Canada vs. Jamaica: Canadian compares the prices of grocery items

While visiting Jamaica, one Canadian headed to the supermarket to see how much residents pay for common grocery items.

TikToker @liddy86 is based in Toronto, and she wanted to compare the prices of groceries during a shopping trip in Kingston. She headed to Shoppers Fair, a chain of supermarkets owned by one of the grocery giants in Jamaica, Progressive Grocers.

“It’s a small supermarket,” she says. “Prices are a bit high, but that’s to be expected, especially for imported fruits and vegetables.”

She noted that while some grocery items are more expensive in Jamaica (like lettuce, meat, and canned food), others, such as rum and spices, can be found cheaper.

Watch the video below:

@liddy86 Good food costs an arm and a leg no matter where you live in the world it seems #groceryshoppinginjamaica #costoflivinginjamaica #TorontovsJamaica ♬ Ballet song _2 minutes like “Waltz of flowers”(965238) – yulu-ism project

The price of items featured in the clip is certainly quite high, especially for a resident on an average salary.

Although Jamaica has the third-highest salaries of Caribbean countries, according to the Jamaican Observer, the minimum wage for a 40-hour work week is J$15,000 (C$130.61) or C$3.26 per hour.

As for Canada, the federal minimum wage went up to C$17.30 per hour in April this year.

Where possible, we tried to find similar package sizes for our comparisons. Also, remember that prices at Shoppers Fair are just a sample of food costs and do not accurately represent prices across the country. Similarly, prices at Walmart don’t accurately represent prices throughout Canada. Other items not available at Walmart weren’t included. We also used the exchange rate of C$1 to J$114.92.

Here’s how 12 grocery items compare in Canada vs. Jamaica.

Lettuce

Shoppers Fair: J$643.60 (C$5.60)

Walmart: C$3.47

Cucumber

Shoppers Fair: J$188.80 (C$1.64)

Walmart: C$1.97

Paprika

Shoppers Fair: J$547.40 (C$4.76)

Walmart: C$4.47

Bread

Shoppers Fair: J$535 (C$4.66)

Walmart: C$3.67

Chicken

Shoppers Fair: J$894.10 (C$7.78)

Walmart: C$11

Sardines

Shoppers Fair: J$264.73 (C$2.30)

Walmart: C$1.97

Pasta

Shoppers Fair: J$183.43 ($1.60)

Walmart: C$2.67

Toothpaste

Shoppers Fair: J$199.64 (C$1.74)

Walmart: C84¢

Butterfish fillet

Shoppers Fair: J$541.30 (C$4.71)

Walmart: C$5 (substitute: basa fillet)

Chickpeas

Shoppers Fair: J$253.72 (C$2.21)

Walmart: C$1.47

Green pigeon peas

Shoppers Fair: J$300.72 (C$2.62)

Walmart: C$1.47 (substitute: kidney beans)

Blue Diamond Almond Breeze vanilla

Shoppers Fair: J$788 (C$6.86)

Walmart: C$3.27

If you’d like to see how groceries cost in other countries, we previously compared the cost of goods in the US, Australia, Iceland, and France.

What country’s food prices would you like to see compared to Canada’s next? Let us know in the comments, or email us at [email protected].

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