While traveling to different countries, we always enjoy going to supermarkets, tasting local products, and simply roaming through the aisles. And we love supermarkets in the US.

We usually go to Oregon every year for about two weeks to visit family. And each time, when we go grocery shopping, we realize how expensive food is here.

We think that basic foods, like milk, yogurt, cheese, vegetables, and fruits are higher priced here than they are in Germany. Even though Oregon has no sales taxes.

We find this to be very interesting.  You can get clothing so mega cheap. and often even with big Discounts on top. But not groceries.

Today we went to the supermarket “Fred Meyer,” which is the supermarket that I went to on my very first visit to the USA. I would compare Fred Meyer to REWE in Germany, just bigger.

What we really liked at Fred Meyer is that there is a small stand in the fruit section that has free fruit for children, so the little ones can have a healthy snack while their parents shop.

Free Sample anyone?

Throughout the store, there are free samples. First, we enjoyed a beer sample in the beer and wine section. Then we had a delicious cupcake in the bakery.

Now, this is a great way to shop!

But let’s get back to the prices. Since we’ve just sold so many of our things at absolutely cheap prices, we’re more careful about what we spend our money on. We don’t have a need to buy new clothes, even if it is very tempting here.

Even good brands cost only a fraction of what they do in Germany, and in addition, there are always coupons or promotions where you can save even more. It’s very hard for me to walk past such incredible bargains.

But I stayed strong today, as I have over the past four weeks, and didn’t buy anything unnecessary. To be more precise, I didn’t buy anything.

That deserves some praise, doesn’t it?

With groceries, I’m always amazed by the convenience. So many things are ready to eat, that all you have to do is to open the bag and enjoy. Fast, easy, and microwave-ready.

The choices are infinite, and I could spend hours looking at all the variety. There’s nothing that doesn’t exist.

And if there are any Americans that are planning a holiday in Germany: Of course, we also have ready-to-eat food. Only the variety is smaller. And the prices are a little cheaper.

Price comparisons

Let’s return to the basic food staples and do some price comparisons:

Coffee is about the same price in both countries.

In the supermarket, I found six Kaiser buns for $2.49 US dollars. That’s 0,41 US Dollars (=0,36 EUR) per bun versus 0,25 EUR (=0,28 US Dollars) in Germany.

That’s not much of a difference.  It is the basic foods such as fruit, milk, etc., where you can really see the price differences.

Here are a few examples:

USA

• Bio apples 3,49 US Dollars per Pound (ca. 450 Gramm, =3,06 EUR)
• Milk 1,99 – 4,99 US Dollars (=1,75 – 4,38 EUR)
• Average wine price 15-20 US Dollars (=13,16-17,55 EUR)
• Bag of prepared salad averages 5-6 US Dollars

Germany

• Bio apples 2,99 EUR per Kilo (=3,30 US Dollar for 2,2 pounds)
• Milk 0,62 – 1,70 EUR (=0,71-1,94 US Dollar)

• Good Wine starts at 3,99 EUR (=4,55 US Dollar)
• Bag of prepared salad starting at 0,79 EUR (=0,90 US)

We are always interested in what prices are like in each country as we are more likely to prepare our own meals while on future trips.

While some of these amounts don’t seem like much, we know from our experience during our sabbatical that these small amounts can be a whole lunch in Thailand. If you’re planning a trip to the US and you have questions about prices … we’re here for another three weeks! So please feel free to leave a comment and we’ll be happy to respond.