Cost of Groceries in Britain vs America - food prices in UK vs US
In this video I take you grocery shopping with me at the Tesco supermarket in Gloucestershire, England and then compare prices of those food products with those at the Kroger grocery store in Dallas, Texas.
I get really nerdy and calculate the difference in cost of groceries by converting for the currency exchange, metric vs. imperial weights, etc. I hope you find this video helpful, interesting or at least entertaining. Please tell me YOUR experience with shopping for familiar food items when you are in another country!
Be sure to subscribe for upcoming Cost of Living videos and all kinds of other British fun and adventures! Cheers! XX Dara
Other food comparison videos to check out:
British vs American high end Supermarkets (Waitrose vs Safeway Tom Thumb) - • British vs American Su...
British vs American low end Supermarkets (Walmart vs ASDA) - • Ways British and Ameri...
British vs. American BEANS - • British vs. American C...
British vs. American PICKLES - • British vs American Pi...
British vs. American TOMATOES - • British vs American To...
British vs. American SUGAR - • British vs American Sugar
British vs. American HOT DOGS - • British vs American Su...
I lived and worked in the US for a dozen years and am now back in the UK. One thing that needs to be considered is that salaries are 2 to 3 times more in the US than the UK. When I lived in Dallas I had a lot more money left each month than I do now in the UK.
Oh wow, you lived in the area where we live! Yes, American salaries are typically higher. What part of Britain are you in now?
We loved living in Dallas (Frisco) but unfortunately work relocated us to Maryland.
@@rich7447 there are a lot of wonderful things about Frisco! Great people, great schools, great shopping, great restaurants, lots of sports! 👍
This is actually a critical point that should be factored in. Uk wages are very low.
@@zoebidwell720 yes I'll attempt to factor this in to future COLA analyses... things like fuel and insurance and housing are also big factors
I am a retired international airline pilot who had a hobby of comparing prices to the U.S. wherever I was laying over. I found the prices were cheaper overseas almost all the time and the food quality was much higher.
Wow, that's amazing! Now that you have that perspective... what foods do you find most disappointing to buy in the US? I share mine in tomorrow's video called "Reverse Culture Shocks" ;-) Thanks for watching and commenting! Dara
Higher quality if you mean less taste. Except chocolate, which is better in the UK.
I live in the UK now and I have found that the baking aisle is shockingly small compared to the US. I also have no tollgate chocolate chips, which is disappointing, though the chocolate in every other category is simply better here. The Lasagna is made with a disgusting "white sauce" and not the ricotta cheese that makes lasagna so special. They sell things like "American Pizza" and its disgusting like chicken and barbque sauce. There is more fresh food and lots of ready meals and pre-cook meals that are especially convenient AND healthy which is something the US hasn't quite pulled off yet. They sell something called "squash" and its basically as popular as kool-aid, but so much easier. Instead of a frozen blob or satchet of staining powder and giant cup of sugar, you put a few drops of squash concentrate into water and tada, you have cherry, or orange, or blackcurrant drink which is low in sugar. You can also add it to sparkling water for a fruity soda. Finally, blackcurrant and Rhubarb are popular foods, and disgusting. Oh! and being a lifelong detestor of baked beans I decided to try them here, because it is amazing how different some things can be, and I love the baked beans here! They don't have that gross vinigery odd taste that US beans have.
@@binxbolling What example do you have for this? I have found nearly all the meat, fish and eggs much higher quality than that in the US. (when comparing uk supermarket food to us grocery store food). There may be arguments for comparing high quality butcher/fishmonger products in the UK and US but I have yet to try high quality US butchers/fishmonger.
@@lkm3s cause we have bakers for bakery items
My spouse, who is British, and I have recently moved to the USA after many years in the UK. We have been shocked and depressed by the rampant inflation in America. For so many years it seemed that Europe was expensive and the US cheap by comparison - but this has reversed. We have found car insurance, dining out, hotels, mobile phone and broadband services all to be significantly more costly than in the UK but the price of groceries was the most flabbergasting of all! We knew the food quality in the US would be inferior to Europe but we never dreamed we would be paying so much more to receive less. When we spoke to friends and relatives here they seemed surprised by our reaction to prices but your video shows us we were not wrong.
Yes, what the video doesn't show is the quality of the food. Like you mentioned, produce like berries or carrots taste so much better in Britain than they do in the states. I don't know where you live in the US, but hopefully you can get some Products that are higher quality. Here in Texas we get delicious mangoes and avocados at least! Eventually I'm going to do a video about some of the other things you mentioned. We were gobsmacked when we saw how inexpensive it was to get a mobile phone and phone plan in Britain this summer! Cheers for your comment! Dara
but where usa wins is on goods like clothes electrical items toys often a lot less in usa
@@SimoneOconnell good point! But mobile phone plans in Britain are a bargain compared to the USA.🇺🇸
@@SimoneOconnell cars and fuel. Massive savings in US 👍
I've been doing comparisons between Asda and Walmart for many years (they used to be the same company), and I've always told anyone who will listen to me that Asda is waaaay cheaper.
I'm a retired expat who has been living in France for the past 6 years. I normally spend about $120/week on groceries that will last 6 or 7 days for me and my wife. We buy everything either at the butcher shop or at the open markets. We're just back from a 2 week trip to the US to see our kids. I was completed floored after our first shopping trip with our daughter. She spent nearly $200 dollars for about 4 days worth of groceries. So, where I'm spending around $500/month for 2 people, she is spending close to $1000/month.
It's insane. And if you are buying meat from a butcher and vegetables from a greengrocer, I can promise you that your food quality is much higher than the typical American supermarket...
@@MagentaOtterTravels Very true. France has some of the strictest food laws in the world.
The average salary in the US was around $58,260 in 2021. In the UK, the average salary was around $38,291 when converted to dollars.
@@marycoughlan353 I think it's one of those things that's difficult to quantify. How is an average salary calculated, should one possibly look at minimum wage, or how a lot of people in the food industry in America work on tips?
@@monacophotographyevents2384 Another factor for why wages are much higher in the States is that there is much less welfare, so that pushes wages up.
Food, excluding luxuries, carries no tax (VAT) in Britain.
"Most Food" is VAT free, biscuits are taxed, cakes aren't..
That's true in about 40 of the 50 US states too.
In Texas groceries don't have sales tax but restaurant food is taxed. Of course, that varies for other states.
@@alanmon2690not all biscuits are taxed
@@MagentaOtterTravels , while you're doing nothing 😂😂😂 have a look on here because it shows restorations of buildings ( your favourite themes ) and when they are finished they rent them out so you can get a taste of the old days . ". Great British Landmark Fixers "
Hi, Dara. When I lived in England, the difference in food costs was one of the first things I noticed. I thought grocery shopping in England was much easier on my wallet. Also, I shopped at Sainsbury's much more often than I did Tesco. :-) And I sooo miss British cheese and all the sauces! Yum!
My Kroger carries leg of lamb.
The cheese is so much better!💖🧀😋
@@MagentaOtterTravels SO much better! I miss it.
@@christy3122 What sauces do you miss? Like, HP?
@@MostlyPennyCat uk Daddies sauce brown or tom 1/4 price
Having just got back from 3 weeks in CA and buying our own food while out there, we were utterly shocked at how expensive it is in US now. Its massively more expensive for just regular food items. Happy to be back in the UK and let my bank balance recover!.
Yes, and food prices are more expensive on the coasts than they are in the middle of America. We head to New York City this week, and I'm expecting everything will be pricey! I hope you enjoyed your trip to California despite the high cost of food 😉
@@MagentaOtterTravels Yet your Kroger in Dallas appears to be routinely more expensive than our Rouse's here in New Orleans... sometimes monstrously so, and we're basically an island!
Until you buy petrol. You will lose 4x.
