How much does food cost in San Miguel de Allende?
Kat Ballou
Anywhere in Mexico, food, shoes and music is plentiful! It's funny to me that one of the first questions people ask is about food. It is never a problem in Mexico. Food is everywhere!Fruit and vegetables can be found in the neighborhood tiendas; the main market (mercado); Vía Orgánica; and yes, at the big chain grocery stores. There are three big chain grocery stores in San Miguel de Allende; Mega, Soriana and the Bodega Aurora. There is a smaller one in...
Anywhere in Mexico, food, shoes and music is plentiful! It's funny to me that one of the first questions people ask is about food. It is never a problem in Mexico. Food is everywhere!Fruit and vegetables can be found in the neighborhood tiendas; the main market (mercado); Vía Orgánica; and yes, at the big chain grocery stores. There are three big chain grocery stores in San Miguel de Allende; Mega, Soriana and the Bodega Aurora. There is a smaller one in Centro, Bonanza, which has a little of everything except produce and it has a limited meat selection.
You will never run out of restaurants to try, either. Many great chefs from Mexico City come here and open beautiful boutique restaurants. Any regional cuisine you have a “yen” for, you will find. The weather here is so gorgeous, you may tend towards all the outdoor dining that is available. Prices are from cheap to expensive. But for sure, you'll tend to want to try everything.
So how do prices compare with the US? Well, fruits and vegetables are phenomenally less; we are talking paying pennies versus dollars. They are weighed in kilograms and you'll pay just a few pesos. In the local markets, you can stock up your refrigerator for around $10. A jar of name brand spaghetti sauce is about $1.30 and a package of pasta $1.45. A can of soup, loaf of multi-grain bread and half-dozen eggs, less then a dollar each. A block of cheese would be considered an expensive item; but $2.70 to $5.40 for a block of cheddar still sounds cheaper to me then what you would pay in the US.
Household products are much cheaper, too. Shampoo, soap, and toilet paper for example; are about two thirds less. A four pack of toilet paper and shampoo is about $1.25 US. A pack of cigarettes is still under $2. A six-pack of tall beers is about $5.40. What you won't find too much savings on is hard alcohol.
(Meal in a restaurant in San Miguel Allende, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted January 26, 2016
Rio de Paz Cuellar
Relative to the United States, food in San Miguel de Allende costs a lot less unless you buy something that’s imported, in which case, you’re going to pay more than you would in the United States. There are some things you can’t get here that are from the United States so you do pay more, with the exception of Costco. We have a Costco an hour away, which is worth the drive. When you walk into the door you think you’re back in the United States. It’s the...Relative to the United States, food in San Miguel de Allende costs a lot less unless you buy something that’s imported, in which case, you’re going to pay more than you would in the United States. There are some things you can’t get here that are from the United States so you do pay more, with the exception of Costco. We have a Costco an hour away, which is worth the drive. When you walk into the door you think you’re back in the United States. It’s the same setup. Some of the products are different, but the prices are about the same. Everything’s the same. I don’t really pay attention to the cost of single items; I just kind of throw them in the cart. We tend to buy what we like so we’re not too concerned about the cost. But I can say if what you’re buying comes from Mexico, I’ll just give a rough guess- the cost would be maybe 25% less. Produce is wonderful here and it’s very cheap.
(Woman in traditional Mexican dress with corn in her bowl, pictured.)
Posted November 8, 2016
Ariadna Delsol - COLONIAL REAL ESTATE
I have a family of four – my maid, my two daughters, and me. I don’t eat a lot of meat but I eat fish - I like salmon. I eat fruits and vegetables, too. Usually, my bill would be about 2,000 pesos (about US $100) a week including vegetables, salmon, and everything that I need. A kilo (2.2 pounds) of tortillas used to cost 15 pesos (US 75 cents) but now it costs 18 pesos (90 cents). A loaf of bread is around 40 pesos (around $2). The type...
I have a family of four – my maid, my two daughters, and me. I don’t eat a lot of meat but I eat fish - I like salmon. I eat fruits and vegetables, too. Usually, my bill would be about 2,000 pesos (about US $100) a week including vegetables, salmon, and everything that I need. A kilo (2.2 pounds) of tortillas used to cost 15 pesos (US 75 cents) but now it costs 18 pesos (90 cents). A loaf of bread is around 40 pesos (around $2). The type of bread that I buy is different. It is called Filler. We have Bimbo bread in Mexico, which are different kinds of bread that are mass-produced in a huge bakery. The bread I buy is a step above that, which I get for around 45 pesos (around $2.25). Bolillo, which are rolls that are about 6 inches and are usually used for tortas (a type of sandwich) costs around 1.5 pesos (less than 8 cents).
I spend all my summers in Monterey, California. I still have a home there so I go there every summer. Just to give you an example, I got to Trader Joe’s. Trader Joe’s definitely doesn’t compare to Mega, which is now La Comer, a supermarket chain here in San Miguel de Allende. Mega is like Safeway in California. It is a good quality supermarket where you can find food from other countries and local ones as well. When I was in the US, I spend almost $300 for the three of us, which would get me three bags of groceries but when I came here, $200 on groceries is good for two weeks.
(Produce in a Mega supermarket, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted January 18, 2017
Ivy Del Pozzo
The price of food in San Miguel de Allende is so much less expensive than in the US.
One of the first things that I noticed when I moved here almost 10 years ago was how good everything tasted. Strawberries might not have been the GIANTS that they were in the states but they were tasty and sweet. Peaches, you have to stand over the sink to eat them just like in the good old days.
Meat, to me, is more flavorful here as well.
... The price of food in San Miguel de Allende is so much less expensive than in the US.
One of the first things that I noticed when I moved here almost 10 years ago was how good everything tasted. Strawberries might not have been the GIANTS that they were in the states but they were tasty and sweet. Peaches, you have to stand over the sink to eat them just like in the good old days.
Meat, to me, is more flavorful here as well.
Almost every other street has a tienda with fresh fruits and veggies which I think are fresher and better quality than the ones you can buy at the big grocery stores. And.....I would rather support the Mom and Pop stores as well.
I just went shopping yesterday and came home with 12 or 13 bags of goodies and it was approximately $110usd. I don't realize how great that is until I go back to the states to visit and it is a couple bags at Whole Foods!!!
Posted April 15, 2019