How Expensive are Groceries in Brooklyn?

Why are groceries so expensive in NYC?

Why is anything so expensive here? Two large factors are housing and tolls.

The high housing demand forces high rents in turn causing high food & product prices. A Chipotle in Manhattan charges more than a Chipotle in Lansing, MI because their rent in ny is higher.

We live on an island. There is no way to avoid taking a bridge or tunnel to get here and most of those have tolls. Higher tolls on trucks delivering food to the city leads to higher food prices.

Exactly how much more expensive are food items in nyc?

Well, that largely depends on where in the city you are doing your shopping. I wrote about the crazy prices of groceries in Manhattan last year. Now I live in south Brooklyn where some things are cheaper.

Typical Weekly Shopping Trip

Corn Flakes	$2.99
Half Gallon 2% Milk	$2.49
Chicken Breast @ 2.99/lb (on sale)	$4.28
Dannon 4-Pack Yogurt	$2.59
Cheddar Cheese @ $6.99/lb	$3.98
Can Stewed Tomatoes	$0.89

(Since I signed up for the vegetable delivery service, I do not purchase produce in my weekly shopping trips.)

Let me add, these groceries were bought at Foodtown, a small-supermarket but one that does have a weekly circular and sales. It is not the closest market to my apartment but has more reasonable prices.

Borough Price Differences

Looking back at last year’s Manhattan grocery prices, I paid $1.99 for a can of stewed tomatoes at Westside Market on the UWS. Today I paid $0.89 for them at Foodtown in Kensington, Brooklyn. That’s a considerable difference!

These are important factors to take into consideration when moving to a neighborhood as well. Not only are rents higher on the UWS but groceries and other products have high prices as well. This might affect your budget in ways you did not plan for.

Also remember, storage space around here is low. Not only in your apartment but also most refrigerators are not full-size. For example, this week the family pack of chicken breasts was on sale for $1.99/lb but I knew I did not have much room in my freezer, it would take me a while to go through, or end up getting thrown out. Instead I bought the more expensive smaller pack of chicken I knew I could store and eat in a timely manner.

How much are your groceries?

Since prices fluctuate by neighborhood, I am interested to hear the grocery prices of other Brooklyn or other borough neighborhoods. Please share below!