@MrLangDog fuel in California at the moment is £1.15 per litre Uk £1.48 and US cars are 15% to 40% less fuel efficient, UK has plentyfull supply of diesel cars which are 30% more fuel efficient than petrol. California always had diesel sales restricted.US spec Japanese Toyota corolla for example always smallest engine size is 2.0, European 1.6 and nearly always fuel hungry autos. Weighing everything up there is not much cost difference if equal nearly And shock of shock petrol ford f250s do 9 to 11 mpg on urban cycle, our diesel cars average 40 mpg in same situation. I would say running costs are cheaper in UK as we travel less distance, Americans jump in there car to post a letter 300 meters away.
Everything costs more in Kleptofornia, than in the real US. States like that gouge businesses, so the extra costs are passed on. We "flyovers" don't consider CA, NY, etc. to be real American examples.
I go to the US A LOT for work and often spend weeks at a time in longer stay style accommodation. I have always been amazed at the cost of groceries in the US. Bread, as demonstrated in this video, has always shocked me in the US.
Yeah... bread is horrid. High prices for bad quality. I hate the ton of sugar and LOADS of preservatives. I can't even stand the smell of the bread aisle!
I’m the same. Spend a lot of time in the US. Bread is expensive & awful. Very hard to get good bread.
This was fascinating and eye opening! The Tesco items that you mentioned were on sale were actually showing the lower price for people with a Tesco Club card - which is a loyalty card. If you shop at Tesco regularly it's really worth getting one. They are free.
Oh yes, I've had a Tesco card the past 3 years, and use it for most of the things I buy at Tesco. I should have explained this in the video because I’m getting tons of comments on it. The Tesco club card prices are the same thing as the Kroger club card prices. In both stores, you get a free card that let’s you get MUCH lower prices when you scan it at checkout. But the reason I didn’t show club card prices in my comparison is that they would not be equivalent. Promoted prices vary from week to week and some weeks they are not “on”. So to make it comparable, I stuck to non-promoted prices for both retailers. In reality, I buy most of my groceries on “sale” using the club card prices both at Tesco and Kroger 😉 Thanks for your comment! Dara
The Tesco club card prices don’t change often like ‘sale’ prices
@@samanthakennedy4023 my observation this summer was that some do. When we arrived in May the Bonne Maman jam was 2 pounds
Clubcard plus for £7.99 a month you get two big shops per month with 10% off your shopping. We'll worth it
@@joz6683 interesting! Didn't know about that!
Well done, Dara, that was vey enlightening, and your professional experience was clear. Not nerdy at all.
Thanks for respecting my decades of experience. We are all nerdy about certain things that interest us, right? I could talk about Britain and food all day long... in fact, I do! Now off to work on a video for next Friday about making and eating SCONES! That will be much more fun to edit than this one was ;-) Have a great weekend, Liz! Dara
My first visit to the US(New York) was in 1970, last visit (Florida) was in 2015. This didn't really surprise me, the British grocery business has become dynamic and highly competitive. Great video Dara.
It was an interesting comparison for me, because clearly prices have gone up so much in both countries with recent inflation. But on so many things the British groceries are still less expensive. Thanks for watching!!
@@MagentaOtterTravels Inflation is obviously a very big issue pretty much all over the world at the moment unfortunately. I think competition and being able to buy fresh produce pretty easily has been a great thing in British supermarkets in the last twenty or so years. The arrival of German owned Aldi and Lidl has also been a good thing, it's kept Tesco and Sainsbury's on their toes.
@@Funeeman yes it's obvious that Tesco has taken notice! Throughout the store you see tags saying "Aldi Price match" on things that are pretty low prices.
Here in the US the grocery business is consolidating towards monopoly like with Kroger's acquisition of Albertsons. A US city will usually have 2 major chain grocery stores, 1 or 2 luxury "whole foods" chain, maybe a local chain and/or Latino chain, Target, and of course Walmart.
Thank you for taking the time and effort to make this video Dara. As a Brit I was very surprised overall at the results especially with the steaks and you living in Texas. Thanks again for the video and take care.👍
Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment! It was a lot of work, but thankfully I don't do a video like this every week 😉! I'm looking forward to this week's video where I get to have some fun and make delicious scones with my friend Emma who has a lovely Welsh accent and some rambunctious chickens!💖🏴Cheers! Dara
I presumed meat would be so so much cheaper in the USA!
We have grain finished beef that is a lot cheaper than grass fed beef. Tbones were $7/500g a few weeks ago but not grass fed ones. Mince (20%fat) is $4/500g on sale not grass fed mince though.
Great review and great to hear from someone who has substantial experience of both places to live.
Thanks so much for your comment! I'm also not the typical food shopper because I spent 30 years in marketing food for my career ;-) Cheers! Dara
Great comparison. Worth noting, the UK has ⅕ the population, and is post-Brexit (UK now out of Euro trading bloc), and in a cost-of-living crisis that prompted a Parliamentary committee to interrogate the Big Grocery CEOs on pricing.
Interesting! I didn't know about that parliamentary action!
They trade in Ireland.
@@Sulaeyes Ireland is the size of Indiana. No tractor trailers of food traveling thousands of miles. Now that Biden has raised gas prices here, that cost is passed on to grocery stores.
Dam someone had to do a bit of Brexit bashing Remaniac alert
@@dianakidd4219 I live in Ireland.
This is a really thorough analysis. Top notch investigative reporting!
Heehee, it was fun to be nerdy and get to the answer... but it was also exhausting! My next video will be much more fun and light hearted! Baking and eating scones with my Welsh friend at her home! ;-)
@@MagentaOtterTravels yum!
Yes, I'm a nerd. I have tons of other things to do and I am watching this. Thanks for all the work.
#FoodNerdsUnite! Thanks so much for watching! Now I hope the rest of your day is more productive 😉 Cheers! Dara
From watching other price comparisons videos on KZhead recently the result doesn’t suprise me too much as food inflation is rising everywhere. You’re right about US bread being less “bready” than in Europe which is not surprising as it contains so much sugar. Last year a court deemed that Subway couldn’t call theirs bread as it contained so much sugar and should be classed as confectionery !
I hadn't heard that about Subway. That is CRAZY! I usually bake my own bread, but haven't been able to since getting back to Texas. I can't stand opening a bag of bread here and smelling all those preservatives!!!
@@MagentaOtterTravels Google the Subway bread and there’s lots about it online.
The sugar dries the bread. With less moisture it has a longer shelf life.
I think that was the Irish Supreme Court.
I’m a Brit shopping in HEB just now and even if you adjust for a recent years exchange rate that was more in our favour, I still can’t understand how some highly processed stuff (and domestically produced) in the US is inexplicably highly priced. I also adjust a bit in my head for portion sizes and still can’t figure the economics of it out.
I live in the UK and holiday in Florida each year and the groceries in the States are so much more expensive. We have noticed it over the years but more so in the last few years.
Yes, inflation is hitting us all. But food in the US is getting ridiculous. And sadly the quality is lacking as well...
The thing that would worry me is the amount of toxicity that’s allowed in American food!
@@TwoBassed Just like the frozen chickens from America that have been banned as illegal for import into the UK.
The difference is that wages are, on the whole, vastly better in the US. Poverty at its hardest hitting is worse than the UK though, with many people basically living in third-world poverty with effectively no healthcare Even a waiter in an iHoP in the US can earn double what I do as a tradesperson in the UK because of the crazy tipping system. In the UK employers have to pay a minimum set wage by law, but waiting staff in the US don't even want this, as they love fleecing customers for hundreds of dollars a day just to serve them pancakes and Coke. No offence to Americans out there but the health system alone in the US would completely put me off wanting to live there, for any money. And so much of your food is trash, unless you pay even more money for artisanal food at Whole Foods and the like
@@TwoBassed YESSSSS!
Hi Dara! I grew up in Dallas,and moved to Cheltenham back in 93. Every time I go back to visit,I’m overwhelmed by how much bigger the supermarkets have become and all the products. Of course, always have to stock up on old favourites to bring back with me.
