Living in Los Cabos: Cost of Groceries 2012

Living in Los Cabos: Cost of Groceries

Well, I’ve got some grocery receipts ready, so let’s continue on the cost of living discussion. Remember, once you’re here for more than a vacation you won’t be eating out every single meal. That’s the biggest source of misconception about how affordable life in Cabo really is. It’s not that locals don’t eat out, just not EVERY meal. Yes, our prices are higher than on the mainland because of shipping costs but still quite affordable. So here goes with what I hope will be a representative sampling taken from our grocery bills for the past week (short the farmer’s market produce I posted over the weekend).

Our prices are in pesos per kilo; I will convert that to dollars per pound when possible just for the sake of comparison. I’m using today’s exchange rate of 14/1. And, I would love it if readers would chime in on how the prices compare to where they live.

Meats
Ground pork: $1.92 (as I recall ground beef was a bit higher but not much).
Baby Back Ribs: $2.53
Bacon: $2.44
Pate Cerdo (kind of like liverwurst): $1.64 per chub
Deli Ham: $4.04
Deli Turkey Breast: $3.94
(For chicken I mostly use the boneless, skinless breast from Costco, as memory serves the big bag costs somewhere around 100 pesos or about $7)
Fish and seafood, unless some lucky fisherperson gifts it to me, I buy only day of consumption but it’s quite, quite reasonable compared to the US. As I recall last time I bought jumbo shrimp he charged me about five bucks a pound which I thought was highway robbery).

Fresh produce other than Farmer’s Market
Jicama: 58 cents per pound
Broccoli: $1.15
Sweet Potato: 63 cents
Celery: 32 cents
Limes: 24 cents
Baby potatoes: 42 cents
Pinapple: 39 cents
Mango: 45 cents (now this was a splurge, first of the season, will be half that next week)
Avocado: 80 cents (on sale)
Apples: $1.29 (of course, they’re imported)
Eggs (large, brown, dozen): $1.84

Absolute Essentials!!!
Lindt 90% Cacao large size bar: $3.50 and worth every penny

Canned Goods and such:
Tuna: 81 cents
Dry Soup Mix: 43 cents
Soy oil (one liter): $2.00
Mayonaise: $2.00
Popping corn: 34 cents per pound
Rice: 57 cents per pound
Small corn: 46 cents
Small peas: 41 cents
Pedigree Dog Cookies: $1.17
Small Salsa Verde: 48 cents
Evaporated Milk: 81 cents
English Muffins: $2.82

Cleaning Supplies/Misc
Large skin lotion: $3.69
Laundry detergent (2 liter): $4.61
Bar Soap: 69 cents
Pledge: $3.31
Bleach (gallon): $1.20

Carol Billups is Broker/Owner of Cabo Realty Pros. She has enjoyed working with both buyers and sellers for over eleven years and still thinks hers is the best job on earth. She is also the real estate columnist for Los Cabos Magazine. You can read more of her articles on the website blog http://www.caborealtypros.com. You can reach her from the U.S. or Canada at 1-760-481-7694, or in Cabo at 044-624-147-7541. You can listen to our 24/7 broadcast on http://www.livecabo.net for a mix of happy music, weather reports and local information.

© 2012 Carol S. Billups

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