A short while ago I had a couple of people, who stumbled upon YkOnline through Google, ask me about food prices here in Yellowknife, so I thought I would write up this post on the matter.
Having grown up here in Yellowknife, I wasn’t to sure as to how food prices actually compared to down south. I started to ask around to get an idea.
Without going into to much depth about it, yes Yellowknife food prices are slightly more than down south, but not as much as you might think. The areas you would see the biggest difference would be areas that are closest to where most foods are prepared. The one thing that I did hear a lot about was the variety and selection and the freshness of produce. Yellowknife is obviously a long way away from anything, being 1500km north of Edmonton, AB, so when it comes to trucking food up here not only does it take time. Which wastes the “fresh” period of certain foods, but it also means there can only be a certain amount of food because of limited space.
Many people have also told me that, no prices are not that much different and I would agree with them. It depends on where you are coming from. I know the prices and quality of food in Northern BC is very much the same as it is in Yellowknife, but most people who would normally ask the question wouldn’t be from that area. They would generally be from bigger places where quality and quantity are taken for granted.
So what I have done to help those wondering about prices here in Yellowknife is taken photos of basic food items from our 3 grocery stores. This is not to compare the prices between the 3, just to compare with prices south of Yellowknife. If enough people request it, I will go back and get the prices of some fruits and vegetables.
Bread
Cheese
Margarine
4L Jug Milk
Eggs
Case of Pop
UPDATE:
There have been a couple questions about vegetables in the north and their prices so while out at the Grocery Store today I took a few more photos. Remember you can click on them to see a large image.
Readers it is your turn. How do you find the price of food in Yellowknife, compared to when you’ve gone shopping in a southern city. Did you even notice the difference? And to those currently south of Yellowknife, do you see a difference? Could you manage with the above prices? Keep in mind Yellowknife(NWT) doesn’t have a territorial/provincial sales tax.
I don’t know about southern cities, but I was surprised to pay $4.69 for 4L of milk when it’s $6.29 in Hay River. On the other hand, a dozen free-run eggs was almost $8, which is crazy, so I had to buy the regular kind. Didn’t find the brand of cheese I like at all so I can’t compare that.
I’ve been offered a job in Yellowknife and I’ve been struggling with trying to determine just how much it’s going to cost me to live. My mind is eased knowing that eggs and cheese cost pretty much the same as they do in Halifax. I am curious about how much vegetable costs because I am primarily a vegetarian but I do feel better knowing that I won’t be paying a lot for the basics.
April,
The best produce in town by far is found at the Co-op. Costs $60 to join and $1 per week to sustain membership. I am not vegetarian/vegan but am changing my diet to be mainly based on vegetarian options. Prices are comparable or slightly less than it would be in a large Canadian centre. I lived for 7 years on and off in Toronto as a student and prices in downtown groceries there are similar to prices here in YK.
Also, there is a healthy selection of frozen/canned organics and some organic options in the produce section at the Co-op, but it’s not as extensive as a Whole Foods, say.
I agree and you don’t have to be a member to shop at the Co-op. Anybody can shop there at anytime!
I have been finding that in Edmonton the food prices are a lot cheaper, especially for dairy products. That could just be because I shop pretty carefully though!
first of all i would like to say thank you for taking the time getting the prices for all of us. secondly the cost of what you are paying and what the rest of us are paying is very much the same. i live on the ontario/usa border and a block of cheese here sells for around $10 and a 4l bag of milk sells for 4.99 upwards to 6.29 depends on where you shop. not that big of a difference is there….
Price makes little difference when you have have the two extra foods stores never having anything on their shelves. The store on Range Lake Road is a disgrace.
Why waste your time shopping at Extra. Co-op is the only real grocery store in town.