Algiers - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Local produce is cheap and plentiful, but only items in season. Meat is of tougher quality. Anything imported is expensive. Bring liquids in consumables. - Dec 2021
Fresh produce is good and in abundance. Imported items are expensive. - Oct 2021
It's a closed economy, so not many imports can be found and if they are they tend to be very expensive. Locally made pantry items are cheap and of decent quality. I've been told I should bring olive oil but the country produces tons of great olive oil (just ask your local staff for recommendations on brand). Yogurt/cheese is a little more difficult because of the lack of variety. - Aug 2021
Grocery shopping here was confounding at first, but I've really come to enjoy it over the course of our time here. It feels very European, like old village European. I have my neighborhood corner store where I can get dish soap, paper towels, fizzy water, milk, and eggs. I have another high-end little neighborhood store (located near the Embassy) where I can get a good selection of pasta, tuna, cereal, cleaning products, and outrageously priced cheese, smoked salmon, and chocolates that have been smuggled in someone's suitcase. I have my beloved fruit and veg stand which has wonderful and seasonable produce. A short walk from that is the best baguette in Algiers at my boulangerie, Le Fourne Gourmond. And right across from that is a good selection of fresh fish - mostly sea bream, sea bass, but also imported salmon and local prawns - at my poissonerie. There are a few large grocery stores scattered around Algiers and they are not worth going to. The little stores are the ones who sneak things in, and they have a better selection. - Apr 2021
Produce can be good and cheap but only in season. Meat is of low quality and expensive. Shrimps are like gold here and fish is expensive as well. Chicken is pretty much the only affordable option. Milk/Dairy is low quality, all imported items are expensive. - Oct 2020
Availability sparse, cost high, household supplies available but over priced for foreigners. Basic foods are available. - Oct 2020
You can get decent fruits and vegetables when in season, but other than that it's pretty slim pickings outside of the basics. The meat, in general, is not that good and expensive, but chicken and ground beef and lamb are available. Fish is good, and cheaper than in Europe, but you will filet it yourself. Locally made stuff is cheap but of poor quality. Imported items are pretty expensive. You can't get good milk butter or cream here, it's all made out of reconstituted milk powder, you just have to accept that. Very few good bakeries. This is not a foodie country. - Sep 2019
The staples are available on the local market; however, there are no US imported groceries and only a few European brands available. People often bring food back with them if they have been out of the country to Europe or the U.S. - Mar 2019
We can walk to fresh meat, fruit and veggies and a basic corner store for staples; this is not the case for everyone. Most fresh produce is at a good price, meat is expensive even compared to American prices. There are plenty of things you can't find here, so don't get set on having a specific brand of cheese etc! - Sep 2016
Fruits and veggies are cheap and of good quality but extremely seasonal. Some are only briefly available. Anything imported is extremely limited and very expensive while Algerian brands are of low quality. You can get Haagen Daaz ice cream but it costs $18-$20 a pint. Plan on bringing almost everything with you in your consumables.
Beer, wine, and some liquor are available locally or in the very small Embassy commissary. Algerian-produced wine is actually of semi-decent quality. You will see no American brands and a very small handful of western brands and availability varies widely. There is a Carrefour that just opened but don't be fooled, it stocks the same things as the other Algerian domestic stores. Algeria practices import substitution which means they turned away all western products for import with few exceptions to "encourage and protect the domestic market." - Jun 2016
Local fruits and vegetables are plentiful, cheap, and of reasonably good quality. There's lots of French stuff in the grocery stores, so you can generally find Western levels of quality in anything, although they may not be the brands you're used to, and of course you'll pay more for them. - Mar 2014
You can find almost everything here but when you see it, you must buy it because it might not be in the store again for months. We spent more here on groceries than we did in Washington D.C. - Oct 2013
The economy remains very Soviet. A rudimentary selection of groceries is available, and not too expensive. Most anything imported can be difficult to find. Little imported fresh produce is available, and you will often be limited to what is produced locally. We shopped frequently from amazon.com and netgrocer for dry goods. - Dec 2011
Meat, chicken, fruit and vegetables were in plentiful supply, but the choice is limited. Loads of deli products and everything else you could think of in the top supermarkets. Everything was very good quality and cheap too. - Sep 2008
A bit less than the European standards. Imported goods can be quite expensive. Bread, local groceries and meat quite cheap. - May 2008
Algiers is expensive. A pound of butter is about US$5-6. Meat is terribly expensive and not very good quality. - Mar 2008
I recommend bringing cleaning supplies in your consumables. Food and good food is easy to find albeit a little pricy for the imports. All the canned baby food is imported, so don't expect to find any meat based baby food except for fish. - Mar 2008
Most items are now available, though imported and somewhat expensive. The bread is fantastic. Seasonal organic produce and meats (though they take some preparation) are easily available. Algerian wines and beers are available. Beers are a pilsner and the wines are iffy and match stateside prices. Spirits are imported (when available) and expensive. Household supplies are available, but brands are mostly French or local. - Feb 2008