NO WAY!!!! That's incredible! I'm curious what American foods you miss and want to stock up on when you return to England! If you haven't checked out my Cheltenham video I hope you do :-) kzhead.info/sun/lsWydreLpnqoeKM/bejne.htmlsi=UF8OKPqDJM30hqik Cheers! XX Dara
@@MagentaOtterTravels I have to buy Fritos-both regular and chili cheese,bean dip,Hidden Valley Ranch,a variety of Dash seasonings,biscuit and cornbread mix,Busch (I think I have that name right) beans-various different ones, and my daughter has to have Little Debbie Honey Buns. There’s more,but those are off the top of my head. Oh,and anything cinnamon flavoured. I’ve been searching for those cinnamon strips that melt-I think Listerine make it. Funnily enough,my ex husband,born and raised here in Cheltenham, is the one who told me about your videos,and sent me a link to this one as he works there. So I watched some last night,and will keep watching your videos!
Just back and excited to see this analysis. My gut reaction was that food was cheaper but pleased to see the care with which you compare!
It is not an exhaustive analysis, but it does show a lot of items that we buy all the time. Plus a bunch of meat, which other people buy 😉. Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment! Dara
I lived in Helsinki for three years, and the year round abundance of fresh leafy greens and vegetables really surprised me most of all.
Sounds wonderful! I do wish I had a garden in which to grow my own fruit and veg!!
A little KZhead channel, a great informative KZhead channel , full of wonderful sights and useful information, Your little channel is great Dara you and your family stay safe 👍
Small but growing... as I crank out a video every Friday at 4pm UK time for nearly four years now ;-) Thanks so much for watching, and your continued support! XX
Thanks for your hard work, Dara! 📊
Thank you very much! Appreciate you watching and taking the time to comment. Cheers! Dara
Ooh hi there! I loved this - you're fun!! I really really enjoyed that geeky romp through the respective grocery prices!! All in all I think you did exceptionally well regarding getting a very good match between your pairs of examples! And fully ten out of ten for adjusting your tomatoes/tomatoes pronunciations to match the UK vs the US ones! I can tell you were very good at your job - my OCD nerve was not jarred even once by any miscalculated price/weight conversions! There's almost NOBODY left, it seems, attending to detail these days - particularly as far as KZhead videos which are 99.99% purely vehicles from which creators mount adverts and the care over material accuracy (scientific, historic, literary etc), is already low - but with regards to spelling and syntax, approaching zero! You have miraculously taken one small step to redress the balance and thus cooled my pettifangling brain and delighted me to the extent I have interrupted my supper - now getting cold - to write this! I already have the perfect way to recompense myself for the inconvenience - I shall find your "budget" and "bling" versions of the same😂❤
Wow, I just learnt a new word... pettifangling! Love it! Thank you so much for watching my video and leaving such a lovely comment! We love having people like you in the Magenta Otter Tribe, so I hope you hit that subscribe button. No, I'm not here to become rich or famous... KZhead is a rotten place for that. I just love talking about Britain and making friends with Anglophiles around the world! Thanks for noticing my detail-oriented calculations and pronunciations! Thanks for your support! Cheers! XX Dara P.S. I love your username
Some people are a ton of money here in the US . Greed!
Hi Dara, well done on this video. I shop in Tesco every week and it seems that we buy similar products. I am not surprised by your findings. Earlier in the year my friends in Memphis and Nova Scotia did a swap of our weekly grocery bills so we could see how the cost of living was affecting us . Diane, who shops in Kroger did pay more than me, but the bill from Nova Scotia was much, much more expensive, especially for meat and dairy. Enjoy Autumn and Winter in Texas.
Thanks Karen! How interesting that you did a comparison amongst your friends! Places like Nova Scotia really suffer from being out of the way and having high transportation costs I think. When I was in Hawaii, it was TWELVE DOLLARS for a loaf of bread!!! Of course, those of us who shop at Tesco and Kroger use our club cards and do save a lot from the discounts they offer ;-)
A comparison between American Aldi and UK Aldi would be charming….
Evan Edinger did that on his channel. I haven't watched the video yet, but I bet it's great!
@@MagentaOtterTravels ive just subscribed to Evan…..Thankslot…
@@griswald7156 He also did a Sainsburys verses a New England store. Was also good.
Aldi and Lidl are just great in the UK. I used to shop a lot at Tesco, but not any more. I get about 80% of my groceries from these two discounters.
@@SuperLittleTyke i shop 90% at Aldi and Lidl…then i always do a little 10% at markss,Waitrose and Budgens…and tesco..
I love your video, very insightful and I cannot believe the price differences!
Thank you so much! In a couple weeks I will be doing a similar video but will be comparing prices on basic food items in Aldi Texas versus Aldi in England. So please stay tuned! Cheers! Dara
Great Comparision Video. 😊👍 And well done to you for taking the time to make a very interesting video 😁
Thank you so much! Very kind of you to say. Cheers, Dara
Wow this video absolutely nailed it. I’ve been living in Houston (from London) since 2016 with my Texan wife and I’ve been telling my family here how absurdly expensive groceries are. You should do a comparison of pharmacies because I think the asymmetry in prices is even greater. Looking to move to Bath possibly and although housing ain’t cheap, I’ll be glad to make a sandwich for under 5 dollars.
We are living parallel lives! Houston versus Dallas and Cheltenham versus Bath! Yes, the price of groceries has really climbed recently! It's a bit painful. Especially since the food quality seems to have declined! If you aren't familiar with Cheltenham, I hope you watch my recent video about reasons I love it. You might consider it as a place to move, since it's a bit lower cost than Bath 😉. Cheers! Dara
Well done on all your work for this video! Not just comparing products but then doing currency conversion and weights and measurement conversions as well! Reading some of the comments it seems people are VERY passionate about grocery comparisons!😄
It's crazy, isn't it? The fact that the video has received so many views shows what a hot topic this is! Unfortunately, when a video does this well and I get a lot of views from new people, it also means I get more nasty comments. I deleted the worst ones, but there are still a lot of people who are very critical. Kind of weird since I'm just doing this for a bit of fun and people really needn't get their knickers in such a twist!
How could anyone be negative about this video? You did an amazing job and it was just the facts. I will never understand the human mind.@@MagentaOtterTravels I loved it! I love seeing different grocery stores, price and food comparisons!
@@michellehutchinson9569 some people are just cranky and critical... I feel sorry for them. Not a pleasant way to live! 💖
Hi there, great analysis and very interesting. Good Job👍
Thanks so much for watching and commenting! Dara
This was amazing, thanks. And I loved your “Do something good in the world today” too
Aw, I really appreciate that! Thanks so much for your lovely comment. Dara
I enjoyed seeing a comprehensive comparison video which totally supports what I thought. As someone who also spends there time between the two countries, I maintain that my grocery shop is one third to half more expensive in Florida as it is in England. Thank you.
Yes, you might get a deal on oranges in Florida, but other than that I think grocery prices are more expensive on the east and west coast than they are in the center of America. And particularly if you shop the deals, British grocery shopping is so much cheaper! When you spend your time in Britain, what part are you in?🇺🇸 🇬🇧
@@MagentaOtterTravels I am British and live on the Isle of Wight. I am just lucky to be able to spend 4/5 months each winter in Florida (as long as I can afford it 🙂)
@@roxaneh99 how interesting! I would think that on the Isle of Wight prices might be more expensive than the mainland? That often seems to be the case on small islands. How wonderful that you can divide your time between those two fantastic places!🇺🇸❤️🇬🇧
I don't shop Tesco often but rather M&S and I do shop Kroger in the US. I find the quality very different in the UK. Even "apples to apples" something like Kit Kats have different ingredients. It's difficult to find bread that has sugar in it in the UK vs the US. I was shocked by the frozen micro meals had so few ingredients in the UK. So while prices matter, the quality is a difficult comparison. Plus the packaging (while some will dislike the plastic), I find the fruit and veg very appealing in the UK with the presentation. Also remember the NHS in the UK, it's in their best interest to make the food healthier with less ingredients.
Its not difficult to compare quality. Just look at the ingredients list on usa products and you’ll realize they’re mostly artificial, non natural ingredients. The UK ingredients in their products are majority natural, period. Also the taste will tell you which country has superior quality.
