In some parts of the world, food shopping can cost a small fortune.
Food inflation, with food prices rising in countries around the globe over the past year, is partly to blame.
Some supermarkets, however, are expensive due to their remote location, and the cost incurred in shipping goods to their shelves. Others are pricey simply because they peddle luxury products.
TikTokers have taken it upon themselves to document these sky-high prices, filming their trips to Grocery stores and supermarkets everywhere from Los Angeles to Switzerland. Here are some of the eye-watering prices they’ve encountered on these shopping trips…
ALASKA
A handful of TikTokers are revealing the shocking prices of food items in supermarkets across the globe. TikToker Christine Kesteloo (above) described the prices in remote Alaska as ‘crazy’
TikToker Christine Kesteloo revealed in a TikTok video that the price of a frozen pizza in Alaska reached nearly $15 (£12.30). A pack of Babybels may set shoppers back $11.99 (£10)
To the left is Miracle Whip mayonnaise on sale for $9.49 (£8) in Skagway, Alaska – whereas Walmart sells the same product for $4.96 (£4). To the right is milk on sale for $6.99 (£6) in the Alaskan city
Remote Alaska is abundant with wildlife and picturesque views, but the sky-high grocery prices might put you off visiting.
One TikToker, Christine Kesteloo, shared a video of the supermarket shelves at the AC Fairway Market, in the tiny city of Skagway in the southeast of Alaska. ‘There’s only one Grocery Store in Skagway… prices are crazy here,’ she declares in the clip.
Due to its remote location, the shelves are only restocked on a weekly basis, she notes. Some of the pricy items she filmed included a frozen pizza for $14.49 (£12), a pack of Babybel cheeses for $11.99 (£10), milk for $6.99 (£6) and a box of mango dried slices for close to $9 (£7).
In contrast, customers in the U.S can head to Walmart to purchase a pizza for as little as $4 (£3), while a six-ounce bag of mango slices costs $4.77 (£4). Babybel cheeses are $6.98 (£5.70) and milk is priced from as little as $1.82 (£1.50).
The content creator said she was particularly shocked at the price of Miracle Whip mayonnaise for $9.49 (£8) – whereas Walmart sells the same product for $4.72 (£4).
LOS ANGELES
Many on social media have labelled Erewhon Market in Los Angeles as the ‘world’s most expensive grocery store’. Above is the Venice Beach brand of the supermarket chain
One TikToker, known online as Shawnthefoodsheep, took his 194,700 followers along with him for lunch at Erewhon Market. Pictured right is a $19 (£16) ‘Bella Hadid Smoothie’, made using a recipe shared by supermodel Hadid with the upmarket supermarket
Above is a $10.99 (£9) vegan brownie at Erewhon Market
Several TikTokers have turned their cameraphones on the Erewhon Market chain of organic grocery stores in Los Angeles. These stores are a hotspot for tourists, influencers and the mega-rich, who are regularly papped walking to their cars in the valet-equipped parking lot.
Shoppers could easily splash out hundreds in one trip, with $20 (£16) strawberries and $16 (£13) mushrooms for sale. For comparison, in Walmart, the cheapest strawberries are $2.72 (£2.24) and mushrooms are $2.08 (£1.78).
Unsurprisingly, many on social media label it as the ‘world’s most expensive grocery store’.
One TikToker, known online as Shawnthefoodsheep, took his 194,700 followers along with him for lunch at the ‘boujee’ grocery store.
Shawn spared no expense and spent a total of $64.99 (£53) on four items, purchasing ‘Hamachi Fire’ sushi for $20 (£16), a $15 (£12) chipotle sandwich, a $10.99 (£9) vegan brownie and a $19 (£16) ‘Bella Hadid Smoothie’, made using a recipe shared by supermodel Hadid with the upmarket supermarket.
TikToker ‘Mister Lewis’ filmed his trip to Erewhon Market, where he purchased $20 (£17) milk and $28.99 (£25) bread
The now-viral TikTok has gained hundreds of comments from outraged users, with some even sharing their own experiences of the store. One user wrote: ‘I had a bottle of water, a salad, chips and some fruits for $115 (£95),’ while an alleged ex-employee said that customers used to order Erewhon smoothies on Uber Eats for a total of $25 (£21).
Another TikToker, who goes by the name ‘Mister Lewis’, filmed his own trip to the supermarket, where he purchased a $25 (£21) bottle of water, $15 (£12) eggs, $20 (£17) milk, $28.99 (£25) bread, $20 (£17) butter, among other breakfast food items – with his total bill coming to more than $440 (£362).
For contrast, you can buy organic eggs for $4.94 (£4) and sourdough bread for $4.48 (£3.70) at Walmart.
LONDON
British TikToker Lucy visited Panzer’s deli in London and says she was charged £3.50 for a single tomato
One TikToker has described Panzer’s, a deli in London’s St John’s Wood neighbourhood, as the ‘Erewhon of London’, in reference to the pricey LA grocery store.
In a video, Travel TikToker Victoria noted that the prices in the shop, which is near Abbey Road Studios, are ‘similar to Erewhon and the food is just as unique’.
British TikToker Lucy visited Panzer’s and was taken aback when she was charged £3.50 ($4.20) for a single large tomato, she claims. In a video, she told her followers: ‘I actually didn’t know it was going to be that much – I got to the till and was like “oh, okay”.’
