Kabul - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
The cafeterias at the Embassy are pretty good. There is a pizza place, Thai place, and a Turkish place along with several coffee shops at Camp Resolute Support next door all of which are decent. There are a couple of small PXs that have some stuff. - Jul 2019
The Italian PX at ISAF has European goodies that are slightly pricey. The American PX at ISAF has household basics. The two Blue Dot shops on the embassy compound have Embassy Kabul gift items, alcohol, and snacks. - Jun 2014
You can get most of your household supplies (eg, cleaners, laundry detergent, etc) over at the PX at ISAF. The embassy employees association (KEEA) has a small shop on both side of the compound. Think of them as really tiny 7-11s that are out of most things. - Jul 2013
Poor quality goods for relatively high prices on the embassy compound. Military PXs have a better selection and are more reasonably priced. - Mar 2013
For those living in an apartment and have a kitchen with a real stove you can find a lot of different items here for cooking and baking. The embassy has a service where you can place an order and they will go out onto the local market to try to find what you want. It's really hit and miss. We are allowed to shop at the PX down the street but there is nothing there to buy. It's quite depressing really to go in there since the shelves are usually empty the majority of the time. We have APO and people use that to order items they need while posted here. - Dec 2010
There are three stores on compound that have household supplies and some food at U.S. prices. The concierge service will go out and get you anything but adds a heafy markup. There is ongoing discussion over having more healthy, local goods available to buy. In the city, there are several good supermarkets at Western prices, and millions of roadside produce stands selling an amazing quality and selection of seasonable produce (and yummy bread). You can get pretty much anything packaged in Kabul. - Aug 2010
There's a small convenience mart and a PX on the compound, and a few PXs at ISAF and Camp Eggers. There's also a conceirge service that can be used to order groceries. But you have to plan what you need in advance (orders take 1+ days to fill), and be prepared for some surprises (asking for cilantro, getting anchovies). Otherwise people use online stores that ship via USPS (netgrocer, amazon, target, etc). - Jul 2010
You eat in the chow hall, currently run by KBR.The food is usually fried and fatty, but not too bad. There is a dining facility for the Afghan employees, which American staff can use, and isn't too bad. But the menu doesn't change, so you get tired of it. There is a small convenience store now that doesn't have a wide variety, but soon it will be expanding. Employees order through netgrocer or buy junk food at the nearby military facility. With the housing crunch, it isn't a good idea to bring a lot of extra items with you to take up valuable space. - Sep 2009
Very slim, order from the internet or bring everything. - Mar 2008