@@ecm3030 I agree
Food quality is a topic in my video this Friday "Reverse Culture Shocks". I hope you tune in! Cheers! Dara
Wonderfully informative thanks
Thanks so much! Dara
Food prices are indeed crazy in the U.S. it's interesting that you chose Kroger, they're considered pricey in my area.
I wasn't trying to be the least expensive, I was just trying to compare something equivalent. And I do feel like Tesco is very similar to Kroger. Their prices can be on the high side, but they have really good deals if you use their loyalty card. I already did videos last year where I shopped at two very high-end Stores and then low end stores as well in both countries. Those videos were also a lot of work! Lol
`tesco is also expensive here for comparison. i think asda/ Walmart would be interesting as Walmart used to own asda in the uk and is the budget store here
@@rosspearson2805 last year I did a video where I showed full shopping trips at Walmart and Asda.
Winco is cheap.
Thanks for making this video. We lived in England back in the 90s. This brings back memories. I think the median income in the UK is about 40% less than US, so I would expect food prices to be less. I lower our grocery bill here in the states by focusing on loss leaders and manager specials and stocking up. For example, I found some bottom round roasts reduced to $3.49/lb last week and grabbed 10 of them. One for dinner and the rest in the freezer. But the food quality always seemed better in the UK. I still splurge and buy British cheese here. No comparison in taste. Plus we have Aldi and Lidl, but even their prices are going up. Our family has a garden to offset grocery cost.
After making this video, as well as watching a rather shocking Netflix documentary about food sold in the US, I really wish I could garden! It's just not realistic given when we live in Texas and the fact that in England we live in a small flat. But one day I hope to live in a freehold property where we can grow vegetables in the back garden! I agree with you on your shopping strategies. Buy what's on sale, and use your deep freeze! 👍 I think I save a lot of money by grinding my own wheat and making my own whole wheat bread. Plus it tastes so much better and doesn't have gross preservatives in it!
True, but we don't have to pay £100's per month for health insurance
@@markenetube touché!
You are wrong about the Cheese. Cheese from my home state of Wisconsin is better then any British cheese you can think of.
@@thebigm4 I do love Wisconsin cheeses... I grew up in the Chicago area and have visited many farms and factories making cheese. Can we just agree that Wisconsin and English cheeses are both good?
I was really surprised at the outcome. Really thought it would be cheaper in the USA. Thank you for posting this really interesting video. Best wishes from the UK x
Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to leave a comment! On Friday I'll be comparing housing costs in the US and UK. Cheers! XX Dara
Hi Texas Dara 👋🏻. Fellow Nerd here…happy to ‘pay’ you😅. This video was great. Really appreciated all the effort with the conversions. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much, my friend! My pleasure! XX Dara
Interesting video. Thanks for the comparison.
Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment!
A very thorough comparison - thanks. The reason for the surprising weight of the sirloin steak is because 227grams = 8 ounces exactly!
That makes sense! Thanks for watching!! Dara
Using tesco is a bad comparison as they over price a lot of products. Odd you ignored the reduced price which is what we would pay.
@@kenvoysey8222 I did the same thing at Kroger to be fair.
Glad to see your post. I was in London over the summer and I noticed that my sensitivity to foods such as dairy products disappeared. Have you ever compared quality of the products by their ingredients?
I haven't... but there is a lot of publicity about the difference in food standards between the US and the UK. It's a bit of a controversial topic, because some people get a little defensive about this... but I do think the food quality is better in Britain. I'm glad to hear that your food sensitivity issues have improved!👍
What surprised me most about this video, was that I watched it until the end. It was far more interesting than I thought it would be. Good job.
LOL that's a great compliment! Cheers! My next question is would you watch a video of me making scones with my Welsh friend tomorrow? All the way to the end to see how the scones turn out? 😉 Dara
@@MagentaOtterTravels Well I appreciate the reply. I have now subscribed. So I await the notification. As it happens, I have recently started experimenting with baking my own bread. Maybe I could expand to scones.
@@user-er4lh1vp6r that's great! What kind of bread? During the pandemic lockdown a lot of people started baking bread. In the states it seemed to mostly be sourdough bread. I have been grinding my own wheat and making honey whole wheat bread for many many years. It's delicious stuff, and keeps me from having to buy that nasty American bread! Lol 😂 I have an old video on my channel of me showing how I make my wheat bread. I posted it back in 2020.
@@MagentaOtterTravels Still trying to master basic white bread. I have always cooked, but never baked. Have looked at some of your most recent videos. Was shocked to see you in my old stomping ground. The hare & hounds, Kings Heath. Used to drink there in the 1980's. Will check out some of your baking videos, after I have seen your upcoming Scones Video. (Given the general density of my bread . Scones or rock cakes might be a better fit for me).
@@user-er4lh1vp6r yes, my husband Ian has Brummie roots! My channel is very unusual because I don't stick to a specific little niche. I have cooking videos, hiking videos, animal videos, architecture videos, history videos, videos comparing British and American culture, and travel Vlogs of Europe! Of course that means the KZhead algorithm hates my guts, but I find it more fun and interesting to do videos about a variety of topics. I would get bored publishing a video every week about the same thing 😉. Thanks for tuning in and your support! Dara
Great comparison video.
Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment! Cheers! Dara
As an Englishman I'm surprised that the UK prices are generally less expensive than in "the land of plenty" even though we import many items.
Yes it's surprising. Though the US imports a lot as well. And just driving across this big country is also kind of expensive 😉
Not all in uk are cheaper
It's really hard to compare prices between nations as prices vary widely from store to store and region to region. I can tell you most items are way cheaper in the US if you shop at ethnic stores versus big national chains.
We grow strawberries and peaches in the county I live in, but Save Mart had organic peaches for $4 a pound.
@@lisak7380 I plan to do some follow-up videos shopping at places like Aldi or regional grocers like H-E-B
That was so interesting! I was born in London and spent my first 26 years there. Since then I’ve lived in Alabama for 47 years (American wife). I’ve had to pay crazy prices for UK food here (tinned steak & kidney pies, HP sauce, baked beans, etc.). Lamb is hard to find here and expensive when you can get it.
Yes for sure! Do you have World Market near you? Or any regional grocery stores that have a British section? Ordering British foods from Amazon is crazy expensive!
Well done, detailed and carefully explained. As a dual citizen who's soon to retire and return to England, I appreciate the good food-cost news. Subscribed :)
Oh I'm always excited to meet folks who are also dual citizens or retiring to England! Tell me more... where in England are you planning to settle? Where have you been living in the states? Thanks for subscribing! You are very welcome in the Magenta Otter Tribe, and I look forward to hearing from you! Cheers! Dara
Hello! Although born in Lincoln, I'm looking to retire to the southwest, perhaps Exeter or Plymouth. For the States, I've spent the majority of my adult life in California or Florida - for me, two dramatically different places. Thank you again for the videos! Cheers! Andrew & Jen :)@@MagentaOtterTravels
@@TheDeadbone1961 nice to meet you Andrew & Jen! We met and married in Southern California, although Ian grew up in northern California and I went to Uni in Northern California as well. We love Devon! 20 years ago I would've told you that my plan was to retire to Sidmouth 😉... but we are enjoying Cheltenham for now!
Really interesting and really well done. Thanks.
Thanks so much!
interesting, i've actually been wondering about this for a while. food prices have just gone crazy in the last year or so here in the UK. easily doubled in some cases. by the way the tesco clubcard price is more like the normal price it should be. the higher price is they're way of insidiously getting all of your personal information and using it for god knows what.
Yes, and it is exactly the same way at Kroger by the way... the card price is much cheaper. But since those promoted prices change all the time and the deals go on and off, I compared non-promoted prices just to make it fair across retailers. But as for ME, I try to always buy things on the card price whether I'm shopping in Britain or the states! Thanks for your comment. I know there are lots of ways of doing this type of comparison, but I just did mine in a way that is relevant to me since I live and shop in both places at both these stores all the time ;-) Cheers! Dara
The U.S. had a country wide bird flu.
@@teams3345 So did the UK.
