as they both the same company

[@RushfanUK]

@@zarasamuels9377 Walmart sold ASDA off last year.

[@DaddyStoat]

@@zarasamuels9377 Used to be. Asda is now owned by the people who run most of the UK's motorway service stations.

[@julesdingle]

@@DragonriderEpona the big thing I noticed wasn't the price but simply the range in Europe was much more limited..and no smoked German cheese in Germany!!! or a wide range of cheese or booze..that you find in the UK

[@beccangavin]

How do we subsidize these industries and still pay more for food? How do we use underpaid immigrant labor and still pay more for food? How do we grow the food here and still pay more? What is happening? Where is the mark up?

[@mrsreefc]

I live in the western US and have a family of 8. I usually pay about $300/week for groceries, and that's after driving 70 miles every 10-ish days and shopping at club stores buying in bulk (5 pounds of cheddar cheese, 15 pounds of ground beef, entire pork loins at about 15 pounds each). The bulk meats I repackage and freeze to use over a few weeks.

[@jackmason7823]

Holy shit. This honestly makes me grateful to live where I do! We go for a big shop once every 2 weeks and it comes to about £100, so £50 a week for our family.

[@adrianamo819]

Yep. I live in California, so prices are generally pretty high, but even with lots of couponing, shopping the sales and clearance, and buying simple basics, I spend about $100 a week on just myself. It’s gotten much worse with the recent inflation. You really can’t get anything except for a few canned goods for under $1. Even beans and rice are closer to $2.

[@matthewjohnson7386]

Sorry to hear this -- The US is unfortunately a living fantasy/nightmare. 5lb (2.268kg) of cheddar is £14.47 ($16.91). 15lb of minced beef (6.804kg) is £24.36 for 20% fat ($27.26), or £54.16 for 5% fat ($60.60). Pork loin joints are £11.50, or £5.75 per KG ($6,43), £2.61 per lb ($2.92). These also should be considered against the very dire exchange rates for the UK right now. The UK/Europe simply has things a lot better compared to the US. Do not kid yourselves that the US somehow has life sorted by lower taxes and some carrot/stick dream of making it.

[@parisewellington3664]

I only live with my mom but our shopping comes up to about £200 a *month* and that's only because I buy a lot of steak and salmon😭

[@tall1sobay]

When I first moved to London, the cost of groceries was a shocker for me. I couldn't believe how inexpensive items were. And if you yellow-tag.... well my god! I'd get my bread from M&S in Central on Fridays for as low as 10p a loaf! Now Im back in California, it was another shock, in a bad way.

[@CutcliffePaul]

As a Brit, I was convinced this video would depress me living in rip-off Britain as many like to call it, and I wanted to protest that Sainsbury's Local (like Tesco Express) is the small-ish convenience store (yes, we seem to use the word 'store' rather than 'shop' but only when it follows the word 'convenience'!) version of the larger supermarket, Sainsbury's (Tesco) which always has slightly higher prices, but I'm quite gobsmacked that our groceries are so much cheaper than in the so-called land of the free! 🤦🏻‍♂

[@5556665012008]

Sainburys is mainly in the south of the UK & is actually fairly expensive compared with supermarkets like Morrisons, mainly in the rest of the UK. The smaller ('local' in this case) version tends not to have the cheaper labels

[@ryanasgalbraith7824]

Er, what? Sainsbury's stores are literally *everywhere* in Scotland, it's not a "southern UK" thing at all. They are definitely more expensive than e.g. Tesco and Asda though, that much is true.

[@5556665012008]

@@ryanasgalbraith7824 Tescos & Sainsburys have almost the same number of stores in London but Sainsbury's have half as many stores in Scotland than Sainsbury's. And there were no Sainsbury's Locals for a long time & is still considered high end outside of the wealthy areas of the central belt & oil areas of Scotland

[@adriangoodrich4306]

Er... nope! Sainsburys is national, and is now little different in price to Morrisons which is rapidly losing the plot. I live in West Yorkshire, and we have near enough the same number of Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda and Morrisons full supermarkets within ten miles. All are broadly similar in basket prices. Even though the last two are headquartered here in West Yorkshire. Aldi and Lidl are cheapest, and we have more Aldi branches than any of the rest within ten miles.

