How much does food cost in Bocas Del Toro, Panama?
ellie wharton
Food costs in Bocas del Toro / Bocas Town can be a bit pricey if you like to eat international brands along with a wider variety of veggies. There are several options on the island that can afford a wide variety of the foods you are used to eating, but note that due to import taxes and transportation costs these items may be expensive. But if you like to eat, it is worth it. You can always supplement fresh fish and tropical fruits, which are abundant and inexpensive.
Food costs in Bocas del Toro / Bocas Town can be a bit pricey if you like to eat international brands along with a wider variety of veggies. There are several options on the island that can afford a wide variety of the foods you are used to eating, but note that due to import taxes and transportation costs these items may be expensive. But if you like to eat, it is worth it. You can always supplement fresh fish and tropical fruits, which are abundant and inexpensive.
Posted March 26, 2013
monique born - Tesoro Escondido Eco Lodge and Cabinas
I was surprised to see that some fruits and vegetables were actually cheaper in Bocas del Toro than say Panama City. The reason being that most vegetables and fruits come from Volcan, which is about half the distance, transport wise, to Bocas, than it is to Panama City. Anytime you can choose locally produced or grown products, you will eat healthier, support the local economy and it will be cheaper. Imported foods will of course be more expensive, first in Panama City as the place of...
I was surprised to see that some fruits and vegetables were actually cheaper in Bocas del Toro than say Panama City. The reason being that most vegetables and fruits come from Volcan, which is about half the distance, transport wise, to Bocas, than it is to Panama City. Anytime you can choose locally produced or grown products, you will eat healthier, support the local economy and it will be cheaper. Imported foods will of course be more expensive, first in Panama City as the place of entry, and than even more expensive in Bocas, after you add the 12 hour transport.
Posted April 23, 2013
Ian Usher - House Sitting Magazine
I'm not sure if wine is considered one of the main food groups, but there has just been a disturbing increase in the cost of living in Bocas del Toro on Panama's Caribbean coast.
As you can see, I've been working on the wine/milk ratio in my kitchen storage bodega, and I think I've just about got the balance right. My wine brand of choice here is Clos, my particular favourite being their tasty Merlot.
Clos is...
I'm not sure if wine is considered one of the main food groups, but there has just been a disturbing increase in the cost of living in Bocas del Toro on Panama's Caribbean coast.
As you can see, I've been working on the wine/milk ratio in my kitchen storage bodega, and I think I've just about got the balance right. My wine brand of choice here is Clos, my particular favourite being their tasty Merlot.
Clos is produced in Chile, and I have no idea how it is so cheap here in Bocas del Toro, as we are pretty much at the far end of the supply chain. Until very recently a litre (about two pints) of Clos Merlot cost around $2.75 in most of the Chinese supermarkets in town.
But the government has apparently decided it needs its cut of the wine trade, and has added a dollar to the price of a box of wine. That's almost a 40% price increase!!
So when I went shopping the other day I found that one of the smaller out of the way supermarkets was still stocked with pre-tax-increase-priced wine. At $2.65 per box, I bought all of the 14 cartons they had left. The lady behind the counter looked a little surprised.
Once this lot has gone, I'm going to have to accept the outrageous new price of $3.75 per box!
AUSTRALIAN WINE FOOTNOTE: I lived in Australia for seven years, and enjoyed many of the Aussie whites, particularly the Semillon Sauvignon Blancs. I used to pay about $13 to $15 per bottle in Perth. Imagine my surprise to find exactly the same bottle of wine, all the way from Australia, for $7.50 here in Tony's supermarket in Bocas del Toro. Amazing.
Posted June 18, 2013
Anne-Michelle Wand - United Country Bocas del Toro
There are grocery stores in Bocas Del Toro, all of which are owned by the Chinese, except for one that is owned by a gringo.
The cost of food depends on what you buy. If you buy local food, such as the brands they make here, it is very inexpensive. Most of the grocery stores have butcher shops in the back where you can buy chicken, pork, beef, and fish. For two people like Doug and I, we spend US $300 to $350 per month on groceries, getting pretty much...
There are grocery stores in Bocas Del Toro, all of which are owned by the Chinese, except for one that is owned by a gringo.
The cost of food depends on what you buy. If you buy local food, such as the brands they make here, it is very inexpensive. Most of the grocery stores have butcher shops in the back where you can buy chicken, pork, beef, and fish. For two people like Doug and I, we spend US $300 to $350 per month on groceries, getting pretty much everything we want. We go to the open-air market to get our fresh produce and we go to the grocery stores to buy canned goods or frozen food and rice.
Posted November 12, 2014
JB Seligman - BUENA VISTA REALTY located in BOCAS DEL TORO, PANAMA
Food is one of the things that is not cheap in Bocas del Toro. My wife owns a grocery store called Super Gourmet in Bocas Town in Bocas del Toro. It is for gringos and it is the only store in Bocas del Toro that basically has the food and products that expats really pine for. The problem is you have to buy the food in Bocas del Toro. We are on an island and the food comes from major cities, either Panama City or David (which is Panama’s second...
Food is one of the things that is not cheap in Bocas del Toro. My wife owns a grocery store called Super Gourmet in Bocas Town in Bocas del Toro. It is for gringos and it is the only store in Bocas del Toro that basically has the food and products that expats really pine for. The problem is you have to buy the food in Bocas del Toro. We are on an island and the food comes from major cities, either Panama City or David (which is Panama’s second largest city). Food is transported over the mountains, so food is not cheap in Bocas del Toro by any stretch of the imagination by Panamanian standards, but it’s tolerable compared to the prices of food to the United States.
The prices of a gallon of milk, a loaf of bread, a dozen of eggs and a case of beer are comparable to the prices in California. However, the prices of food in Bocas del Toro are more expensive relative to the rest of Panama. This is because Bocas del Toro is at the end of a food chain, since Bocas del Toro is at the end of the country.
Vegetables are extremely affordable in Panama because we have what is called Panama’s “Breadbasket” over in Chiriquí Province, in the areas of Boquete and Volcan. These areas grow the food and export it all over Panama. Because of this, vegetables are very economical, even in Bocas del Toro. What costs more in grocery stores here in Panama are, for example, certain French cheeses and Chilean wine. These products travel to Bocas del Toro and that is what costs more money, but vegetables and farm-raised products are definitely cheaper in Panama than in the United States, even in Bocas del Toro.
The prices of a gallon of milk, a loaf of bread, a dozen of eggs and a case of beer are comparable to the prices in California. However, the prices of food in Bocas del Toro are more expensive relative to the rest of Panama. This is because Bocas del Toro is at the end of a food chain, since Bocas del Toro is at the end of the country.
Vegetables are extremely affordable in Panama because we have what is called Panama’s “Breadbasket” over in Chiriquí Province, in the areas of Boquete and Volcan. These areas grow the food and export it all over Panama. Because of this, vegetables are very economical, even in Bocas del Toro. What costs more in grocery stores here in Panama are, for example, certain French cheeses and Chilean wine. These products travel to Bocas del Toro and that is what costs more money, but vegetables and farm-raised products are definitely cheaper in Panama than in the United States, even in Bocas del Toro.
( Green grocer in Bocas Del Toro, pictured.)
Posted April 7, 2015