Vilnius - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
For fruit and veggies, most will be expensive if not in season and on sale. Bananas have been crazy expensive here. The egg crisis has not left this country untouched either. There was a cauliflower scandal in which each head was 4 EUR. Crazy! I honestly get most of my fruit and veggies frozen since it is cheap. Vegetables lately have been extraordinarily expensive with not much variety. Cheese selection is not the best. Yogurt selection is very limited, with one or two greek yogurts available in plain flavor. Household supplies are available and not so expensive, but if you are picky about smells in your household, you may have issues. - Aug 2023
Groceries are getting more expensive with inflation and in my opinion, the COLA is not helpful. That said, you can find most everything here, except canned pumpkin. - Dec 2022
Very affordable. - Feb 2021
Groceries here tend to be more expensive with not a lot of western products. You can make do, but most embassy families supplement their grocery shopping with Walmart and Amazon food product orders. - Sep 2020
You can get anything you want here. Overall, groceries are cheaper than the US. Use Barbora...it's a lifesaver, they deliver all groceries to your house for 1 Euro. - Oct 2019
Groceries and household supplies seem reasonable, most standard European brands available. I think our groceries cost less than in Moscow, but we've had a couple of kids leave home too so maybe not... - Mar 2017
Excellent selection and price. Lithuanians still eat relatively little processed foods, so things like canned soup are very hard to find, but if you like cooking or eating out, you're set. - Mar 2017
Pretty comparable, especially if you're willing to use local stuff. - Aug 2015
Abundant and easy to find. There are several large chains and stores everywhere. You can get just about everything or its U.S. equivalent. It won't be the exact brand you are used to, and it takes a while to figure out what is what if you don't know the language. Unlike the U.S., which has some signs in Spanish, here they just have their signs in Lithuanian and you have to figure it out. Overall, groceries are about 20% cheaper than in the U.S. once you learn where to shop. Also, embassy employees get VAT back, so that's another 20% reduction. - Jun 2013
For singles, it can be cheaper to eat out than to buy groceries. I have found salsa, flour tortillas, tortilla chips, Thai chilies, coconut, mini marshmallows, maple syrup, brown sugar, Corn Flakes, Honey Nut Cheerios and many other "exotic" foods here. Availability continues to increase as other products come from the EU, but ask about your favorite things before you arrive. - Feb 2011
Perhaps a little bet less than you would pay in the US. The quality of meats and dairy products is excellent, although they expire much more quickly than in the US. You can generally find anything you need. And the variety of fruits and vegetables is wonderful. - May 2009
There are 4 large chains of supermarkets in Vilnius, but groceries are very expensive compared to the states. Dogfood is ridiculously exensive, about $30 for 10 kilos of the cheap stuff. The "expensive" kind is $90 for 10 kilos. Most everything is available, just at a higher cost. - Nov 2008
