Paris - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Essentials are easily available and similarly priced. Specific ingredients, brands or snacks might not be available, but there are always substitutes. - Aug 2022
Cost of things like vegetables, wine, cheese and bread are more affordable in Paris. - May 2022
You can get everything, just try different stores to see who has what you need. The ethnic stores (South American, African, Asian) will round out anything you may want. - Sep 2021
Everything available or easy replacements simple to find. Slightly more expensive than U.S. prices, but so much more variety available in many items. - Jul 2020
Bread, cheese, and wine are incredibly cheap (and delicious). Other groceries are about the same. I have found Paris to be cheaper than expected. I also order many products on Amazon from the U.S. - Jan 2018
Paris has many outdoor markets and we are lucky to have an excellent on very close to our apartment. I buy all of my produce, dairy, meat and ready made food there. The grocery stores in the city are small and not cheap but have almost everything you would need. We try to shop at larger grocery stores when we're out of town with our car. Paris has a DPO and we order some things (like coffee) from the U.S. Picard is a store with only frozen food and there are several locations throughout the city. The quality is excellent and the prices are good. - Aug 2015
Not many U.S. brands but if you don't care about brands you can get whatever you need. Plus, Amazon.com. - Feb 2015
Expensive but really good quality. - Jun 2013
It's really not as bad as expected. - Jan 2011
I order most of my groceries online and have them delivered directly to my door for a small fee. This is a HUGE advantage. You have little grocery stores around every corner, so it's never a problem to run out for a loaf of bread or liter of milk. I will miss the convenience when we leave. As for cost, everything is more expensive than in DC, and some things are insanely expensive. Imagine buying all your groceries at Whole Foods. But, wine is cheap! - Sep 2010
In general, food is a little more expensive, but the quality is often higher. We buy produce at our local outdoor market and feel like overall it's a good deal. Meat from the butcher is really expensive, but you can taste the difference over U.S. grocery store meat. We try to spend our COLA and enjoy eating the better food. We have access to the mediocre U.S. Embassy commissary, which is very reasonably priced. Some drive to military bases in Belgium/Germany (2.5/5 hours away). - Apr 2009
Groceries are of amazingly high quality (particularly if you go to specialty stores -- butchers, greengrocers, bakers, etc. -- rather than supermarkets). Depending on the item, prices are comparable to or cheaper than the United States. Wine in particular is cheap -- often just a few euros for good-quality stuff. - Dec 2008
Food is expensive. If you are assigned to the Embassy you will receive COLA which is designed to cover the added expense so don't complain about the cost, just go buy what you need. As a single person, I shop at the Monoprix, or smaller stores like the fromagerie, charcuterie or Picquard (heavenly gourmet frozen food store).If you are assigned to the Embassy, you will have access to the military base in Belgium and can save money driving there every so often and stocking up on staples. Families usually shop at the military base once a month and supplement with runs to the larger grocery stores like Auchon. Auchon and Monoprix both deliver. Everything you want is available here, you just have to find it. There is also a China town and ethnic stores in Paris. - Jun 2008
