Bucharest - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Wide variety. Between the large major grocery store chains and smaller boutique shops, you can find most of what you're looking for. Prices are still affordable compared to US, but are much higher post-COVID than from the before times. Meat, especially beef, is very expensive. Romania is the land of pork, be prepared to eat a lot of it. You can order groceries online and have them delivered, though I don't know of anyone who used this option post-COVID. There are several farmers markets in the downtown area with a good selection of produce. Obor Market is the largest. The big chain grocery stores are Mega Image, Carrefour, Kaufland and Lidl. The nicer ones have a "bio" section of (expensive) organic and other specialty items, like gluten-free and dairy-free foods. Real Foods by Herastau Park has a couple pre-cooked meals (think curry + rice or pork and potatoes) which is nice to have upon arrival. For Asian food, there is a small chain of stores called J&K Store, which stands for Japan and Korea, and they have a good amount of east Asian items (can be pricey). There is a decent selection of US foods at the embassy commissary, though a fair portion is 6+ months expired. Think peanut butter, Ben & Jerry's, some baking goods, chips, crackers, cereals, frozen meat, etc. The commissary is working on stocking fresher products and should improve with time. Anything else you need you can order through Amazon to your DPO address. For household decor, there's an IKEA, two hardware stores like Home Depot called Dedeman and Hornbach, and decor stores in the Baneasa mall like Zara Home, Mobexpert and BoConcept. - Jun 2023
Phenomenal. It takes a little while to find the stores that carry the brands you like, but it's extraordinarily easy and prices are low. You can order groceries online and have them delivered. The farmers' market have incredible produce and are open year-round. The big chain grocery stores are Mega Image, Carrefour, and Lidl. You can buy everything there: food, imported produce, cleaning supplies, dog food, light bulbs. The nicer ones have a "bio" section of organic and other specialty items, like gluten-free foods. Then there are some smaller bio stores that often carry organic German and Greek products, with some Romanian-made products getting into the market now, too. Near Baneasa mall there are two giant stores that are similar to Costco called Metro and Selgros. - Mar 2019
Nearly, everything is available, truly. - Jun 2018
Groceries can get expensive especially with imported prices and 24% VAT. But the selection is there if you want or need: gluten free, organic, ethnic. Household supplies are also present. Admittedly, I never thought I would write something about cleaning products, but if there's a scent you can dream up, Romania already has it in the bag. Tons of scented cleaning products and toiletries. Fruity smelling TP even. Feeding a 3 and 1 year old, a husband and myself, weekly groceries cost me about US$150. But we cooked a lot. - Feb 2014
Can be overpriced or inexpensive....depends on where one shops. - Jan 2013
Beautiful fruits and veggies and lots of outdoor markets for fresh produce. Everything you want is available here, for a price. Fresh fish, however, is difficult for some reason. - Aug 2012
Most basic foodstuffs are available - prices and quality will vary based on where you shop. - May 2011
Groceries can be expensive. It really depends on whether you're buying imported items or not. The fruit and vegetables can be mediocre. The best stores are the big box stores (e.g., Carrefour, Metro, etc.) located on the highway out near the airport. - Jul 2010
The groceries are okay. I wish I could find more spices and more varieties of fresh produce. - Dec 2009
Food was becoming more plentiful - more stores were opening up the longer we were there. We lived, for the most part, on the local economy and ordered only specialty items through netgrocer and the like. - Dec 2009
Prices have gone up since Romania joined the EU but prices basic groceries can be OK. Take advantage of the outdoor markets for produce, where the quality and prices are great. Good meat is hard to find, as is good seafood. American cheese and some spices along with ethnic foods are hard to find. Appliances and clothes are ridiculously expensive. - Dec 2008
Slightly more expensive then the U.S. - Feb 2008
Expensive and climbing. - Jan 2008
You can get pretty much everything here but groceries are getting more expensive. - Jan 2008
