Vancouver - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Everything is so expensive here!!! The COLA does not cover the difference in price right now. We go down to the states once a month and stock up. We bought a freezer to keep in the garage for this purpose. If you have two incomes, you will be just fine. If you are a family living on one income, you will struggle. - May 2017
Very expensive. - Aug 2015
There were Safeways and even Whole Foods there if you need that. Save-On was generally a better deal. Milk, cheese, fruit and most things are staggeringly expensive relative to the U.S. Again, many people made regular trips south of the border. There were Targets and a Costco but they weren't quite the same products for the most part and I found them more expensive by far. Still, you won't lack for anything. Granville Island has an impressive array of harder to find gourmet items (fancy cheeses, boar, pates, etc.) if you're in that market. - Jun 2014
Good choice, not as great as in the States, but you can find pretty much everything except for very local produce that you have to look for (but that you can nevertheless find after thorough searches). - Mar 2012
The cost of living is very, very high. Beware. - Jun 2010
Most people go to the U.S. to shop, even Canadians. The same products are much more expensive in Canada than they are in the U.S.Bellingham, WA is about an hour and a half from downtown Vancouver and it has all the box stores and Trader Joe's. - Oct 2008
