Abuja - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Easier than some other places, though certain imported items are expensive (such as cheese). - Mar 2024
There are plenty of European brands available, so even if you might not be able to get the brands you're used to, you will be able to get something similar. There are a handful of good grocery stores within the city and even a few "malls" with fast food places such as Domino's pizza or KFC. Any dry goods you can't find or like here, can be shipped through pouch, so don't worry about putting too much dry goods in your consumables, focus on liquids, as pouch shipment of liquids is quite restricted. As a general rule, everything that's not local is expensive (think a kilo of apples for 9 USD, Philadelphia cream cheese 8 USD, and so on). Fruit is seasonal, but plentiful, lettuce is usually quite questionable and looks somewhat pitiful. The large grocery stores have decent fruit & veggies departments, but the local farmer's market beats them all. Send your driver or your housekeeper if you don't want to pay expat "surcharge". - Sep 2019
Almost everything is available here if you shop Grand Square. There is another grocery across from the Sheridan hotel (I would not stay there) in a shopping center type place. It's cleaner and brighter than Grand Square, but has fewer choices. Grand Square is sort of like a dark, slightly squalid Target and has a little of everything. For Nigeria, it's as good as it seems to get. The commissary is very limited and small. Don't count on it. It is possible to buy really nice fruits like papaya and avocado just along the road. - Feb 2019
There are plenty of fruits and veggies at the local markets. The large grocery chain is Shop Rite; it is fine for staple offerings. There is a nice boutique grocery called Dunes. Prices are definitely higher except for fruits and veggies at the market. There is a German/Nigerian butcher that delivers meat and poultry products to the compounds. The chicken here is fine, the quality of the meat isn't that great. - Apr 2018
Many things are available locally, if you shop at the right place and time. Meats, cheeses, and imported items can get very pricey. - Apr 2017
Prices are increasing because the naira is losing value and the price controls on gas have been lifted, thus increasing transport costs. And the government is out of money, meaning that fewer items are likely to be imported. Still, by African standards, when compared with Cotonou or Addis, there is a wide selection of items here. And special items, like Chinese spices or English cream or American cheeses, are available. - Jun 2016
You can generally find good quality fresh produce at reasonable prices at the farmers' market or through a couple of vendors that come to the USG housing compounds. Some grocery items at stores are reasonably priced, some are astronomical. You won't usually find US brands, but other brands (often South African) will usually suffice. Choices of cheese and beer are seriously lacking. - Aug 2015
There are two KFC places and a Johnny Rockets. As is every thing here, they are costly. US$12 for a milkshake at Rockets. There are several good places to eat but are expensive compared to what you would find in the States. Trip Advisor is a good source of information. - Jun 2015
Everything is expensive, higher than any other African city I've been to. - Nov 2014
Yes and pricey. Pretty much anything you want can be found here. There are several stores in the city. But, you will pay for it. This is the reason for the allowances given to the Mission employees. - Aug 2014
Very high. Bring everything you can. Fresh fruits and veggies are available and delicious but not inexpensive. Easy to spend US$50 a week on them for a single adult who wants to eat healthy. Local chickens are small but tasty. Beef is very tough and needs a lot of marinating. Pork varies. American bacon can't be found. - May 2014
You can get most things, but they are very expensive. Even non-imported items, like fresh fruits and veggies, are much more expensive in Abuja than in the rest of the country. Apples US$1.50 each, a box of cereal $8-$10, decent-quality bathroom tissue $3 per roll, etc. You can get many British, South African, and Lebanese brands, fewer US. Meat is generally lower in quality than at home. Many expats use a farm-to-table approach. Fresh milk is not common, but it's findable. There are five kinds of beer here, only one of which is not a lager (it's a sweet variety of Guinness). One small store sometimes has Budweiser imported, but they charge US$200 per case (not joking). - May 2013
Expensive and limited. Grocery stores are very small in Abuja. - Jun 2009
Extremely expensive. And the COLA has just been reduced. Go figure. - Mar 2009
Groceries stores here are not supermarkets. They’re about the size of a Walgreen’s, and the items inside are mostly imported from the Middle East and Europe. There are a few ShopRite items from the U.S. inside a few of the stores. Chicken is not as tender as in the states, and the beef is not dry aged so it’s very tough and chewy unless you marinate it for a very long time. Pork is hard to find, because this country has a lot of Muslims. I would recommend you bring a cooler of meat on the plane to help supplement what you think you’ll miss or for special occasions. A commissary is supposed to open up soon with meat and liquids, but at the time of this post, it’s not open yet. I don’t think the produce is nearly up to the quality as in the states, and there’s definitely not as much variety. Many vegetables are picked before they’re fully ripe, and they have lots of bruises and/or other blemishes on them. Unless you’re willing to spend US$15 for a small portion of grapes or plums or US$2.50 for one pear, your fruits will consist mostly of pineapple, bananas, passion fruit, and mangos. The prices of goods are absolutely outrageous. People are in absolute shock when they first get here, yet the State Department decided to lower our COLA. I can assure you that prices have NOT gone done over the year I’ve been here – they have only gone up. For what you pay for almost anything here, you could get the absolute best quality of that same product in the United States, yet the quality of what you get here is average at best. Also, don’t be surprised if you buy something that is already expired or will be expired soon. If you find something you need or want, make sure and buy it because when they run out, they may never have it again. Also make sure you bring plenty of baking supplies, because those are hard to find here. The basic white flour Nigerian’s use has some type of starchy additive to it, and most people have a hard time baking with it. Be sure to bring flour with you, order it through the pouch, or buy some in your consumables. - Sep 2008
Availability is getting better. There are several grocery stores expats use (just remember -- they're good by African standards, not Western). The cost?Yikes. Anywhere from 2-10x the price of stuff in the U.S. And the State Department thinks that cutting the COLA is a good place to save money -- since we've been here the dollar has lost about 5% on the naira, and Nigerian inflation is at 14% -- but they just cut our COLA by 12%. Makes Abuja very expensive. - Aug 2008
Most people end up ordering a lot of prepackaged and household goods from Netgrocer or Amazon. You can get some fresh produce here for a price as well as your meat and dairy needs, but again, at a price. Everything here is expensive. - Jul 2008
