An Insight to Grocery Shopping in Panama

For those that aren’t aware, the currency in Panama is the U.S. dollar. For foreigners, that makes it easier to transition to Panama living full time. While there are many things to consider before making that decision, one is the cost of living. Feel free to browse other articles on our website talking about rent, homes, and other forms of expenses. Today, the topic of discussion is another essential, groceries! First, some ground rules and considerations.

My personal store of choice is Riba Smith, a popular supermarket in Panama City. The store was located in Multiplaza, a popular mall in an upper-class neighborhood. It is also January of 2022. Now it’s understandable that everyone’s grocery list is completely different. Thus, this article will feature the price of many items, brands, and different products. There will be surprises at both how cheap and how expensive certain items are. The hope is that everyone can get a sense of their typical grocery haul.

Now usually a single person in the city will get away with $50-$100 per week, depending on what is purchased and where. There are folks who spend more and some who spend less. The location of the supermarket matters as well. It will become clear that imported items are more expensive. Naturally, the shipping costs affect the prices. Those English muffins may need to be substituted for something else! Also, just like any grocery store, “store brands” will save you money on each item. 

Certain grocery stores are more cost-effective for certain items. For instance, here in Panama, there is Pricesmart, the equivalent to Costco in the United States. So you can buy your groceries in bulk and save money. There are smaller supermarkets like Super Xtra, Machetazo, or Unido as well. For the sake of readability, we’ll look at the prices of only Riba Smith. Look out for a future article comparing these prices to other notable grocery stores. 

Baby:

$28.40 – Huggies Xtra-care XXG 88 pack

$12.20 – Huggies xtra-flex 36 pack

$2.50 – Gerber 2 pack Apples & Cherries baby food 4 oz

$2.95 – Gerber Macaroni Chickens & Vegetables baby meal 4 oz

$1.45 – Johnsons Baby Wipes

 

Beer, Wine & Spirits:

$8.55 Yellowtail Cabernet Sauvignon 750ml

$7.91 Beringer Pinot Grigio 750ml

$11.61 Bacardi white rum 750ml

$35.85 Grey Goose vodka 750ml

$16.77 Baileys Original 750ml

$15.45 Canadian Club whiskey 750ml

$7.44 Corona beer 6-pack 

$8.76 Blue moon 6-pack

 

Beverages:  tea, coffee, soda, juice, Kool-Aid, hot chocolate, water, etc:

$3.25 Essentials Everyday 100% apple juice 2 liter

$9.24 12 cans of Diet Coke 12 oz

$3.00 Canada Dry Ginger Ale 2 liter

$3.15 Silk Soy milk 1 liter

$3.10 Almond Breeze Original almond milk 1 liter

$4.58 Estrella Azul orange juice 1 gallon

$4.96 Tazo Awake English Breakfast tea 20 pack

$3.50 Bigelow Green Tea 20 pack

$5.44 Duran traditional ground coffee 1 pound 

$2.65 Cristalina water 5lb jug

 

Bread & Bakery:

$3.08 Riba Smith wheat bread loaf 20 oz

$1.37 Riba Smith pita bread 5 pack

$1.79 Riba Smith hamburger buns 8 pack

$2.45 Mission medium size tortillas 10 pack

$2.25 Dutch Farm multigrain bagels 5 pack

$4.10 Ways English Muffins multi-grain 6 pack

$5.10 Gold medal all-purpose flour 5 lbs

 

Breakfast & Cereal:

$6.42 – Quaker Oats 42 oz

$3.32 Captain Crunch Cereal 12.5 oz

$4.17 Honey Bunches of Oats 14.5 oz

$8.16 JimmyDean frozen breakfast sandwiches 4 pack

$1.83 Betty Crocker Banana nut muffin mix 6 pack

$3.73 Aunt Jemima pancake mix 2lbs 

 

Canned Goods & Soups:

$1.35 Bush’s Black Beans 15 oz

$1.80 Campbell’s Tomato Soup 10.75 oz

$2.90 Bush’s Baked Beans 28 oz

$1.43 Del Monte Mixed Vegetables 14.5 oz

$1.51 Starkist canned tuna 5 oz

 

Condiments/Spices & Oils:

$10.42 Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil 750ml

$2.75 Hojiblanca Extra Virgin Olive Oil 250ml 

$3.72 Sriracha 1.1lb

$0.75-$4.00 Many different selections of Aatin American hot sauces

$2.55 Smuckers Grape Jelly 12 oz

$4.04 Skippy Reduced Fat Creamy peanut butter 16.3 oz

$4.10 Heinz Tomato Ketchup 32 oz 

$2.60 Kraft original barbeque sauce 18 oz

 

Cookies, Snacks & Candy:

$3.85 Lays potato chips 6.5 oz

$3.20 Pop Tarts 6 pack

$2.75 Pringles chips 5.5 oz

$2.29 Act II Butter popcorn 3 pack

$4.15 Ghirardelli 72% Dark chocolate 3.5 oz

$3.85 Doritos Nacho Cheese 6.5 oz

$3.67 Oreos original 15.2 oz

$3.88 Planters dry-roasted peanuts 16 oz

$3.76 Motts Apple Sauce 6 pack

 

Dairy, Eggs & Cheese:

