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We'll be making our first trip to STJ next June. We will be renting a villa and while we plan to eat out several times while there, we also plan to do alot of grilling and eating in as well. Just wondering what some of the staples will cost us at the local markets (bread, milk, condiments, ground beef, deli meats, beer, soft drinks, etc). I know it will be more than we're used to paying at home, but wanted to get some kind of idea.
Thanks for your replies.
Prices vary dramatically at the supermarket. Items that you may think would be expensive (meat/milk) are about the same as you pay at home. Then items such as pop tarts are triple!! I too was concerned about the grocery prices when we went to St John last year. Just figure a large grocery budget into your trip expense, what you save (or pay regular price for) you'll spend on overpriced items. I think lunch meats were about what we paid at home, I think meats were slightly higher, as were some of the snacks, beverages were about the same if not cheaper. There really is no way to know for sure, what the costs will be, just be prepared that it will be a lot higher. I would say expect on the average of what you would pay at home for a grocery run, to be double in St John. Have a great trip!
Hello,
To get an idea you can look at the grocery list with prices in the Cost of Living section of our Moving/Relocation guide at http://vimovingcenter.com/cost_of_living/. Scroll to the bottom of that page, thats where the St. John grocery list is located. Its from last year & only from one store... but it will give you an idea.
--Islander
We went to STJ in May for two weeks and used Starfish in Cruz Bay, Love City Mini-Mart and Lily's in Coral Bay. Planning on doubling your food bill (from what you would pay at home) is the best rule of thumb. Processed things (sausage, condiments, packaged foods) seemed to be higher than those that were not (steaks, chicken, etc.). Veggies, however, even though not processed were very expensive. Ice cream, cookies, candy, laundry detergent, paper towels, TP - YIKES! Liquor? Cheap! At Starfish we took advantage of their already-prepared and packaged salads. Very reasonable, very fresh and very tasty! Soft drinks were about twice the price of home. Bottled water was sky high! We paid four times what we normally pay for a case of bottled water.
When you think about all the costs involved in shipping these goods all the way to STJ it doesn't seem so bad. Just plan ahead for sticker shock and you'll have a great time in beautiful STJ.
We went for our honeymoon and are returning in a couple months for our 5-year anniversary and rented a villa. We packed a suitcase of stuff we knew we'd eat there (granola bars, water, champagne, ketsup, etc) and just bought the essentials there. GREAT way to do it...
Happy traveling!
Not specific on prices, but I usually spend about $50 more than I do at home for a week's worth of groceries. However, that includes booze, and a lot of the staples that I already have at home. But we are on vacation and don't worry about what we are spending. Buy it, enjoy it, and at home next week, spend a little less. All evens out.
Our biggest shocker was the bottled water. The convenient, single serving sized bottles are outrageous. A case of 16.9 oz Dasani was selling for $25 at the Starfish this past April. The same thing you pay as little as $5 for back stateside. The gallon jugs, though, are reasonable, probably a couple of bucks. We used the jugs exclusively around the villa but were never desperate enough to re-fill the individual bottles. 😉 Enjoy your trip!
