10 February, 2021

It’s been a while since I posted about grocery shopping so I thought I’d give a little idea of the prices of some of the things I buy on a regular basis. My neighborhood doesn’t have a supermarket proper, but does have a few abarrotes. They only carry small portions of things though – so they’re great for things you need last minute, but not for a weekly shopping trip. Ley Express is a ten minute walk away, the mercado Pino Suarez is 15 minutes, and there is a Fruteria Alicia on the way home from either.

Mercado Pino Suarez is the place I go for meat, dried chili’s, grasa (the rendered pork fat that isn’t ultra processed), and sometimes fruit and veggies. I also get some of the more Méxican items here, like epazote. El Marino has a stall here so I get my coffee and coffee filters here as well.

Ley and the other supermarkets are where I go for canned and packaged foods. I also buy the bulk of my veggies from Ley as they are consistently better quality and I don’t have to go to multiple places to find everything. They don’t have the best prices, but they are pretty reasonable. Soriana is the only place I’ve found that has cheddar cheese that tastes like cheddar cheese. It’s expensive and not really on my diet, but it’s an indulgence. I can often find dill pickles in the import aisle too!

Fruteria Alicia, at least the one near me, is often out of things like tomatoes. Or jalapeños. Or all of the carrots are split. But the ladies there are nice, and if I can’t find (or more likely, have forgotten) something at Ley or the mercado, then I’ll stop on my way home and pick it up. I think out of the three places, they have the best bargains.

I only shop at OXXO when I’m traveling, and then only until I find the local mercado. Prices aren’t as bad as 7-11 is in the USA, but they are higher than other places, have a limited selection, and really – there are abarrotes every couple of blocks and I’d much rather do business with them.

Here’s a photo of my purchases from the last trip to Ley Express. The trip was mainly for veggies, but I also picked up some orange drink, fish sticks, worcestershire sauce, oregano, and jelly.

Groceries from Ley Express, Feb 2021

And then the prices. EVERYTHING (well, all the food – the instant pot, glasses, and my silverware need to be excluded) in the photo above came to $11.62 USD. Take note that tomatoes were on sale – at .13 cents USD a pound! Yes, fruits and veggies are incredibly cheap here. If you’re a vegan or vegetarian you could live super cheaply. I find that chicken is about the same price, maybe a little less, than what I paid in Seattle. Beef and pork are less, but they aren’t crazy low. The big benefit is that you buy from the butcher and develop a relationship with them – it’s a much more personal experience than throwing a plastic wrapped package in your cart.

Grocery prices from Ley Express, Feb 2021
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