Yangon - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Groceries are easy to get, Marketplace has locations all over the city, but do not buy meat there! For beef, chicken, and pork go to Pro-Mart. For sausage and deli meats we shop at Prime Cuts. As a family of four we spend around $70 US dollars per week on groceries. We shop at Marketplace on Dahmazeddi which caters to western expats. There are also fresh local veggies available from Fresco Myanmar, a CSA type service that delivers a weekly box of seasonal fresh vegetables. - May 2019
This was a pleasant surprise, as a huge variety is available here. Marketplace, the fancy grocery stores, imports from Australia, Malaysia, Korea and Japan and has things like US apples and salmon and wine for not insane prices. Dairy costs about what it does in the west (it's all imported), but everything local is extremely cheap. We spent about $100/week for a family of four, and that includes organic veggies and lots of dairy and imported meat products. If we shopped only at the wet markets it would be less than half that. Local produce is highly varied and very good (but of course seasonal); there is also lots of local poultry and fish. Myanmar people are not huge beef and pork eaters so these can be a little harder to find. Halal meet is available. There are various subscription services that will deliver; the Embassy commissary is pretty mediocre but increasingly less important. - Mar 2019
Groceries for standard items are comparable with higher prices paid for U.S. brand items. The Embassy Association runs a small commissary that offers more U.S. brands, but the prices are still higher than what you'd pay in the U.S. Just about everything you need is available, but it's not uncommon for things to simply disappear without notice. We went through a tonic drought last fall that lasted several months. #foreignserviceproblems. - Sep 2018
Grocery availability fluctuates significantly here. A core group of products is consistently available, but many things vary from week to week. A good example is Florida's Natural orange juice (about $8/carton when available). This used to appear at the most popular expat grocery store about once every 6 months; each shipment would last until supplies ran out, which was about 2 weeks. Then, for a brief period of time, it seemed to be regularly stocked for about 4-6 weeks, and we thought maybe they'd found a regular supplier. Then it disappeared again, and hasn't been seen since then.
The cost of items also varies quite a bit, mostly depending on whether or not they were imported. Local or regional produce is very cheap; imported items are more expensive, sometimes by a lot (imported American asparagus for $7 a bunch). The alcohol selection is poor as well; the best imported beer readily available at the store is Corona, and good-quality wine and liquor are irregularly available and more expensive, due to either import tax or having been brought over via duty free.
In terms of household supplies, we brought most of our own items, particularly cleaning supplies, with us, because we'd been warned local quality wasn't as good, or was more expensive if it was imported. One thing I wish we'd brought was a product like Bug Barrier--ants periodically get into the house, and Bug Barrier does a good job keeping them out. The embassy commissary used to sell this regularly, but they don't anymore, and it isn't available locally, nor can it readily be mailed. - Mar 2017
Lots available at Marketplace city marts around town, although we are still a consumables post. Consistency of inventory can be a problem- one week you'll see your favorite brand of something and then you won't find it for several months, if ever again. For consumables, focus on liquids: wine, liquor, and convenience goods like canned goods of brands you like. Cost of imported goods is a little higher than U.S. but still affordable. Prices in commissary keep going up. - Feb 2017
You can basically get whatever you want now. There are fancy "City Marts" popping up all over town. Luxury items like blueberries are expensive, but available. - Oct 2016
Good availability and reasonable prices - May 2016
At marketplace you can find many imports from Australia, Singapore, Thailand, and many Japanese and Korean products at Pro-Mart. Sometimes items can be out of stock for a while. Be prepared you might have to go to more than one supermarket to find everything on the shopping list. - May 2016
Fresh produce is plentiful, inexpensive, and best bought at local wet markets. Things like milk, juices, cheese, beer, and household products can be bought at supermarkets such as City Mart. More and more we are finding Western products and it seems that almost everything is now available, though sometimes they run out.Imported products are more expensive than in the U.S. by approximately 10% to 50%. - May 2016
Groceries are quite high for western products. 8oz cheddar will cost about US$7, 8oz cream cheese cost US$5, box of UHT milk cost US$2. Send one of your housekeepers/helpers out for the produce, it will be cheaper. - Apr 2014
Very cheap is shopping at local markets. A kilo of tomatoes goes for 50 cents (US). One higher-end grocery store with more imported product, looking closer to Western prices there. - Feb 2014
The more you buy from the local market, the cheaper your bill will be. The commissary can add up, but there are brands you can't find or special orders that are worth it. There are also Burmese "supermarkets" that are in between the local market and the commissary, and where I get most things. - Jul 2010
There are grocery stores, you can find what you need, but maybe not always what you want. If the goods are from beyond Burma, you will pay a premium, but if the Burmese can make it or grow it, it's cheap. Wet markets are plentiful and fresh produce is cheap. - Apr 2009
Vegetables are extremely affordable. Meat and cheese can get pricey. Household supplies are very affordable. - Nov 2008
