France vs. Canada: We compared the prices of 10 grocery items

Canadians continue to feel the pinch as grocery item prices remain high. We’ve previously compared the cost of food in Switzerland and Australia, and this time, we wanted to know how French shoppers are faring.

Bloomberg Tax reports that as of January, the hourly minimum wage in France increased to €11.65 ($17.27), which is pretty much on par with Canada’s federal minimum wage, which went up to $17.30 in April this year.

To understand food prices in both countries, we compared prices at the French supermarket chain Carrefour with Walmart Canada. We also picked several food items and used the latest conversion rate of €1 to $1.48. According to money transfer service Wise, France’s standard value-added tax (VAT) is 20% — 10% for goods and services, and 5.5% is applied to food, gas, and electricity.

Where possible, we tried to find similar package sizes. Also, remember that prices at Carrefour are just a tiny sample of food costs and don’t accurately represent prices across France, just as Walmart Canada prices don’t accurately represent prices throughout the country.

Here’s how 10 grocery items compare in France vs. Canada.

Bread

Carrefour.fr | Walmart.ca

Carrefour: €1.39/$2.06 (500g) — 41 cents/100g

Walmart: $1.97 (570g) — 34 cents/100g

Eggs

grocery

Carrefour.fr | Walmart.ca

Carrefour: €2.85/$4.22 (one dozen)

Walmart: $4.08 (one dozen)

Partly skimmed milk

Carrefour.fr | Walmart.ca

Carrefour: €0.99/$1.46 (1l)

Walmart: $2.83 (1l)

Chicken

Carrefour.fr | Walmart.ca

Carrefour: €6.30/$9.34 (720g) — $1.29/100g

Walmart: $23 (seven fillets)

Potatoes

grocery

Carrefour.fr | Walmart.ca

Carrefour: €0.99/$1.46 (1kg)

Walmart: $5.97 (2.26kg) — $2.64/kg

Cherry tomatoes

Carrefour.fr | Walmart.ca

Carrefour: €2/$2.96 (200g) — $1.48/100g

Walmart: $3.47 (283g) — $1.22/100g

Avocado

grocery

Carrefour.fr | Walmart.ca

Carrefour: €1.29/$1.91 (per piece)

Walmart: $1.77 (per piece)

Strawberries

grocery

Carrefour.fr | Walmart.ca

Carrefour: €5.49/$8.14 (400g) — $2.03/100g

Walmart: $2.84 (453g) — 62 cents/100g

Basmati rice

Carrefour.fr | Walmart.ca

Carrefour: €2.79/$4.13 (1kg) — 42 cents/100g

Walmart: $6.97 (907g) — 76 cents/100g

Lay’s chips

grocery

Carrefour.fr | Walmart.ca

Carrefour: €1.69/$2.50 (155g) — $1.61/100g

Walmart: $3.97 (235g) — $1.68/100g

Out of the ten grocery items, we found six cheaper at Carrefour.

Most prices seem close to Walmart Canada’s except strawberries, which cost a whopping $2.06/100g in France compared to just 64 cents/100g in Canada.

What country’s food prices would you like to see compared to Canada’s next? Let us know in the comments, or email us at [email protected].

Source