With the high food prices in Canada, you may be wondering what it’s like to go grocery shopping in other countries.
One Canadian who used to live in the UK compared the price of groceries across the pond to Canada, and they were appalled at the difference.
“Overall, prices are about 50% more expensive than the UK,” Reddit user devilf91 shared in a recent post.
They used grocery staples as examples. According to devilf91, 18 eggs costs £2 in the UK, or about C$3.43, while they claim the cheapest at Loblaw discount chain No Frills is $4.99.
The Redditor found that two litres of milk is around £1.55 or C$2.66 in the UK. They say it costs $5.34 at Loblaws.
Lastly, 3 kg bag of pasta is supposedly around £3.60, or C$6.17. They couldn’t find an equivalent weight pasta at Loblaws, which only carries 900 gram bags, which they say they found for $2.69.
“Also, UK prices already include tax while Canada has this habit of excluding the tax in the price shown,” reads the post.
They’re referring to Value-added Tax (VAT), which is already included on price tags in the UK.
The Redditor goes on to compare the price of a loaf of brioche bread in the UK, which they say is £2 (C$3.43), to Loblaws which is around $5.
“A typical 500g box of grapes is £2 again (but you can get £1.49 ones), but an equivalent weighed in pounds will cost you $4.94,” reads the post.
They end the post with a scathing comment on grocery prices in Canada: “Just for everyone to know the true scale of how much we have been ripped off.”
Other Canadians who have lived in the UK seem to agree with devil f91.
“I split my time between the UK and Canada. I can tell you quite clearly, Canada is fucking expensive for food,” reads one comment. “Don’t even get me started on tax and tip.”
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inloblawsisoutofcontrol
“My friends from London tease me because my favourite thing about there is the damn grocery stores,” reads another response. “You didn’t even mention their meal deals! Those grocery store sandwiches are soooooo good and cheap.”
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inloblawsisoutofcontrol
While others say there are a lot of factors that go into why Canada’s food costs more compared to the UK including taxes and import costs.
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According to a report from the BBC, grocery prices in the UK are among the cheapest in the world for a variety of reasons like increased competition between discount supermarkets and more efficient farming technology.
Grocery price in Canada vs. the UK
Daily Hive decided to fact check the Reddit user’s comparison of food prices between the UK and Canada.
Since they didn’t mention what grocery store they frequented in the UK, we chose one of the major chains, Tesco, and compared it to No Frills and Loblaws, as mentioned by the Redditor.
According to the current exchange rate, one Canadian dollar is equivalent to £0.58 UK.
Eggs
Tesco | No Frills
UK’s price: A carton of 10 eggs on Tesco’s site costs £1.33 (we couldn’t find the price for 18 eggs online as mentioned in the Reddit post). Since we’re comparing it to a carton of 12 eggs in Canada, and each egg is £0.13, a dozen eggs would be £1.59. This works out to C$2.72.
Canada’s price: A carton of No Name eggs is $3.88
Winner: UK eggs are cheaper.
Milk
Tesco | Loblaws
UK’s price: A 2-litre jug of milk at Tesco is £1.33, which equals to C$2.28.
Canada’s price: A 2-litre cart of milk at Loblaws is $5.34.
Winner: Two litres of milk is almost 50% cheaper in the UK.
Pasta
Tesco | Loblaws
UK’s price: One kilogram of pasta at Tesco is £1.29, which is C$2.21.
Canada’s price: At Loblaws, 900 grams of pasta is $2.69. It’s 30 cents per 100 grams, so it would cost $3.26 for 1 kg.
Winner: The UK’s package of pasta is cheaper.
Brioche bread
Tesco | Loblaws
UK’s price: Tesco’s price for 400 g of sliced brioche is £2.70, which works out to about C$4.62.
Canada’s price: A loaf of President’s Choice brioche at Loblaws is $5.49.
Winner: The UK’s brioche is almost a dollar cheaper than Canada’s.
Grapes
Tesco | No Frills
UK’s price: 500 grams of red seedless grapes at Tesco is £1.80, which is C$3.08.
Canada’s price: At No Frills red seedless grapes cost $8.80 per 1 kg. That works out to around $4.40 for 500 g.
Winner: Grapes in the UK are more than a dollar cheaper than in Canada.
These are just some examples that show the price difference between the countries. It’s important to note that prices at Canada’s major grocer, Loblaws, might not reflect other chains or local stores.
Daily Hive has also compared the price of groceries in Canada to countries like the Philippines and Portugal and Spain.
Have you ever lived in another country and found major grocery price differences compared to Canada? Email us at [email protected].