Here’s how grocery prices in the Philippines compare to Walmart Canada

Groceries are expensive nearly everywhere, so while in the Philippines in December, we decided to check out a local supermarket and compare prices to Walmart Canada.

Many Filipinos prefer to shop at “wet markets,” where items — including vegetables, fruit, meat, chicken, and seafood — can be bought much cheaper.

However, since they are hardly comparable to the typical Canadian shopping experience, we chose a different route.

A market in Makati, Manila (Kim David)

We decided to head to Shopwise — a chain of supermarkets that stocks local products and imported items familiar to Canadian shoppers.

Walter Eric Sy/Shutterstock

To compare, we decided to go with the prices available at Walmart Canada. While some items were surprisingly more expensive ($7/kg for russet potatoes in this economy?), you might be shocked that others were on par with what you’ll find in Canada.

But it’s important to note that while those prices might seem reasonable, they’re high for some Filipinos. In Canada, the federal minimum wage currently stands at $16.65 per hour, while the average monthly salary in the Philippines in 2022 was 18,423 pesos ($439.75), according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

A Filipino tourist found food prices in Canada so shocking that she even created a TikTok video about it.

We used this website to calculate the product’s price per unit for some items to get a more accurate idea of the pricing.

Walk down a supermarket aisle in Manila and see how prices compare.

Bakery

White bread

Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive | Walmart.ca

Philippines: 85 pesos/600 g ($2.05)

Canada: $2.97/675 g

Eggs, chicken, and seafood

Eggs

Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive | Walmart.ca

Philippines: 135 pesos/dozen ($3.26)

Canada: $3.87/dozen

Chicken breast

Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive | Walmart.ca

Philippines: 253 pesos/kg ($6.10)

Canada: $15.10/kg

Salmon

Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive | Walmart.ca

Philippines: 1,218 pesos/kg ($29.37)

Canada: $35.98/kg

Produce

Bananas

Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive | Walmart.ca

Philippines: 90 pesos/kg ($2.17)

Canada: $3/kg

Fuji apple

walmart canada

Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive | Walmart.ca

Philippines: 110 pesos/piece ($2.65)

Canada: 79 cents/piece

Russet potatoes

Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive | Walmart.ca

Philippines: 300 pesos/kg ($7.23)

Canada: $1.75/kg

Dairy

Greek yogurt

walmart canada

Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive | Walmart.ca

Philippines: 67 pesos/125 g cup ($1.62)

Canada: $1.07/100 g cup

Cheese slices

Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive | Walmart.ca

Philippines: 255 pesos/12 slices ($6.15)

Canada: $5.78/14 slices

Canned goods

Black beans

Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive | Walmart.ca

Philippines: 99 pesos/425 ml can ($2.39)

Canada: $1.47/540 ml can

Tuna

Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive | Walmart.ca

Philippines: 48 pesos/180 g can ($1.16)

Canada: $4.97/180 g can

Pantry items

Jasmine rice

Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive | Walmart.ca

Philippines: 80.2 pesos/kg ($1.95)

Canada: $2.37/kg

Pasta

Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive | Walmart.ca

Philippines: 15.4 pesos/100 g (37 cents)

Canada: 31 cents/100 g

Peanut butter

Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive | Walmart.ca

Philippines: 54 pesos/100 g ($1.30)

Canada: 67 cents/100 g

Snacks

Pringles

walmart canada

Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive | Walmart.ca

Philippines: 118 pesos/110 g ($2.85)

Canada: $2.98/156 g

Maltesers

walmart canada

Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive | Walmart.ca

Philippines: 107 pesos/100 g ($2.58)

Canada: $3.28/100 g

Potato chips

Irish Mae Silvestre/Daily Hive | Walmart.ca

Philippines: 105 pesos/100 g ($2.53)

Canada: $1.69/100 g

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