Grocery Shopping In Angola

Just a bit of info for you all! Everyone seems to assume that it is cheaper to live in an African country, at least I get emails and comments on the phone that seem to say that... so just for your info, this just gives a little idea as to one area of expense here in Angola!

Grocery Shopping in Angola:

80 kwz to the US dollar
These prices are average and fluctuate greatly with supply and demand. There is only market gardening and so there is no great supply of anything fresh. The quality leaves much to be desired. Always worms in the tomatoes… that type of thing!

Milk Powder (25kg)… 8000 kwz ($100 US)
Flour (50 kg)… 3000 kwz ($37.50 US)
Rice (50 kg)… 1700 kwz ($21.25 US)
Beans (per kilo)… 100 kwz ($1.25 US)
Cheese (out of the question TOO expensive to even look at!!!)
Pasta (500g)… 80 kwz ($1.00 US)
Oil (500 ml)… 150 kwz ($1.88 US)
Margarine (500 ml)… 380 kwz ($4.75 US)
Sliced Meat (100g)… 125 kwz ($1.57 US)
Beef (per kilo)… 500 kwz ($6.25 US) and it is tougher than a chuck steak and flavorless
Pork (per kilo)… 500 kwz ($6.25 US)
Chicken (1200g)… 330 kwz ($4.13 US)
Buns… 7.5 kwz per bun (10 cents US)
Bread… 100 kwz ($1.25 US)
Carrots (3 carrots)… 50 kwz (63 cents US)
Potatoes (10 kilo)… 1200 kwz ($15.00 US)
Onions (3 med size)… 50 kwz (63 cents US)
Bananas (5)... 200 kwz ($2.50 US)
Mangos (4)… 100 kwz ($1.25 US)
Oranges (4)... 200 kwz ($2.50 US)
Watermelon... 150 kwz per kg ($1.88 US per kg) (that’s $4.15 US a pound, roughly) (we grow our own… and sell for only 50 kwz per kg)
Juice (2litre)... 200 kwz ($2.50 US)
Eggs... 30 kwz per egg (38 cents US)
Soft serve ice cream cone… 150 kwz ($1.88 US), one flavour to choose from, but lucky to have even that… not that we indulge more than once every 3 months!


Laundry Soap (box that does 90 loads)... 7500 kwz ($93.75 US)
Gas (for the stove)… 480 kwz tank lasts almost 3 weeks ($6.00 US)
Diesel (per litre)… 30 kwz (38 cents US)

This is why we do a great deal of our shopping in Namibia… it makes it semi-reasonable. Although you still have to watch while purchasing there, as many times buying BULK is more expensive than buying things individually! Still more expensive than Canada but much better prices than here! Things like eggs are something you have to get used to… we have chickens but they are Angolan chickens, they lay eggs for a few weeks and then they roost for a month. So we buy them at the praca for 38 cents US an egg… these eggs have been shipped up from South Africa and they sit at the border in the hot hot sun for a day or two sometimes. Then they get to the praca and they probably do not rotate the new with the old, and well you crack them open into a separate dish (each egg) just to make sure there are no rotten half chicks or completely rotten yolk… things like that! Rice always has bugs, and you have to sift your flour. There are no ‘return policies’ or ‘satisfaction guaranteed’ here in this country.

This just gives you an idea of what we are faced with when shopping in Angola! We have been told that Angola is the most expensive country to live in, in Africa. Also that Luanda is the second most expensive city in the world (just behind Tokyo) to live in! People are paying outrageous sums for rent (e.g.: a two room apartment for $3000 US a month, and I don’t think they are nice places!). The biggest blessing is that fuel for the truck is inexpensive… if they have it… they regularly go through fuel shortages! There is only one fuel company and it is owned by the government!

Hope you enjoyed learning a little more about our country!
Charlene