[@duza216]

Very interested in comparison of frozen goods, like chips, chicken goujons, chicken nuggets, fish (cod/haddock), fish fingers, pizza. And of course snacks/fizzy drinks 🤔

[@DaddyStoat]

I've done this myself. The UK is still cheaper by about 40%. All the frozen food mentioned is much cheaper in the UK (as well as frozen veg and most other frozen items). Snacks and chocolate are way cheaper in the UK and much better quality (and the chocolate doesn't taste of sick). Fizzy drinks roughly the same for bigger bottles, cheaper in the UK for smaller bottles or cans. Only thing I've noticed that might be cheaper in the US is good quality ice cream. But you still can't get Cornish over there...

[@user-ed7et3pb4o]

@@jwb52z9 yep, it's disgusting.

[@kirstybrown1185]

Saw a funny meme the other day and it’s soooo much more relevant now 😂😂 “being a Brit is just really wanting to live in the US as a kid, then growing up and thinking, nope!!”

[@ninimeggie4771]

I remember traveling to the UK it was SO MUCH cheaper to buy from the grocery stores vs eating out. My second trip over there, I only ate out once every other day. Otherwise I just ate whatever I was able to put together from the store (staying at a hotel so not easy to cook anything)

[@TangleSongs]

I just moved from the US to the UK a few months ago. Yes, in the US groceries are incredibly expensive. My family can afford to eat much better here! I currently spend about £80 on the weekly shop here in South-East England for my family of 3. (And that's including yummy treats that we don't really need.) Rent is more expensive in the US, too, at least where I was on the East coast it was getting very, very high. The only saving grace was the very cheap public transit in our city.

[@estelaangeles2346]

I think japan has better food than uk and europe

[@TheBirdmanofCNY]

I also moved from east coast (nyc) to south east (Brighton) last year! Absolutely insane how much my costs have gone down. Rent here’s less than half what I was paying in nyc, haven’t changed my consumption habits at all (in fact have been going out more) and my credit card bill went from over $1.5K to less than $500 a month

[@Fricasso79]

Rather baffling that a small island which imports half its food has significantly lower prices than half a continent covered in giant farms.

[@evan]

actually most ISNT imported. A lot of the fresh food is UK grown or closeby parts of the EU

[@annasalvaggio8796]

US got hit with some nasty inflation in the last year or two so everything is super expensive now. Going to the grocery store makes me very sad. I've heard part of the reason is because a large portion of our interstate truck drivers retired during the pandemic, so there is a big labor shortage raising prices.

[@johnwright9372]

Inflation has only risen markedly this year. What you mean is prices have risen. It is the corporate world charging as much as it can.

[@davenwin1973]

