I have read widely that food is more expensive in CH vs. the US, I am wondering by how much. Seeing as food prices vary widely within the States, I am providing a peek into our basket

For a family of four, last week I spent $150. This was without coupons, no prepackaged foods except two bottles of salad dressing, approx 3.5 kilos meat (chicken and pork), and one loaf cheap bread. How does this compare to your family?

We rarely eat out and make nearly everything (including pasta) so I am wondering, really, how much more basic foods are by comparison in my area.

Thanks all!

Have a look at coopathome.com which is the online version of one of the supermarkets here. They have an English language option and you could browse some of the prices and compare like-for-like items.

On the ground here you can find independent supermarkets which might stock cheaper items but if you are a one-stop-shopper you are pretty much confined to the mainstream Coop or Migros.

Prices are higher here but salaries are, on average, higher.

We (2 people) spend about 150 chf a week in food.

It's mostly vegetarian food, since I don't eat meat and we rarely buy processed food.

Since we go shopping on Thursdays evenings we get 10x more migros points, every other month we get about 50chf from the migros points!

I as well bake all breads, make yogurts at home and don't buy any candy or juice.

We (2 adults) have a budget of about 650CHF/month for groceries, and almost all of this gets spent every month. We eat meat about 3-4x/week (usually chicken, ground beef, or rarely sausage), and I prepare most meals from scratch. We also drink beer & wine regularly. Most of the packaged products we purchase are the store-brand, to save money.

I budget CHF500 a month for us two, but rarely spend that much I do most of my shopping in Aldi with only some items from Migros and Denner and we eat meat or poultry nearly every day. As Sandgrounder said, prices can be higher, but salaries are too so shouldn't need to do any penny pinching.

But if you want bargains, go and get some/most of your food on a Saturday as many of the supermarkets will be discounting items such as fresh meats by 30 to 50% because of not opening on Sundays. If you've got a chest freezer it's a good way to stock up.

Also, if there's one near you, Aligro is good for bulk buys which can save money. It's a bit like Uncle Sam's or Costco in the UK. Just join up at the store or online to get your membership card and you're ready to go.

Aligro is a great help in saving some money shopping. Added bonus, you don't have to pay a subscription for the membership card - just give them your information and you are good to go.

I usually spend about SFr.100 per week, for one person, breakfast and dinner.

Hope that helps.

OP, did you say 3.5kg of meat?!?!? You are in for a bit of a shock I'm afraid.

I must be doing something wrong... I try...I shop at Lidl and Aldi a bunch, but do go to the big 2 when needed. We also don't eat much pre-made stuff, but after cheeses and meat and juices etc., it just adds up! And the produce...strawberries and 6 CHF a pound can really add up! (and it seems like the season is over now so good luck finding them, that is the one thing I don't like about shopping for fruits and veggies here)

I tried at first to hit 1000 a month for our family of 5, then 1200 a month and now I think 1500 is where we are. Although this is all our monthly needs, not just food and it includes items such as cleaning supplies, toiletries, etc.

To compare, when we were in the US I probably spent $800-1000 a month. We lived in Upstate NY

This made me change my shopping habits for the better. In England you can buy any fruit or veg at any time of the year but if you look at the packaging they are either grown in a greenhouse and are tasteless or they've travelled thousands of miles which is a bit too much of a carbon footprint for my liking.

I now plan and buy seasonally here, trying to buy as much local stuff as possible. Obviously if I want bananas I have to buy them as imported produce from afar but I try to keep my eye on what's in season.

Strawbs are out but soon there will be a whole host of different apples and pears coming into the shops.

Yes, fresh food shopping is much more seasonal here, but you can get good prices when stuff is in season. We love cherries and Aldi were doing them for as low as CHF6 a kilo (just over 2 pounds) which compares favourably with the ones we get straight from the farms which are usually CHF7 - and they taste just as good as the farm ones which is the main thing. Seedless grapes are good in Aldi too, sometimes as low as CHF1.99 for 500g compared to Coop at CHF3-4 for the same weight.

I don't think your figure of CHF1,500 for 5 including the extras is out of the ballpark. Things like toiletries and cleaning stuff aren't that cheap here either so that can add a lot to "food" bills. But again, if you shop canny you can bring some of those down. If you have a dishwasher keep an eye out for Aldi's Alio dishwasher cleaner when it's on offer. A pack of two bottles is only CHF3.99 compared to buying a brand name at CHF7 for one. Unfortunately, they don't keep it as a regular item so stock up with a few packs when it's on offer and you won't need to buy anymore for a year.

