Jeddah - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Pretty much anything that wasn't illegal (pork, alcohol) was easily available, although if you were looking for a specific brand, you sometimes had to look around multiple stores, and they might run out of stock and not re-stock for months or ever. Prices for local processed goods were much cheaper than home; imported goods were typically more expensive but not unreasonable considering the distance. Veggie selection could be hit and miss; "local" (often imported from Egypt) vegetables tended to be affordable, but weren't exactly pretty. Imported veggies were available but could be very expensive ($20 for baby spinach, for instance). Household supplies were readily available and local products tended to be much cheaper, though somewhat lower quality. You couldn't always find American brands but usually an equivalent quality European brand would be available. - Oct 2022
Jeddah has numerous large and modern grocery stores where you can find anything you need. There are times where a specific US based item is off the shelf for few moths between restocking so I tend to by two items at a time of a specific American brand. If you buy Western name brands you will pay extra but its worth it. The Post also uses the Riyadh commissary where buying pork and tea is available at a weekly delivery basis. Western Favorites: Danube Lulu Hypermart Manuel - Aug 2022
The cost of groceries for us was very comparable to major cities in the U.S., but you need to be aware to by the middle-eastern produced Ritz crackers instead of the imported ones. Items noticeably more expensive were some frozen vegetables and breakfast cereals. Some things were more expensive and some things cheaper, but in the end our family grocery bill was similar to back home. Household supplies were also reasonably priced. Several regional diaper brands that were higher quality and cheaper than Pampers/Huggies. - Nov 2020
Everything is available in Jeddah, including a wide variety of both local and international items. There were very, very few things I could not find in the local grocery stores - and I'm a huge baker and cook. If I can't find it, you probably didn't want to use it anyway. The prices were comparable to the US - slightly higher because of being imported, but nothing unreasonable. Except for the avocados, those were $10/each. - Oct 2019
About the same. Unless you like to drink alcohol and eat pork (in which case this is NOT the post for you), there's a lot available, right down to kale and soy milk. You will pay U.S. prices or above though. There are two major supermarket chains in town, Danube and Hyperpanda, and a Carrefour is open though it's a bit of a hike from where the Consulate people are. - Mar 2019
Prices are about the same as they are in the U.S.,if you shop at the grocery markets. Our commissary options are insane, pretty much everything under the sun. It's also much better than Riyadh because we don't have to drive anywhere to access it. In Jeddah, you just send an email and everything is delivered weekly to the consulate for you to pick up. - Jan 2019
Lots of grocery stores. Expensive! - Apr 2016
A little bit cheaper than in the States; you can find imported stuff but it's very expensive. We prefer to order some stuff from walmart or amazon. - Nov 2015
The fruits and vegetables are not the best, but they are okay. You can find some imported ones, but they are very expensive. No organic ones. - Oct 2015
Everything is available but very expencive. - Oct 2015
Due to the big expat community, availability of Western and Asian products is great, but not perfect. As in many other countries, expect to pay a lot for some Western products like Greek yogurt and almond/soy milk. Pork and alcohol are not available. Riyadh based U.S. military provides many items not available on the Saudi market. - Aug 2015
Fruits and vegetables are not too bad. We order cleaning supplies. Local diapers are terrible. - Feb 2014
My sense is that you'll pay here about what you'd pay in a big U.S. city like Washington D.C. Produce can be a little cheaper here in the right seasons. - Dec 2013
Aside from pork, you can generally find whatever you need or want. Most good grocery stores have a large import section that has the foods that you are likely to be accustomed to. Things that tend to be expensive or of poor quality on the market include: chocolate chips, canned goods, and corn chips. Fruits and vegetables are pretty inexpensive and generally of good quality. Although you cannot get pork, you can get substitutes like turkey bacon and turkey ham. USG employees have access to the commissary, where they can generally get whatever they lack. - May 2013
Slightly cheaper than in the States. - Nov 2010