Seeing your comparisons of New Jersey make me glad I'm in the Midwest. I live in Gary Indiana, and the dominant grocery store chain is independent Strack and Van Til. The next big chain is Aldi, and Aldi has been in my area since 1979. The prices here are $1 to $3 cheaper than what you provided for New Jersey. Since I'm close to Illinois, we can get a lot of Illinois shoppers, especially from Cook County, because the sales tax is overall much higher. Indiana has a 7% sales rax, where the sales tax varies throughout Cook County Illinois, because Illinois allows County and local governments to add their own sales tax. I know for Chicago, outside of downtown, it's a combined 10.25%, with the downtown area being 1% higher. What does not get taxed at the state level, everything is taxed at the County and local levels. Those items in Cook County are at 2.25% sales tax. Food costs aren't that much higher in Cook County Illinois, but the sales tax makes a big difference in if people are willing to travel to Indiana. Those closer to other Illinois counties will cross into those counties to shop. After watching videos of expats living in Australia and New Zealand, their food costs even more than ours, as they have to import a lot of food. One video of an American expat in New Zealand showed what produce costed, and I was shocked at what out of season produce costed. An example was shown that out of season tomatoes were close to $40 NZD/kg. The most I ever saw was $5 USD for a basic tomato. As for Aldi, certain items have been out of stock for a while, that when in stock, that their prices have slowly been on par with my local Strack and Van Til stores. When that happens, I might get that similar item at Strack and Van Til. The other grocery stores in my area are Jewel Osco, and 2 different Kroger division stores: Food 4 Less, which looks like a traditional grocery store, but you bag your own groceries, but bags are supplied, unless you want to use your own bags, and Ruler Foods, which is Kroger's version of Aldi, selling mostly Kroger products. You do need a quarter to get a cart at Ruler Foods, and you have to bring your own bags, and bag your own groceries. British would call these 2 stores supermarkets, but in the US, supermarket and grocery store mean the same thing. Meijer and Walmart are superstores, or supercenters, as they have a full line grocery department and a full line general merchandise section. Walmart is broken down into 3 types of stores: discount department store, which they have less than 1000 left, and that's general merchandise with limited selection of food. Superstore or Supercenter, which makes up the bulk of the company since the 2000's, and Neighbors Market, which is grocery and pharmacy. I forgot to put this in the original comment, which I'm updating. When you mentioned Switzerland, they don't use the Euro, as they're not part of the EU, and will never be, as they're a neutral country, and don't want the EU dictating what they can do in their country. So they're still on the Swiss Franc. Last I remembered, Poland and Denmark have not joined the Euro yet, though they'rein the EU, but Denmark eventually plans to join the Euro. Poland from my understand has resisted joining the Euro, out of fear of goods going up. Had the UK remained in the EU, they were grandfathered in to remain on the pound. If they decide to rejoin the EU, the EU will make the UK join the Euro.

[@kirstybrown1185]

That’s a lot to read, caught the last line. Why would we go back to the EU? There is literally no discussion on this and if we were, we absolutely wouldn’t change to the Euro and they couldn’t make us. 😂 Stick to knowing different state taxes make it impossible for him to cover all prices. 👌🏻 Maybe step away from European politics. Denmark and Poland are both in the EU and the Swiss referendum was almost 50/50 it was a difficult choice for them. Neutrality had nothing to do with it and wouldn’t have, it’s the complete opposite of a war group.

[@Techno-Charge]

Thank you 👍 for sharing! You can even save further by Shopping in Aldi, Lidl.

[@ericaledel4065]

Groceries may be a bit cheaper in the UK, but I've lived in three different states in the US (GA, WA, IL) and never paid quite that much for anything except the meat, there are options that cost that much, and also more reasonably priced options

[@jackmason7823]

Yeah but he was choosing branded middle of the range stuff to be fair to both countries. Like the £1.20 for a loaf of bread in the UK; that was a branded loaf. I go to Tesco and get their branded one for £0.60.

[@ericaledel4065]

@@jackmason7823 fair enough, most of my point is that his choice of New Jersey while understandable given that is his experience is absolutely not representative of the rest of the country. For the bread, at my local Kroger the same loaf is $2.99, while an equivalent store brand is $1.69. I did a comparison of the first section with my local store and using similar middle range options my total came to $27.09 while his was $35.71, compared to $20.52 for the UK prices. UK is cheaper, but things are 25% cheaper where I live than where he looked. Just wanted to add some additional context for those not familiar with the variation in costs here in the states, still a great video all round.

[@KristinMW]

My cousin has a YT channel about saving money at US grocery stores. Sometimes she does videos like $25 for a week for a family, etc. I usually try to make her meals here too, and mine are always less expensive! 😂 Definitely cheaper to eat at home in the UK than the US. 👍🏻

[@darkarts59]

UK supermarkets are known to drive a hard bargain with farmers.

[@wateryourcermet]

American here - Honestly when you totaled it all up and it was only $100 for everything you listed, I was shocked. Jersey’s got some cheap groceries!!! I’m tempered to go and find the prices in my region, buuuut that feels like too much work 😂