I think the comparisons were really good, interesting on both sides of the aisle if you catch my meaning. The cost of ice-cream was a surprise but I would guess that with all branded items, they will charge whatever they think they can get away with which differs from country to country. Luckily, I detest Cookie-Dough ice-cream!
I don't really buy ice cream in the supermarket, but I wanted to show the comparison. Turns out Ben & Jerry's was bought by Unilever a British company... and that ice cream is produced locally ;-)
Thanks for covering these comparisons in such a comprehensive manner Dara. I suspected the overall cost might be lower in the UK but some of the disparities in price are significant. I eat a lot of fruit so was interested in seeing how they compared. Best wishes 👍👍👍
We eat a lot of fresh fruit and veg, so we definitely see a lower total price to our trolley full of food in the UK vs. the US! But the best is when we can shop at the farmer's market or farm stands. Nothing better than fresh rhubarb (from Evesham) and strawberries and raspberries (from Herefordshire) in a crumble with double cream! My summertime favourite!!! Thanks for watching and leaving a lovely comment. Cheers! Dara
@@MagentaOtterTravels Given Britain doesn't have a California and thus it has to import much of its fruit one would expect British fruit to be a lot more expensive than American fruit. Indeed where food products are America unlike Britain is pretty much self sufficient. This of course begs the question why are America's food equivalent's that more expensive than Britain's.
Magenta great presentation and blog,and great to see you settling down in the UK 🇬🇧 ❤😊
We are settling into a 5 months in UK and 7 months in US split... get the best of both worlds! Cheers for watching! Dara
The cheapest Supermarket in the UK varies between Aldi and Lidl, You will have noticed the cost comparison notices shown in Tesco. Even within a chain the prices can vary slightly, depending on the neighbourhood, as does the range of goods stocked. Also there is a degree of quality competition between supermarkets, which can be reflected in differing prices for apparently similar items.
Yes, it's a good thing that ALDI showed up because it's making Tesco and Sainsbury's lower their prices on a lot of items ;-)
This was a fabulous and well researched and edited video! I must admit I was very surprised that food was overall cheaper in England. Wow! We have been complaining and moaning about the +30% increases in some foods over the past couple of years here, but I guess it is a global issue, due to shortage overall, bigger populations and wars too, as well as climate change. You did this brilliantly with excellent graphics! Well done Dara! This video fully deserves to have done as well as it has. Take care, Paul
Thanks, Paul! You know how it is... you think a topic might do well with the algorithm and sometimes it does! Like video. But for me, most of the time it doesn't ;-) I did spend a lot of time on the calculations and graphics. Thanks for understanding the work involved. Cheers! Dara
Climate change? HAHAHAHA. Inflation everywere and always is a monetary phenomenon, ie money printing or goverment inflation tax or counterfeiting, whatever you want to call it.
In the USA it is quite common for grocers to raise prices 20% when the price they pay for an item goes up 10%. So every price increase they get from a supplier is doubled for the consumer. This means that grocers love inflation because they make a much wider margin. Oh and if you are wondering the opposite is true if a supplier price decreases. For each 10% in the decrease the grocer will drop the price 5%, or maybe even 0% if they are feeling greedy.
@@solracer66 yikes 😳
Fascinating! Thank you! 💐🇬🇧
Thanks so much! I thought the food prices seemed lower so it was interesting to do this comparison!
Super interesting.Thanks.
Thanks so much! I appreciate it.
I went to check out my local large Tesco store after a long time. Then walked out again, because I didn't have a Tesco Clubcard with me. All the special prices and multi-buy discounts were only for Clubcard holders.
Oh yes, you have to have that Tesco card or the prices are a bit of a ripoff! I think you can get it on your phone? Ian always has his miniature card on his keychain.
Dunno about Tesco, but in Sainsburys, just pick up a card at the entrance or poss at the till, and use it. It doesn't have to be registered. Been using mine unregistered for months, no problem. You could pick up a new one every visit, but that would be a waste of plastic
In Oregon, all the grocery stores with loyalty cards also keep your phone number in their database, as an alternative, if you leave your member card at home!!
In the US costs can vary wildly depending on the product and your location. I find using ones spending power and the % of cost a much better indicator. No one works in a High cost area where they make more wage and then drives a day to go to a very cheap place to shop for groceries. It would be wise but free time has a price as well.
Very good point. Thanks for your comment!
Great insight. Thank You....
Thank YOU for watching! 💖
That was really interesting, thanks for your efforts.
Thank you so much! I appreciate that. Cheers! Dara
In UK we complain how expensive things have got over the last year but compared to the US i was shocked. I fully expected things to be more reasonable because your packages are more bulk sized and you don't need to import so much.
I was surprised as well!
What is going on in North America, is profiteering under the ruse of pandemics and wars. The food industry is very consolidated, it's often not local - and they are charging whatever the heck they like. Even government is trying to intervene with these greedy business entities and slap them with excess profit taxation.
The food prices where I live in the USA are a lot higher than what you quoted for the USA. I live in the Southwest. I think the key is to identify what is cheapest and healthiest in each country and focus on that. It is what I've done living all over the world.
Yes this is my first video like this... I'll experiment with different types of food in the future. Thanks for watching.
Well done on your vid.lots of your hard work, and it's all recognised .
Thanks very much Dale! Cheers! Dara
Thanks. Good work.
Thanks so much watching and taking the time to comment! Dara
Yes we were surprised by the prices in America, I’m glad I don’t live there. But what was worse was the price of phone contracts, and internet, we were talking to a couple that paid 4 times what we pay.
Seems like everything has pros and cons but stuff in America can be pretty expensive. Just depends on where you look. I think the actual price of iPhones there is higher than here. And you can get pretty cheap plans here. But I just got my phone bill and it was $255 for five top-of-the-line unlimited plans. That also includes the phones. So the phone I have is a $1200 iPhone Pro Max. But you can go cheaper in many ways. But you can find cheap houses with actual space to stretch out, not stacked on top of each other. Fuel for automobiles is reasonable enough. We don’t pay a TV tax to watch over the television. And I don’t have to for the most part pay to park in every high street around town, etc. Most places have nice big parking lots or car parks where again you’re not backing into a tiny little spot. One of the things I couldn’t believe when I was over there is that it cost money to call some companies/stores. I don’t know what you call it but when I got a Sim for whatever reason I couldn’t just call a store or a storefront or a business without it, being some sort of 4 feet charge connection. That sort of price thing doesn’t exist here. It would also be interesting to see Energy prices.
Internet should be free ..if the government are serious about education for the poor…but maybe theyre just serious about maintaining an underclass..
We finally got a British mobile phone this year for the first time. WOW! The phone was super cheap and the phone plan is crazy cheap. We are so glad we did that, since using an American mobile phone whilst living in Britain for 5 months just DOES.NOT.WORK. Thanks for your comment! Dara
Since we live half the year in both places, we've really gained insight into the pros and cons of the US vs the UK. What you say about phone contracts is true. Communications costs are high in the US. However, I would say overall it is less expensive to live in the US when taking into account everything. Wages are generally higher in the US, taxes are generally lower and the cost of housing and energy are lower in the US. Of course, just like in the UK, housing costs vary considerably. In the UK the further you get from London the cheaper it is. In the US, it's the coasts vs. everything in between. Medical care is considerably more expensive in the US, even if you set aside the use of the NHS. As self employed individuals, it's always been our largest cost and bankrupts many families in the US. My background is in accounting, so I'm particularly interested in taxes. In general, I'd say the US system is very good for those who are wealthy - that make their money through their own business and/or passive means. I'm not saying this is right or fair, I'm just saying it's the way it is.
