As you can see in “Compared cost of living: Montréal versus Paris” shopping in Canada is a bit more expensive than in France.
In this article we will compare supermarkets and share some advice to make your shopping in Montréal easier.

First you have to know that there are plenty of supermarkets at different price ranges. Here is a non-exhaustive list of them:

·         Provigo

·         Metro Plus (Reasonable prices and most of them are close to the center)

·         Walmart (A large range of cheap goods however you need a car)

·         Maxi (Cheap but located in suburbs)

·         Super C

·         Dollarama (everything for $1 but very small range of food products)

·         Pharmaprix (In the center of Montréal these supermarkets are a bit expensive but useful in last minute)

·         Jean Coutu (Same as Pharmaprix but cheaper)

·         Local stores (Also called “depanneurs” they are open even the night for all “last minute needs”)

For fresh products like vegetables, fruits or meat you can also go to market places like Atwater or Jean Talon. Indeed you will rarely find these kinds of products in traditional supermarket, or you will find them too expensive. A little plus: the products are coming from local producers.

Some tips to go shopping in Canada

#1: To reduce the bill you must choose your products well. In Canadian supermarkets, there are a lot of promotion such as “2 for 1” or “exceptional low price for this week”. Take advantage of these promotions and your wallet will be grateful.

#2: Every supermarket has a loyalty card, most of them are free and very profitable, you can ask one to the cashier! Now you have to chase points! For instance at Metro Plus some products have “Metro points” that you accumulate every time you buy it. The next time you go to do some errands you can use them to reduce the bill.

#3: A good way to make shopping in Canada even more comfortable is delivery… Many supermarkets offer it, although you’ll have to pay between $4 and $7 for the delivery, whatever the bill. Sometimes if you spend more than a certain amount, delivery is free. Online shopping is one of the best ways to keep yourself warm during the long cold and snowy days of winter.

#4:  Be careful! Prices in Canadian supermarkets do not include taxes. You have to add 15% of the price posted to get your final bill (there are two taxes, TVQ: 9.975% and TPS: 5%). However, this percentage will change depending on the province, as taxes vary across the country.  

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