Canadians continue to feel the pinch as grocery item prices remain high. We’ve previously compared the cost of food in Switzerland and Australia, and this time, we wanted to know how French shoppers are faring.
Bloomberg Tax reports that as of January, the hourly minimum wage in France increased to €11.65 ($17.27), which is pretty much on par with Canada’s federal minimum wage, which went up to $17.30 in April this year.
To understand food prices in both countries, we compared prices at the French supermarket chain Carrefour with Walmart Canada. We also picked several food items and used the latest conversion rate of €1 to $1.48. According to money transfer service Wise, France’s standard value-added tax (VAT) is 20% — 10% for goods and services, and 5.5% is applied to food, gas, and electricity.
Where possible, we tried to find similar package sizes. Also, remember that prices at Carrefour are just a tiny sample of food costs and don’t accurately represent prices across France, just as Walmart Canada prices don’t accurately represent prices throughout the country.
Here’s how 10 grocery items compare in France vs. Canada.
Bread
Carrefour.fr | Walmart.ca
Carrefour: €1.39/$2.06 (500g) — 41 cents/100g
Walmart: $1.97 (570g) — 34 cents/100g
Eggs
Carrefour.fr | Walmart.ca
Carrefour: €2.85/$4.22 (one dozen)
Walmart: $4.08 (one dozen)
Partly skimmed milk
Carrefour.fr | Walmart.ca
Carrefour: €0.99/$1.46 (1l)
Walmart: $2.83 (1l)
Chicken
Carrefour.fr | Walmart.ca
Carrefour: €6.30/$9.34 (720g) — $1.29/100g
Walmart: $23 (seven fillets)
Potatoes
Carrefour.fr | Walmart.ca
Carrefour: €0.99/$1.46 (1kg)
Walmart: $5.97 (2.26kg) — $2.64/kg
Cherry tomatoes
Carrefour.fr | Walmart.ca
Carrefour: €2/$2.96 (200g) — $1.48/100g
Walmart: $3.47 (283g) — $1.22/100g
Avocado
Carrefour.fr | Walmart.ca
Carrefour: €1.29/$1.91 (per piece)
Walmart: $1.77 (per piece)
Strawberries
Carrefour.fr | Walmart.ca
Carrefour: €5.49/$8.14 (400g) — $2.03/100g
Walmart: $2.84 (453g) — 62 cents/100g
Basmati rice
Carrefour.fr | Walmart.ca
Carrefour: €2.79/$4.13 (1kg) — 42 cents/100g
Walmart: $6.97 (907g) — 76 cents/100g
Lay’s chips
Carrefour.fr | Walmart.ca
Carrefour: €1.69/$2.50 (155g) — $1.61/100g
Walmart: $3.97 (235g) — $1.68/100g
Out of the ten grocery items, we found six cheaper at Carrefour.
Most prices seem close to Walmart Canada’s except strawberries, which cost a whopping $2.06/100g in France compared to just 64 cents/100g in Canada.
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].