ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / ECONOMY & WORK

American mom in London compares grocery prices between US and UK. The difference is eye-opening

She pointed out that average wages weren't very different at the time
UPDATED AUG 13, 2024
Cover image source: A trolley full of groceries in Cardiff. | Getty Images | Photo by Matthew Horwood
Cover image source: A trolley full of groceries in Cardiff. | Getty Images | Photo by Matthew Horwood

According to the latest government data, food inflation has fallen in recent weeks. However, this hasn't reduced the burden on consumers as grocery prices are still up by 25% since the pandemic, as per an Intuit Credit Karma report. While this is common across the globe, Americans seem to be feeling the heat a little more. A TikTok creator from the UK did a price comparison between grocery items in the U.K. and America and we are shocked. 

Screenshots from the video | TikTok | @abigaellanai
Screenshots from the video | TikTok | @abigaellanai

Creator and mom Abigael Lanai (@abigaellanai) posted the video last year. Lanai, who is originally from Colorado, currently lives in London, where she shops from the popular grocery chain Sainsbury's.

In the viral video, Lanai compares the prices of everyday grocery items from the U.K. chain with the prices of the same items from King Soopers, an American store she used to visit. 

The first item in her comparison was whole milk, which Lanai got from Sansbury's for £1.65 for 2.27 liters (about half a gallon). She then converts the cost to dollars which comes out to be $1.99. However, the price of half a gallon of milk from King Soopers was about $2.49, significantly higher than the UK. 

Screenshots from the video | TikTok | @abigaellanai
Screenshots from the video | TikTok | @abigaellanai

The next item that Lanai compares is apples. She shows that one red gala apple in the UK costs about £0.25 or $0.30. In America, the same apples were available in small and large sizes. The small went for $0.67 while the large went for $0.95, double and triple what it costs in the U.K. respectively. 

Screenshots from the video | TikTok | @abigaellanai
Screenshots from the video | TikTok | @abigaellanai

Lanai them comes to comparing ground beef. She shows that 500g (~1.1 pound) of minced beef costs £1.99 in the UK at the time. The same item should cost about $2.40 in the US after conversion. However, to no one's surprise, the same 80% lean ground beef in the US cost $5.49 at the time. 

Screenshots from the video | TikTok | @abigaellanai
Screenshots from the video | TikTok | @abigaellanai

Lastly, Lanai comes to veggies, comparing the price of a bag of carrots in the two countries. Lanai says that the item costs £0.50 in the U.K. which was about $0.60 at the time. Again, to no surprise, she shows that the same item in the US costs $1.99, or $1.39 more than the U.K.

Screeshots from the video | TikTok | @abigaellanai
Screeshots from the video | TikTok | @abigaellanai

At the end, Lanai said that the prices may differ based on location and income disparity but she does mention that for their family, money goes a lot further in the UK.

Viewers of Lanai couldn't agree more. "I would spend maybe $500 euro a month for a family of 5 in Europe. In America I pay $900," commented user@hypercatalexis.

Screenshot from the comments | TikTok | @sofa28281
Screenshot from the comments | TikTok | @sofa28281

Meanwhile, some argued that the purchasing power of people in the two countries also varies according to the prices. "I think we need to look at this through relative purchasing power though, wages in the USA are far higher than the UK," mentioned user @beanbaginahurry.

However, Lanai clarified that the average wages did not differ by much at the time, which makes it cheaper for people in the U.K.

For more such comparisons, vlogs, and mom content follow Abigael Lanai (@abigaellanai) on TikTok.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
Some restaurants are charging extra fees, and this has sparked a debate over transparency.
28 minutes ago
Residents have been struggling with high prices and this was an opportunity they couldn't miss.
2 hours ago
The proposal comes after the volatile ICE crackdown in the state came to an end.
2 hours ago
In an effort to lessen the bank's impact on the market and cut borrowing costs, Trump has been pushing the Fed to decrease interest rates.
4 hours ago
"President Trump's economic agenda has a proven track record and unleashed historic job wage and economic growth," the White House said.
4 hours ago
94% of the burden of these tariffs fell on Americans between January and August, 92% in September and October, and 86% in November. 
6 hours ago
Fans of the show were not happy and they made their opinions known.
19 hours ago
The report stated that America added 130,000 jobs, much higher than the predicted 70,000.
23 hours ago
The affected products were first recalled in January of this year over fears of plastic contamination.
1 day ago
White House senior trade advisor previously said even a gain of 50,000 jobs would be positive.
1 day ago
The President said that he was influenced to make the decision at the time.
1 day ago
A majority of FOMC members voted to halt additional rate reduction after three were made last fall.
1 day ago
The big win also gave him a chance to compete again at the end of the week.
1 day ago
It turns out that Americans are not willing to pay exorbitant tips in such an economy.
1 day ago
The contestant's mother encouraged her to take the risk and go for the car.
1 day ago
The item was voluntarily recalled and no illness or injury has yet been reported from it.
2 days ago
The company issuing and managing these gift cards recently filed for bankruptcy.
2 days ago
Tech companies are racing to develop AI that exceeds human cognitive abilities.
2 days ago
With an average annual growth rate of 2.8% during the last 50 years, the US economy is expected to expand by 2.4% in 2026.
2 days ago