To get a clearer idea of what food only is costing you, simply put the figures into a spreadsheet without the extra stuff and add them altogether. You might find you're nearer to that CHF1,000 figure than you think once the other stuff is taken out of the equation.

You need a trip to Germany or Austria at least once a month!! It will half your food bill, but be aware of import limits but as a family of 5 means you have 5 times the limit.

I agree with the local shopping for the most part, but I also miss some variety. There are times when there isn't a heck of a lot in season

I originally thought I would do that. But, my weekends are also valuable to me and the thought of trudging there on a Saturday to fight with the hoards is not my idea of a fun time. Also, at 1 hour each way, time is money (as well as gas) and using up my entire Saturday to do a shop isn't quite worth it, yet. Now if I could go on my own...heaven

Going during the week is less likely as going on my own with 3 kids is even less of an enticing idea! I have thought of going on a Thursday night as I think some shops in Konstanz are open later...but as I said, haven't done it yet.

I do find it funny that the one time I did go to Konstanz to do some shopping (went with the kids during x-mas holidays) I was amazed at the selection and variety and price of the shopping (not referring to food-stuff here). When I lived in Germany, I always dreamed of shopping at home. Now I dream of shopping in Germany. Always a matter of perspective!

Geez, I thought I was doing well getting all my spending imported into Quicken and dividing it into the spending categories. I don't think I could manage importing all my cash register receipts and then seeing what gets spent of what!

Anyways, I need the stuff (for the most part!) so as long as I know my budget, and I can afford it, I guess that is fine! One of my problems is buying the extra stuff at Aldi or otherwise, it is all so cheap, I must need those sports glasses, or water shoes or dozens of other items!

Kaufland in Konstanz (left turn opposite McDonalds on the main Highway going out of Konstanz, and then a right, near to OBI) is open to 10pm, so no need to go at the weekend!

I did mention in the middle of my post that I thought Thursday nights are open longer, you must have missed it Are any other stores open late, as well? TBH, while living in the Munich area from 2009-2011 I shopped maybe 2 times at Kaufland as it was the most unpleasant experience available...Are there any REWE in the area or are the Edeka open late as well? I guess time for me to do a search

As I said, I may try it...

edit: have done a search.

Apparently this Edeka store is open until 9 on Thursdays.

I did not include alcohol in my budget, but thank you for doing so here! It gives me a better idea of how much I need to budget for a bottle each week.

Thanks for the Saturday shopping tip! Being in the land of 24 hour a day shopping I never even considered this as an option.

I am surprised by the existence of Aligro. When friends from Germany visit and we go to Costco their eyes bulge out (kind of like this:). Yes, Germany and Switzerland are different countries, but on more than one occassion I had it suggested that perhaps Americans have weight problems because we can buy so much... so I thought bulk buying was not particularly popular in Europe. Good thing I never took them to Restaurant Depot .

Actually, I bought 3 kilos (when I opened the one package it turned out it was less than I thought I had purchased.) Still, this is not all that excessive. If the average serving of chicken (mostly what we consume) is 112 g, and we are four people that is 448g per day. At seven days (once per day), that is 3136g (therfore more than I purchased).

Having gone through this explaination, I purchased this amount to get a good idea of what the cost would be for our family to get a good comparison. We were lovingly gift some beautiful home grown veggies from a friend and ended up eating veg twice this week. which means I have fed my freezer for lean times .

Thank you Dr. Mom! From what I am reading from these posts I have a much better idea of what my food budget *should* be.

I love being able to buy things out of season for special occassions (birthday requests and entertaining), but I don't mind being forced to buy in season either. For the most part we eat with the seasons. 6chf for strawberries does seem like a lot, but my prices are not that much better and the quality is crap. Also, my budget above did not include personal hygiene or cleaning supplies. It was purely food.

The prices are higher, yes, but not as bad as I was beginning to think they'd be. I live in NYC suburbs and prices get hefty here

Dr. Mom, I also read that you lived in Munich. Great city! I love it there. Friends of mine just moved (job relocation) and I am so excited to go back and visit them.