Supermarkets

In San Jose there are scores of good quality supermarkets selling almost everything we’re used to in the United States, Canada and Europe. Foreign brand name items will be a little higher here. Things like Soy Milk will run about 20% higher, but overall the weekly supermarket bill is as much as 30% less than in the States. PLEASE BE SURE TO NOTE that the supermarkets in other parts of the country come nowhere near to the quality of those in San Jose. We make a by-weekly trek into the capital to fill up our freezer. Basics like cereal, vegetables and canned goods are available everywhere but quality meats and poultry are not.

GOOD NEWS / BAD NEWS.  Wal-Mart took over 80% of the Costa Rican Supermarkets in 2006. This means that what we hate about Wal-Mart will be here, but it also means that they will be bringing in more of the products we are used to and at a lower cost. They have already introduced several brands of kitchen appliances, washers, dishwashers and freezers etc with prices similar to those in the U.S.

The better supermarkets rival those in the U.S. For instance they have all kinds of drugstore items, wines and spirits, a deli, even a Kosher section. The bigger ones even include clothing like Super Target or Super Walmart. They also have furniture and often a few smaller stores inside the supermarket will have photo services, key cutting, specialty pastries, video rental and maybe a dry cleaner.

At the end of this section, after the paragraph on Farmer’s Markets you will find list of food and what various items cost in Costa Rica compared to Florida.

Warehouse clubs

“And everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to follow.” O.K., everywhere that Wal-Mart Goes Sam’s is sure to follow. And that’s going to be good news for Costa Rica. At this time there is only one warehouse club with three or four locations. PriceSmart is good, but Sam’s is better.

Malls

It took several trips for us to find the MultiPlaza Malls. There seems to be no advertising for them. You can’t find anything in the yellow pages no matter how hard you try. None of the tourist magazines mention them. But when you do find them they’re every bit as glitzy, and every bit as breathtaking as the super malls of the North America.

The easiest one to find is on the Santa Ana Expressway, just past Escazu. Right next door is the super-expensive InterContinental Hotel. Opposite, across the expressway You’ll find the Outback Steakhouse and (sad to say) Hooters. Just down the service road is Payless Shoes and Office Depot.

Clothing

Clothing stores of the highest quality are found in all the malls and shopping plazas. Cheaper clothing stores line
the busy sidewalks of Passeo Colon, the main street of downtown.

Gifts and Souvenirs

Souvenirs can be bought in Hotel gift shops, at all Tourist attractions and of course (at a higher price) at The airport. However I think I should mention one Place where I have bought many gifts for people back Home. It’s in the downtown area on the corner of Avenida 7 and Calle 9. Be a little careful at night in this area. Don’t be afraid – just be sensible. Believe me it’s nowhere near as dangerous as Miami. Also see Café Britt on the VACATION MUST SEES page. They have half a dozen gift shops with a good variety, not just coffee.

Farmer’s Markets

There are some flea markets in Costa Rica but not many. Farmer’s Markets are just that. They sell the freshest fruit and produce at very low prices. I’m sorry that the picture here does not do the subject justice. We arrived after the market was closed and on other occasions I didn’t have my camera with me. I’ll try to do better as we improve the website.

Farmer’s markets are found all over Costa Rica. Every town Has one scheduled and you need to ask when they are in your area. Mostly they seem to be on Saturdays, but some open on Thursday or Friday.

SUPERMARKET PRICES

This is a comparative shopping list. I checked Costa Rican prices and then the same things in Florida the following week. 1 KILO = about two pounds.