I tend to buy my iphone outright (I currently have a 12 pro but prices are similar to all new iphones). To compare with you, if I got an iphone pro max with the same storage as my current 12 pro it would cost me £1200 - that includes tax which I don't know if yours does. If I were to be on my current phone plan, I'd pay £25 a month (if I started a new contract) for unlimited everything. So if I add all that up over a year (and factor in the cost of the phone which I ordinarily wouldn't as I tend to keep them for 3 or 4 years so the cost is a lot more spread out), I'd pay the equivalent of £125 a month. The reality though is most people will have the phone on contract. So using my current provider, on a 24 month contract (pretty standard here) for unlimited everything I'd pay £115 a month (and an upfront cost of £60 although you can pay more and drop down the monthly payments). If I picked the 12 month contract it would be £115 a month also. The only real difference is with the 24 month you'd drop down to just paying for the SIM after 12 months (which is apparently £20 a month). We don't have a TV tax. We have a license fee for BBC channels (inc radio stations/online). If you never watch/listen/consume anything BBC then you don't have to pay it. You may get harassed though as they assume everyone does consume BBC stuff but I think ultimately it's up to them to prove you do before they can force you to pay a fine so many people just ignore the letters. Cheap houses here are hard to find unless you don't mind living in a rougher area. It's crazy trying to afford a house as a single person! Next to impossible in places. Space is at a premium here. We're a relatively small country with a *lot* of people. Something like 1/5th the population on the US crammed into a fraction of the size of it. Our parking spaces may be smaller - and some are far too small and haven't moved with the times! - but our cars are in general also much smaller so don't need as much room and to use a stereotype (and research), we are on average also smaller so don't need as much room to get out. If we had US sized cars here they'd never fit on the roads and honestly, you'd be laughed at. We also have more public transport so no need to have big car parks when people can use that which is cheaper and more and in many cases more convenient. Most places you have to call here have freephone numbers that cost nothing (usually start with 0800 but I believe there's some others) so I'm not sure who you were calling with a connection charge? I know there's companies that basically try and what feels like scam you by having you make calls via them so they can charge you but I haven't had that happen. If you were calling a particular branch of a store you may be charged a regular phone call amount? Is that what you mean? Sorry, I'm a little confused! Energy costs are ridiculous. There's def no way around that. Gas and electricity especially are daylight robbery and keep just going up. Petrol/diesel are all over the place. They got up to around £2/litre during covid and a few weeks ago were both about £1.40/litre (where I live). They're currently somewhere around the £1.55- £1.60 mark for no reason whatsoever.
Many years ago, it seemed that everything was much cheaper in the States, compared to the UK, and that was when the pound was much stronger against the dollar. It amazes me that food is so expensive there, as land for farming is so readily available compared to the UK. I know that sometimes people say transportation costs come into it, what with US being so large. However, I would have thought that food production could be done more regionally to reduce these costs.
Unfortunately, we still ship a lot of our food cross country. Also, another commenter mentioned that British farm subsidies are much higher than American... so that impacts the prices as well.
@@MagentaOtterTravels UK subsidies £2.4bn. US Federal subsidies $30 billion. It's more complicated than the taw figures of course.
It depends on where the foods are being imported from...well ladies and gentlemen this is life you do what you got too do..every country is different but it was nice too see your comparison..of of both..you shop where you live and do your best...too eaches own..
Thanks for understanding the video was just a slice of life for me and the two places I shop... not a holistic analysis of the entire countries of the USA and UK ;-) Cheers! Dara
Good presentation. Many tks and God bless.
Merry Christmas and wishing you a blessed 2024!
Very interesting snapshot of how prices compare in the two countries. I lived in the US for 4 years and Kroger was the supermarket I visited most due to it being the nearest. One observation I would make is that Americans (as a gross generalisation) are much more influenced by “brands” than the Brits. It was generally thought that a branded product was superior (in some undefined way) to a store’s own brand. An example would be Tylenol (brand name) which is just acetaminophen (paracetamol in the U.K.), could be 5x more expensive than a CVS equivalent, but was still preferred by most. In the U.K. we can (and do!) pick up a 12 pack of supermarket paracetamol (acetaminophen) for about 40p (@ $0.33).
That's how advertising, i.e. brainwashing, works! You pay more for branded items, the brands can thus afford fancy, glitzy advertising, so you buy even more!
Yes, I agree 100%. I think it's because Americans have grown up with not nearly as many store brand products, where Europeans are used to most of the store being "own brand" goods. Aldi is a great example and they are changing the way Americans shop. I worked on Walmart's store brand products for 8 years. When it comes to OTC meds, I can tell you that they are the SAME whether the med is store brand or national brand. But when it comes to some other things (cheese comes to mind... although I currently have some Walmart butter in my fridge that is disgusting)... the store brand is not as good as the national.
Prices for a 12 pack of that drug, even as a CVS store brand, could be easily 10 times that, plus sales tax!
@@edwardmiessner6502 🙁
My family relies 90% of the time with Costco. Savings are pretty good. As there only 2 of us in my family, we use a vacuum sealer and that works wonders.
Costco and ALDI are very good sources for discounted food products! Unfortunately, we don't have a Costco near us in the US or UK. We do shop at Sam's in Texas though.
Great video, very informative. Thanks so much for pronouncing basil properly, I went to hide behind the sofa, hands on ears when I saw the pot plant, but you came through like a true Brit. I'll check your other vids out too.
Hahaha that made me smile 😊 thanks very much! I worked hard on my dual pronunciation of basil, banana and tomato!!! Welcome to the Magenta Otter Tribe! Say hello in another video 😉. Cheers! Dara
this is a fascinating video! I currently work part time at Waitrose in the UK and I found this video very insightful. As a university student, the empiric data collation was unleashing my inner nerd. I would be really intrigued to see a comparative analysis of nutrition content in each country.
Okay im near the end of the video and have more to say. I was surprised by meat costs in the UK, because in the last 12 months, meat has increased 15% (I'm pretty sure) and through the cost of living crisis, British families are consuming 17% less meat than before. Part of me assumed US meat would be cheaper following the 'Big Meat' industry monopolising US farming and mass farms producing such high yields? also it made me giggle when you mentioned the lack of lamb legs in the US, my mind just said 'well obviously! it's because we have them for Sunday roast' haha!
There is definitely more nasty stuff in American food than British/European. I have only done ingredient comparisons on chocolate candies like M&M's haha... that's a video I did with my son who's probably about your age. Funny video: kzhead.info/sun/irCcf7GkgHuceIU/bejne.htmlsi=Ua1JIua2oRDnLqc-
It's interesting because Americans just do not grow up eating lamb. I married my husband (who is a Brit) when I was 28 and had never eaten lamb in my life! When I asked him his favourite meal and he said lamb with mint sauce I was gobsmacked! I had never had lamb and I didn't even know what mint sauce was! On the rare occasion Americans eat lamb it is often served with a weird green mint "jelly" (which a Briton would call jam).
The main reason why a majority of food is less expensive in the UK and EU than in the US, is because agriculture and food in the UK and EU receive far more government subsidies. The UK and EU provide higher subsidies to every single farm for all food types, including fruits, vegetables and livestock. The US provides less subsidies to only 33% of its farms for only crops, seeds, grains and dairy. There's also much more market competition in the UK and EU than in the US which drives lower prices. Stores in the UK and EU also receive most of their food stocks from local farms. Whereas US stores receive their food stocks from distant farms, often in a different state to the stores. So US stores have much higher transportation costs than UK and EU stores.
There are different subsidies, but even things that are very heavily subsidised in the US (dairy, items made from flour) are still more. Ironically, a lot of British bread uses US flour, and is still cheaper.
That's a good point. I wasn't aware of the difference in subsidies.
THANK YOU!!! That is very helpful context. I'm not as versed in logistics and product supply, so those facts definitely shed a lot of light on how the countries differ. I really wish that we could all #EatLocal in the US more than we do. Better for the planet and better tasting, fresher food! Cheers for your comment, Andy! Dara
The bread thing is crazy! No matter which way you slice it. Forgive me... that happened accidentally and then I couldn't stop LOL
The argument that European stores receive most of their food from local farms just doesn't wash. Much of the fruit on sale in the UK comes from Morocco, South Africa or even South America. Also the cost of transportation is a poor argument. Much US freight goes by freight train long distance and the cost of diesel in the UK is 50% higher than the USA. Evan Edinger who's video compared the cost of Sainsburys with the USA found the cost of raisins in the USA double the UK cost. Raisin grapes are grown in the USA but not in the UK. Go figure that out.
