8 Ways Grocery Shopping In Canada Is So Different From Dubai & Yes, Prices Are The Big One

The new brands

Dubai is pretty well-connected and I'm well-versed with most international brands. From Oreos and Pringles to Chips Ahoy!, I thought I knew them all.

However, here in Canada, there were several new brands that I had to get acquainted with, including No Name and President's Choice.

When it comes to the latter, I feel like their stuff seems gourmet and I am always tempted to pick the products up. But the prices often make me put them straight back on shelves. Yikes!

The prices

Okay, this one's the elephant in the room (or on the shelves!).

I had known generally that grocery prices in Canada were more expensive than in Dubai, but until arriving here I hadn't really thought too much about it.

But after having a brief crisis when I spent $7 on a bag of onions and a tomato (singular), I gave in and looked into the figures.

According to the cost of living comparison website Numbeo, grocery prices in Toronto (where I live) are 40% more than grocery prices in Dubai.

Let that sink in.

The price difference is especially apparent when buying fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs.

Individual portions

I've said it before and I'll say it again, portion sizes in Canada always take me by surprise.

To be more specific, I've always found them much bigger than those in the UAE. While that's normally really great (who doesn't love a burrito the size of a small watermelon?), I sometimes find product sizes in Canadian grocery stories a tad inconvenient.

For example, products like yogurt are available in the UAE in small snack packs of 170 grams. But in Canada, I'd have to buy a 750-gram pack, even though I just want a quick snack.

Similarly, chips in Dubai are available in packets of 100 grams, which I'm yet to see here in Toronto!

Fresh products are more expensive

This is another thing that really took me by surprise.

My understanding of grocery prices had always been; the less amount of human labour that's gone into the product, the cheaper it is.

For example, in Dubai, buying fresh tomatoes would be cheaper than buying a can of tomato paste as that means less work has gone into crushing the tomatoes, manufacturing the can, packaging the product, etc.

That logic quickly turned upside down once I landed in Toronto.

As I quickly discovered here, it's much cheaper to buy frozen or canned veggies than their fresh counterparts. To be honest, I'm still not used to that.

Seeing pork readily available

The UAE is a Muslim-led country and, for that reason, pork is not as easily available as it is in grocery stores in other parts of the world.

That's not to say it's not sold at all, just that not all stores in the UAE carry it. The ones that do sell it usually have entirely separate sections in the store for it.

Because it is harder to get hold of in the UAE, that also increases its price. It's usually the most expensive meat sold in stores, with chicken being the cheapest and beef coming in the middle.

That's the exact opposite in Canada, where I've found pork to be the most reasonably-priced meat. And don't even get me started on the cost of chicken in Canada.

Seeing alcohol readily available

Again, alcohol is not something that is available in stores in Dubai.

Of course, not all grocery stores in Canada carry alcohol either.

But there are many that do sell select beers, wine and ciders, and it always takes me by surprise to find booze in grocery store aisles.

Lack of individual kiosks

Some big grocery stores in the UAE (I'm talking about Lulu Hypermarket and certain branches of Carrefour) are so big they have separate sections, with designated employees for each one.

For example, there will be a kiosk that only sells different types of cheese and sliced meats.

Or, there will be another separate section that has different types of nuts and chocolate.

Customers can basically ask the attendant behind the kiosk for how many grams they want to buy and it's weighed and packaged accordingly.

A lot of UAE stores also allow you to grind your own peanut butter (or other nut butter), or make fresh juices.

Think, if you will, of a small Bulk Barn within a Loblaws.

Products available all year round

And finally, when it comes to produce in Dubai, seasonality is key.

There are certain types of fruits and veggies that are more abundant (and cheaper) during summer or winter, and I often used to just head to the store not knowing what I wanted and buy stuff based on what was seasonal.

But here in Canada, it's pretty neat that you get pretty much everything all year round. Want mangoes in December? Of course, you can find them. That's pretty neat.