Kolkata - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
It is easy to get everything you need at the grocery stores. Fruits and vegetables are plentiful in the markets and stores. There are several nice stores that carry a wide variety of international foods and products. Food delivery services are available for take-out, fresh foods, grocery items, milk, eggs, etc. Just find the 'guy', WhatsApp them what you want, and see it within 12-24 hours. Nice bakery items can also be found. Bleach all your veggies and fruit. - Aug 2021
Local market for veggies and fruit pretty cheap. The grocery store in the mall has most of what you’d want but at higher prices. There was a small import store on other side of town if you needed a niche baking product or something. - Dec 2020
The largest grocery chain in India is headquartered in Kolkata. It has several hypermarkets in the city and most of our needs are met shopping there. A trip to the grocery store in Kolkata is a just a bit cheaper than a trip in the U.S. This has been one of the biggest surprises of living in the city. - Sep 2015
Basic necessities are available, but some Western items are very poor quality. - Dec 2010
Things are relatively cheaper than the US. Foreign foods are not easy to find. In other large Indian cities this is not the case, but here the expat community is too small to support much in the way of foreign groceries. Some household things are curiously difficult to find and may not be up to your standards. - Jun 2009
I find groceries to be affordable, fresh produce and fruit are pretty cheap and plentful. Meat is another story, but I have not had problems. Kolkata is an anomoly as far as beef is concerned, as it is readily available due to a concession made to the Muslim population which allows them to slaughter beef. Other supplies like cleaning goods and personal goods are available. - Mar 2009
Groceries are very cheap -- the produce and fish are excellent. You can find beef here, though the quality varies. Outbreaks of bird flu occasionally have people skittish about chicken and eggs (depending on the status of the latest outbreaks). You can buy cheese and cold cuts at the Oberoi Hotel (at a price). The commissary can send items (for consulate staff), but the hefty air shipment prices really adds to the cost. I'd recommend making full use of your consumable shipments (note: you can only import $500/worth of consumables per quarter, so you have to make repeat shipments) and buy things on Amazon.com and Netgrocer.com to supplement the few things you can buy locally. - May 2008
