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Grocery Shopping

Photo by Gemma C on Unsplash

The good news is that groceries are generally cheap in Shanghai compared to most western counrties.

Where To Shop

Local Groceries
Many people do the majority of even all of their grocery shopping online via apps. Hema for example, is a very popular online grocery retailer, although they do have some physical stores around the city for people who prefer to browse in person. There are also local chains such as Lianhua and Hualian (these sound similar but are different) for those who want to walk around a physical store and inspect the products before buying.

There are also wet markets, which tend to be open air markets where you can buy fresh, unpackaged vergetables and meat. Wet markets tend to be cheaper than supermarkets or hypermarkets (larger supermarkets) and you can buy in very small quanitities if needed, since you usually pay according to the weight.

Imported / Foreign Groceries
More upmarket chains like City Super and Ole sell a lot if imported products such as Iberian ham from Spain, cheeses from France etc. These stores also have local products on offer, but prices are overall higher than the local grocery stores.

There are also more specialised companies such as Breakfast Champion, selling British products such as British style bacon, sausages, crisps (potato chips), confectionery, tea bags and more. Prices are going to be significantly higher than back home, but that mostly reflects the logistical costs of transporting the goods to China.

Costs

Just a few examples to give you an idea, on Hema in mid-2025, this is what some items cost in RMB and US dollars based on current exchange rates:

  • Broccoli (500g) - 3 RMB / 41 cents
  • Tomatoes (500g) - 2.95 RMB / 40 cents
  • Potatoes (500g) - 1.88 RMB / 26 cents
  • Chicken thigh meat, diced (300g) - 9.8 RMB / $1.34
  • Chicken drumsticks (665g) - 19.9 RMB / $2.73
3 RMB Hema Broccoli

These prices obviously are subject to variation and are for the basic options. You can pay more for more premium choices, such as organic produce, but I have found that often, the basics are more than decent for everyday meals.