$9.76 – Chobani nonfat plain greek yogurt 32 oz

$5.95 Riba Smith whole milk 1 gallon

$1.60 Riba Smith skim milk 1 liter

$1.80 Melo eggs 12 pack

$4.60 Riba Smith shredded mozzarella cheese 8 oz

$9.40 Kraft grated parmesan cheese 8 oz

$5.94 Philadelphia original cream cheese 12 oz

$7.10 Tillamook sharp cheddar farmstyle 8 oz

$6.08 Sargento sliced swiss cheese 11 pack

 

Deli:

$3.88 Sliced Deli Ham 7 oz

$4.24 Sliced Muenster Cheese 9 oz

$11.50 Fresh Salmon Filet 1lb

$2.84 Chicken breast 1lb

$5.06 Top Sirloin 1lb

 

Frozen Foods:

$5.25 – Ore-Ida Golden Crinkle Cut fries 26 oz

$13.55 Chiquita frozen fruit blend 2.5lb

$7.95 Breyers French Vanilla ice cream 1.5 quart

$9.98 Digiorno Rising Crust pizza 28.5 oz

 

Produce: Fruits & Vegetables:

$1.30 Camellia uncooked black beans 1 lb

$1.50 Cucumber 3 pack

$2.31 Bell Pepper 4 pack

$2.85 Mango 1 large

$1.76 Yellow Onion 1 medium

$3.30 1 large avocado

$0.45-$3.00 Apples

$6.96 Driscoll’s Strawberries 8 oz

$2.55/kg Romaine Lettuce 

 

Grains, Pasta & Sides:

$2.90 Ben’s Original Ready Rice Jasmine 8.8 oz

$2.89 Arrosisimo uncooked white rice 4.4lbs

$1.30 Kraft macaroni & cheese 7.25 oz

$2.20 Barilla Spaghetti 1.1lb

$0.95 La Parmigiana Rigatoni 1.1lb

$2.96 Prego Marinara sauce 14 oz

$3.95 Bertolli Alfredo Sauce 15 oz 

 

Meat & Seafood:

$2.50 Riba Smith Ground Beef ½ lb

$6.07 RIba Smith Ribeye Steak 1lb

$4.16 Toledano Chicken Breast 3 pack 

$2.74 Melo Chicken WIngs 8 wings

$12.10 Riba Smith Full Beef Rib Slab

$15.59 Riba Smith Pork Chop 4 count 17.32 oz

 

Miscellaneous:

$7.25 Ziploc gallon storage bags 38 pack

$2.91 Diamond sandwich bags 100 pack

$2.07 Reynolds Sure Seal plastic wrap 100 ft

$4.56 Diamond Aluminum Foil 75 sq ft

$2.69 Febreze fresh air 8.8 oz 

 

Paper Products – toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, paper plates/cups, etc.:

$7.88 Delux paper towels 6 pack

$21.35 Cottonelle Ultra CleanCare toilet paper 48 pack

$1.35 Titlton red solo cups 20 pack

$1.22 Puffs basic tissue 64 count

 

Cleaning Supplies – laundry detergent, dishwashing soap, etc.:

$13.65 Glad Trash Bags 13 gallon 80 pack

$3.68 Clorox Cleaner + Bleach 32 oz

$6.17 Lysol Bathroom Cleaner 29.3 oz

$10.99 Gain Lavender laundry detergent 6.25lb

$10.85 Fab laundry detergent 11lb bag

$4.25 Dawn dish soap 24 oz

$7.28 Lysol disinfecting wipes 80 pack

 

Health & Beauty, Personal Care & Pharmacy – pharmacy items, shampoo, toothpaste:

$2.95 Crest Cavity Protection toothpaste 5.7 oz

$3.71 Olay Ultra Moisture body wash 19 oz

$6.57 Old Spice Swagger body wash 30 oz

$4.47 Dove Complete shampoo 7 oz

$8.32 SpeedStick Extreme deodorant 2 pack 3 oz

$12.89 Gillette Mach3 turbo shave heads 4 pack

$5.69 Gillette Venus Spa Razor 1 pack

 

Pet Care:

$13.86 Pedigree dog food 8.8lbs

$7.50 Shoppers Value cat litter 20lbs 

$1.25 Purina Felix canned salmon cat food 5.5 oz

 

Pharmacy:

$12.53 Nature’s Bounty Fish Oil 1200mg 60 tablets

$4.86 Aleve extra strength 12 tablets

$33.57 Life Extension Ultra Prostate Formula 60 softgels

$9.16 Sundown Naturals chewable vitamin C 500mg 100 tablets

$9.12 Benadryl allergy 24 tablets

$4.55 Tylenol 24 tablets

Now, hopefully, you have a better understanding of the cost of groceries in Panama. Feel free to leave a comment with any questions if we missed an item! For a Latin American country, one might assume that these prices are higher than expected. In reality, Panama consumers are demanding high-quality foods and products. Thus, Panama imports a large number of agricultural and consumer goods. Especially from the United States where strict food standards exist. In fact, Panama imported 7 times more agriculture than it produced in 2020. Almost half was from the United States. So the tradeoff to higher food prices is greater food safety and reliability. The good news is, Panama is slowly becoming less reliant on imports. For anyone curious, here’s a great overview of agricultural data from the international trade administration. All the best from Panama!