I’ve always found fruit to be more expensive in the UK. But definitely surprised how much less expensive food is in general.
Not surprising, but I think the British grown fruit is less expensive... like berries and carrots. Also tastier! Imported fruit like oranges, bananas, grapes might be more expensive than other countries.
If you can find a market stall, seasonal fruit and vegetables are much cheaper.
@@capitalb5889 and much fresher and tastier as well! Plus, you get to support local farmers, which is even better 💖
@@MagentaOtterTravels - ideally, but I think where I am they still buy it wholesale at New Covent Garden market.
Not just food is less but better quality everything is cheaper in the UK but the pay checks suck
Appreciate all the research for the video 👍 😊
Thanks so much! It was a lot of work, but interesting to see the comparison and confirm if my suspicions were correct!
Very interesting video. Love it. 👍👍👍
Cheers, mate!
The prices in the U.K. have increased so much since the Ukrainian war started. Fuel costs that affect fertiliser costs, and transport costs have increased so much. I used to pay £1.10 for 2 litres of semi skimmed milk, I now pay £1.35 for 1 litre!
Yes, if I had done this video before the war and the pandemic I wonder what it would have looked like?
It's crazy how the actions of one person can impact so many people's lives.
@@ians3586 Biden or Zelenski?
I get 6 pints (UK pints 3.41 litres) for £2.29, where on earth are you buying your milk Sainsbury's?
@@daveofyorkshire301 Tesco local. But it’s the same in Morrisons and Asda up here in the North East.
A lot of Americans that move to the UK say they have way less allergies, especially to breads. In the US here, I love that seafood and shellfish are really cheap (New England) but miss the variety of organic veg
Yes, I heard someone say the same thing about how they can eat dairy in the UK but not US.
A work colleague of my wife moved from New York to (Old) York for several years and noticed that, while he ate as much as he did in the states, he lost about 2 stone in weight due to much reduced levels of sugar in food generally. He said that corn syrup is ubiquitous in food stateside and it seems like a pointless additive in many cases.
Randomly came upon your video. I thought this sounds interesting to watch while I am in Covid Isolation in my home, lol. It was very interesting and I enjoyed it. Thanks for the interesting world view!
I'm sorry to hear you are battling Covid! I hope you feel better soon! What country do you live in?
Great review !
Thanks so much for watching!! Cheers, Dara
Lego Lamborghini. Now that’s my kind of shopping! The beef prices surprised me. This is tough because anyone that’s really price sensitive is going to find all of this stuff on sale, they’re going to use coupons, they’re probably going to buy in bulk at someplace like Sam’s, or Costco‘s, and they’ll probably buy The cheapest or generic brand. Some of these things it seems like if the British were aware of them, they should have an arbitrage channel where they’ll just sell to American firms and still make more money than selling to their own local places. I think over-the-counter medicines would be interesting comparison. And I think tech would be interesting. Like iPhones or such.
Leg Of LAMBorghini!! hahahaha that made me laugh when it came up on the Kroger website! I agree that price sensitive shoppers go to Aldi and Lidl and other serious discounters in the UK. I also buy my frozen food at Iceland in England. Great prices! Of course, Sam's and Costco are great in the states for good quality produce at low prices. Phone prices are similar but phone PLANS are way cheaper... something I plan to mention in a future video. Eventually! But this video exhausted me so I'm going to do something fun for my next one! ;-)
I noticed you mentioned the sale prices. I go round all the main supermarkets and only buy the utility stuff on offer. This saves me enough per week to buy all my meat and vegetables from quality butchers and organic vegetable shops. You definitely show that fruit is very expensive in the uk. Which is annoying... And also fuel (petrol diesel electricity and gas) is very expensive in the uk 😀
I agree... I stock up on essentials when they are on discounted offer at Tesco. And we also stock up on nonperishable stuff at Asda. I also agree that fuel and energy bills are higher in Britain. British salaries are lower too. Thanks for watching and commenting! Dara
Yes important to note petrol (gas) is a lot more in uk.US shale revolution has given people living in USA cheaper heating and power.Price to pay in uk for green wind energy of which uk has more than anybody in world.Are we mugs for doing it though?
Fruits are expensive in the UK because they are all imported.
I enjoyed this video, not realizing the large differences between the two countries. Had I been asked to guess which paid more for groceries I would have picked Britain prior to your informative vid. I saw a reference to Aldi's in the Kroger store, Aldi's does have red & green grapes called 'Perfect Parings' and they also have several seeded breads for your comparisons if you choose to do any in the future. Thank you for all the work and trouble on your part to inform us consumers.
Thanks so much for watching and commenting! I will be doing a comparison of shopping at ALDI in the US and UK... so please stay tuned ;-) Cheers! Dara
@@MagentaOtterTravels US Aldi has MUCH better selectionon of groceries than we do here in the UK. When I watch people shopping Aldi US, my mouth waters for products we don't get here.
@@lmoein oh wow! Now I'm really curious to compare both of them!
Love the way you've absorbed British English "Tomatohs" and fillet with the hard "t"...
Haha thanks! I hope you enjoyed banana and basil as well 😉. Cheers for watching! Dara
I have just received an email promo from Aldi for pumpkins. As Halloween is a much bigger thing in the Staes than here in the UK, I wondered how the costs for those compare. Here, they are £2.85XL, £0.95M, £0.59S.
I just posted a pumpkin photo on my community page. Especially for you! ;-)
Live in England and shop at Tesco’s.Did not expect to be cheaper as the quality of British produce has improved tremendously over last 40 years.Shows our competitive market place works I suppose and the fact we try the overpriced French stuff next door ( so to speak).French take immense pride in saying their food is so much better and seem to be prepared to pay 50% more for it
I do love the British grown fruit and veg... as you'll hear about in my upcoming "Reverse Culture Shocks" video, I'm still trying to find good tasting carrots!!
I don't buy into the French myth of having the best food; certainly post WW2 UK food was genuinely dire, but we're well past that and back to the high quality of before, and it's cheaper in relative terms now. Not saying food in France isn't alright, just not as great as they claim. As for cost, if you want to pay 50% over average here, of course you can get better stuff, you get what you pay for!
Hi, excellent video. I live in the UK and would like to mention that the tesco club card price isn’t really a sale price but part of a customer loyalty scheme. The price they compare it to is usually full price which most shops would not use. Nearly everyone that shops at tesco have a club card. Obviously other grocery stores price to compete with the club card prices
Yes, same with Kroger. You get a free Kroger card which allows you to get the discounted prices at checkout.
Tesco Seeds and Grains is my go-to bread! Really tasty and satisfying! Enjoying video!
APPRECIATE THAT BREAD! You have to bake your own to get bread that good in the states. And even then it would cost you more than 1.35 a loaf!!!
@@MagentaOtterTravels The Tesco multiseed batch loaf (£1, was 83p not that long ago!) is my favourite - excellent value and really tasty.
I really really struggle to understand how a country that is much bigger, less crowded, more rural with more arable farmland per person can have higher food prices. It really just doesn't make sense to me and I would love to get an explanation of how this came to be.
I am far from expert on this topic, but having read dozens of other commenters addressing this issue, it sounds like the farm subsidies in Britain are much higher than the US. I think that is a major factor. Possibly transportation costs as well.
@@MagentaOtterTravels I guess maybe. I grew up in rural Georgia and even when I visit down there grocery prices are high. And this is a place where you can jump in your car and in no time be driving through a farm or orchard and a huge variety of food products are produced. There’s something screwy to me about the fact that Europe has food for less ( oh yeah and I forgot the growing seasons are longer In America with many farms able to harvest twice a year unlike European farms. So it just doesn’t make sense to me.)