By comparison, a pack of six salad tomatoes from Asda is priced at £0.85 ($1).
Lucy admitted the shop has high-quality produce, however, saying: ‘It’s not a cheap shop but it’s a really nice experience.’
Responding to Lucy’s video, a commenter named Rochelle said: ‘I went here by accident a few years back and paid £10 for strawberries. I just handed the money over in shock, honestly.’ Aldi, meanwhile, charges £1.69 ($2) for strawberries.
CAYMAN ISLANDS
TikTokers have said the price of groceries in the picturesque Cayman Islands are ‘crazy high’. Above is Grand Cayman
Content creator Hannah Fowler shared a video of her trip to the supermarket in the Cayman Islands, where she found $14 (£12) strawberries (left). To the right is a receipt one TikToker shared of her purchases of ‘two bags of groceries, some potatoes and one twelve pack of [soft] drinks’ on the Cayman Islands
Content creator Hannah Fowler lives in the Cayman Islands and shared a video of her trip to a local supermarket, describing the prices as ‘crazy high’. In the footage, she explains that ‘fruit is so expensive because we have to import it’, noting that apples are priced at $4 (£3), blackberries at $8 (£7) and strawberries at $14 (£12). Milk is also on the pricier side at $8 (£7) and salmon is $15 (£12) per pound, the video reveals.
To compare, in the UK you can purchase milk for £1.45 ($1.70), a pack of salmon fillets for £4.60 ($5.50) and six apples for £0.99 ($1.20) at Asda.
Since Hannah’s video was posted, the clip has gained over 500,000 views and hundreds of comments, with one person asking: ‘How do people survive?’
Another Cayman Islands native, who goes by the TikTok username ‘IslandGirl’, says that the expense of grocery shopping on the islands is ‘one of the drawbacks’ to living there. Sharing a video of her purchases from Fosters grocery store in Grand Cayman, she says: ‘Here we have two bags of groceries, some potatoes and one twelve pack of [soft] drinks. It was $147 (£121).’
She adds: ‘There are some great things about living in Cayman, but the price of groceries is not one of them.’
NEW YORK
TikTokers are astounded by the prices at New York’s gourmet grocery store, Citarella, with some jumping to review the high-end products
TikToker Jack Goldburg spent $100 (£82) at Citarella grocery store in New York, buying just six items including $22 (£18) pigs in blankets and a $21 (£17) box of pistachios
Those trying to save their pennies on a visit to New York should avoid the upscale grocery store Citarella, TikToker Jack Goldburg, who goes by the username JacksDiningRoom, has suggested.
In a video filmed at the store, shared with his 400,000 followers, he says: ‘We are at the most expensive grocery store in all of New York City trying the most expensive items – we just spent $100 (£82) on lunch.’
Jack bought six items to try, starting with $22 (£18) pigs in blankets, followed by a $30 (£25) box of turkey slices. The latter, he said, were ‘pretty juicy but not worth [the money]’.
Reviewing a $21 (£17) box of pistachios, over five times the price of Walmart’s pistachios, Jack said they were ‘chewy and warm’.
He also spent $20 (£16) for six chicken meatballs, $10 (£8) on a half-empty box of crisps and $8 (£7) on a detox juice drink.
Meanwhile in Walmart, 2lbs (907g) worth’ of frozen meatballs are $7.32 (£6) and crisps are priced from $1.78 (£1.50).
SWITZERLAND
One TikToker revealed in a video that a food shop for five days’ worth of products for her family in Switzerland came to 250 Francs, which converts to around $277 or £231
According to the World Population Review, Switzerland has the second-highest cost of living in the world, with many TikTokers complaining about the price of grocery products in the country.
One TikToker revealed in a video that a food shop for five days’ worth of products for her family came to 250 Francs, which converts to around $277 or £231.
One user commented: ‘That is the most annoying part about living here. Food is super expensive.’ While another agreed that shopping in Switzerland leaves you ‘broke’.
Meanwhile, TikToking travellers Meg and Rhys took to their shared account – ‘theordinaryadventurers’ – to joke about how all they could buy in a Swiss supermarket for £10 ($12) was a single packet of biscuits. ‘They weren’t even fancy,’ the couple added.
In the UK’s Asda chain, shoppers could get a packet of biscuits for as little as £0.50 ($0.60).
CANADA
TikToker Brandi Dustin, who lives in Roosville, British Columbia, crosses into Montana once a week to buy her groceries as she finds it’s cheaper than shopping in Canada. She can save more than 50 Canadian dollars crossing the border to buy groceries
One TikToker was so fed up with the cost of her weekly food shop in Canada that she started crossing the border into the U.S to go grocery shopping in a bid to save money.
Brandi Dustin, who lives in Roosville, British Columbia, travels to Eureka, Montana, once a week to buy her groceries at Watson’s supermarket – and shares her savings on TikTok.
On a recent trip, Dustin estimated that she saved $55 CAD ($39 USD/£33) crossing the border, including gas and travel expenses, and said she saw the biggest savings on meat and dairy products, which are much cheaper in the U.S.
TikTok users have been quick to support Brandi, flooding her comment section with praise. One person wrote: ‘It’s all cheaper. Gas included. What a rip off.’
Last week, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government said the country’s five major supermarket chains, including Walmart and Costco, had made ‘initial commitments’ to help stabilize food prices.