@@gacaptain I agree
It’s competition I reckon. You will probably find that the us food market is relatively closed to importation. One obvious exception are bananas which even the USA has to import and voila those are cheaper in the USA. The uk tends to import about half its food and really the uk has always done this. It means more competition and fewer vested interests. I mean the price of American bread is just silly and it’s probably because the bread industry is somehow fixing the price. It’s a similar story with medical supplies which are just too high in the USA. Travel across the border to Mexico and your meds are half price or less. For balance, most branded beverages from coke to various beers and California wine are typically much cheaper than in the uk. Another factor is the economy and exchange rates. In the last 10 years the American economy has motored ahead and the uk economy hasn’t. The dollar is strong and Americans usually earn more than brits so the prices are partly explained by local market conditions. Basically Americans are richer so can afford the cost. At the same time I think that economic life for families in the uk is a bit easier. Maybe.
@@MrBlaxjax I agree that for wealthier Americans the food prices are still affordable. For the most impoverished Americans, they can get food stamps to supplement their food budgets and give them free food. The people hurting the most are the ones who are just above that poverty level in the US and don't get food stamps. It's really hard for them to get adequate nutrition.
Dara I love how you pronounced the items in both English and American, does that make you bilingual? lol that butter was expensive, I buy 250g of Jersey butter for £1.05. I was surprized that the American meats wasn't alot more cheaper, as you have much more farming land for animals to graze. I thought you might have checked out the prices of premade taco's and also tins/packets of kidney beans, as they are local to you. great video as always, I am glad you took the time to make it.
THANK YOU for noticing! Yes, I am bilingual! Though I often confuse myself as well as my American friends LOL Jersey might have more expensive island prices on some things... but at least you get great butter and cream at decent prices! This video was way too time consuming and hard work. Now I'm off to make a fun video about scones! Thanks for watching as always! Dara
Although there is more land for animals, a lot of American meat is raised in sheds.
@@fizzyridertoo sad 😢
@@fizzyridertoo Here in Britain, increasingly free range chickens cannot wander outside any more because of bird flu. They are confined to the sheds, but at least can freely range within the shed and are not further confined in cages. I used to buy free range eggs from a lady who keeps rehomed hens on 2 acres of land. She told me that within 6 weeks of fetching them from the factory farm their feathers start growing back and they become proper healthy chickens. Unfortunately, bird flu decimated her flock of 30 birds and now she has spare eggs only occasionally.
Great video!!
Thanks so much for watching and commenting! Dara
Dara, hello. Another great video. The only time I bought groceries was while I worked on Staten Island (NY) in 1994. I can’t remember the prices but there were many things I use home in Wales I never found in the US. Bread that tasted like fresh bread at home was impossible to buy, the only baked beans I could find were Campbell’s and they were with white lumps of fat! Sausages, when I read the instructions they had to be boiled to be cooked. Many years later I found that I should have looked for “breakfast sausages”. I’m not a tea or coffee drinker and usually drink fruit squash so I ended up with fruit juice. Mind you the meals I ate in restaurants and from a local deli for lunch was always very good. Getting a bread roll with cheese (cheddar), salad. Or turkey slices with salad was great. Missed cheese and Branston or cheese and onion slices. I also seemed unable to find pickled onions. At home a light lunch for me is often a chunk of cheddar, some Branston, Ryvita slices spread with a light olive oil based spread (Bertolli) and for dipping some Sainsbury’s Beer Braised Caramelised onion chutney. By the way Branston make a great Caramelised onion chutney at £1.60 a 290g jar.
Yes, I had caramelized red onion chutney in the video! At Tesco it was £1.85 for 100g of Tesco Finest and it is GOOD! But the Branston deal sounds amazing! Unfortunately, I could find no onion chutney at all in Texas, so I couldn't include in the video :-( Like pickled onions... you cannot find in these parts! Britons can often find British products in American supermarkets now when they come to visit or live... particularly Heinz Beans or Marmite or digestives. But fresh sausages are another matter... American sausages just are not the same and Britons always complain about missing them! Thanks for watching and leaving a nice comment! Cheers! Dara
@@MagentaOtterTravelsmust say as a British person who came here to the US 58 years ago I have never missed a British sausage,bits of un identifiable things in them,I don’t eat American sausages either.I do miss the bread I only eat rye,as it is usually without sugar,I can’t stand sweet bread,unless it’s supposed to have raisins,and cinnamon in it.I find the whole grain breads to be the worst offenders sugar wise.
@@JanetBrown-px2jn ha ha, I don't like sausage either! And neither does Ian. So we have no problem missing that when we are in the states 😉
I have travelled frequently from the uk to New Jersey many times over the years , I have noticed especially in recent years how much more expensive groceries are in New Jersey supermarkets compared to Tesco here in the UK . Also the quality and labelling of food here in the uk is so much better , mainly due probably to the lack of food regulation in the USA .
I agree with most of what you said, but I have one small disagreement... I absolutely hate the nutrition facts paneling in Britain! I find it so confusing! They are actually are a lot of food regulations in the US, and the nutrition facts panels were completely overhauled a couple years ago. I think they are really good now. And much more useful compared to Britain.😉
@@MagentaOtterTravelsI live in U.K. since 1968. I have a heart condition and I am Type 2 diabetes. I always read the nutritional information on whatever I buy - except vegetables and fruits. It helps me to buy foods that are low in fat, carbs, sugar, and calories.
Lack of regulation in usa also in usa food producers are allowed to use chemicals and systems that have been banned in europe and uk for many many years ,this should have lowered their production costs along with cheaper fuel but it does not seem to have done so ,obviously the america farm companies have a much stronger lobby with their politicians of course no fam subsidies in usa which have always been a subsidy to consumer in europe ,these subsidies have been dramatically cut in uk in recent years and are due to completly stop in next couple of years which can only mean less uk producers and less food produced which will raise the price
@@johnwaddell7239 that's concerning!
Let’s not get carried away. There is extensive food regulation in the US.
I split my shopping between M&S Food and Sainsbury's. I saw one survey that showed Tesco overall more expensive than Sainsbury, which is unusual. I've been going to the States for years, watching it get slowly more expensive year by year. The depreciation of £ has an effect for sure, but even at a theoretical decent rate, I could not believe the prices of everything (bar subway) in NYC in 2022. And don't get me on eating/drinking out!
Honestly, we shop at about 5 different stores for food! Iceland/Food Warehouse for frozen stuff, Tesco for fruit & veg, M&S when we are having guests over and want nice food, and Waitrose for popcorn! I used to go to Sainsbury's on the edge of town because it was the only place Ian could get his plant based protein milk and my pre-washed spinach! haha Yes, eating out in the states is crazy expensive... we felt like we got a much better deal at British pubs ;-)
I complain about the price of eating out here in Australia too but we still have some reasonable alternatives. For example, The Returned and Services League Clubs, or RSL Clubs are really nice venues where you can get a decent plate of food for under US$15 but eating out at 'nicer' restaurants is ridiculous!! Cheers from Oz!!
@@andersonomo597 cheers! I love to hear comparisons with life Down Under! Nice restaurant are obscenely expensive here too...
In general, grocery items are tax exempt in Texas. This includes bread, milk, produce, etc.
Great comparison with the products
Thanks so much! I appreciate you watching and taking the time to comment. Cheers! Dara
Great video. Worth telling the US audience those clubcard prices are available with just a free loyalty card. Also that Tesco is a mid price chain. Lidl and Aldi are cheaper. Thanks again
Exactly, never shop Tesco without a club card. We'd shop Lidl or Aldi more but there aren't any close by.
@@ians3586you must live deep in the sticks..
We are too lazy to drive to Aldi... but I intend to give it a go next summer!
Yes, the Tesco card is free just like the Kroger card. They are both mid-price chains where if you have a loyalty card you can get great deals on what you buy. That's why I compared them. Thanks for your comment! Cheers! Dara
@@ians3586I never shop at Tesco, it is always Aldi or Lidl for me. I thought some of the prices quoted here from Tesco were quite high.
The yellow club card price is really the real price. Tesco punish non members rather than so deals for members as people think
I hear you.
Good job, thanks.
Thank you 😊
It's a wonderful video. Thank upi.
Thank you so much! I appreciate you watching and commenting! XX Dara