Some of the shops listed bellow are small mom/pops fruit/vegi markets supplied by local farmers. They can be easily identified by the pictures. I hope you consider making them a visit.
Generally, the cost of living in Mexico is considerably cheaper than in the U.S. in terms of rent, groceries, utilities, transportation, and more. For example, rent can be as much as 71.2% cheaper in Mexico, while overall prices are 50% to 100% less.
The big players. The supermarket landscape in Mexico is shaped by four major companies: Walmart de México, Organización Soriana, Grupo Commercial Chedraui, and Grupo La Comer, all of which have several different brands and formats tailored to their target demographic and location.
What are Mexican grocery stores called?
There are lots of words for establishments that sell groceries, depending both on where you are, and on the size of the establishment. Some words in addition to the ones : Mercado, abasto, abarrotes, pulpería, tiendita, mercadito, supermercado.
Watch for Sales
Walmart sales day is Tuesday, La Comer is Wednesday, Soriana has different promotions on dedicated different days. You may check some last items clearance (usually not obvious location stand) Wines are the best deals. For the full time residents, La Comer and affiliated stores have a 3 for 2 promotions during June and July. The best time!!
There were frequent sales on offer, usually two-for-one purchases. The trick though, was that the promotions often extended to items that we hadn’t expected. We found ourselves racing back through the store to snag that “free” item a few times. We were also surprised to find that salespeople for the excursion companies often hit us up in the aisles, handing out brochures and encouraging us to sign up on the spot.
Check for Costco in Fluvial
Costco members are in luck; there is a store not far from the downtown Puerto Vallarta area. Ubers are plentiful and very affordable here. We chose to take a 20-minute walk through the neighborhoods to get there. It was an easy Uber ride back to our condo with all of our goodies. Unlike our local Costco though, taxis are also readily available. Drivers wait just outside the exits to arrange rides right away.
Bring Your Bags
We bought a colorful tote bag our first day and filled it with our newly purchased groceries on our way out. It ended up doing double duty as we we used it to tote snorkel gear on a later excursion. We also brought a backpack in order to lug home heavier items (e.g. a six-pack of ice-cold Modelo). Of note: there was a security guard posted at the entrance. The guard checks and tags all bags before shoppers can proceed.
“This shopping grocery store reminds me of the européen France style of an Auchan. It has everything from groceries, fine groceries, alcohol & wine, clothes, pharmacy, butcher, nice selection of cheeses ,… be aware of the $$$ if you don’t mind spending more than a regular Mexican grocery store. Then it’s probably worth it for you. The service is really good but we do find it’s fantastic everywhere else. The Mexican people are really excellent at the service industry. The produce are good but not like at the market. Market are always best. Especially the Saturday and Thursday markets. All and all definitely worth it.”
La Comer in Fluvial, Francisco Villa / Ave Fluvial
Comments from Yelp:
Feb 2024 Update – This is the best grocery store in the area hands down and is as good or better than any of the large super stores you find in the US. As this was our first time back since pre-covid days, we absolutely had to stop at their coffee and pastry shop inside the store where we had an amazing Cappuccino with their free/complementary two small pastries. This coffee shop is worth the trip alone to this business and should not be missed.
Large new grocery store that has all the staples you would expect from a large US store. Also has good bakery, large alcohol selection to include US wines and spirits and a sit down Cafe with outdoor seating. Best grocery store in Puerto Vallarta hands down.
It’s a cross between a Whole Foods, Wegmans, and Costco in my opinion. One would be very hard pressed not to find what they’re looking for here. The great thing is it being in the same parking lot as Costco in case you want to visit that wonderful box store. I will definitely being shopping here whenever I spend long amounts of time in Puerto Vallarta…..Costco will get my business too.
For the PV Comer near Costco. Super thumbs up. Great deli and bakery. International foods and good prices. La Comer excellent fresh and organic veg.
La Comer excellent fresh and organic veg.
We’ve been in Puerto Vallarta for not quite a month. Leasing long term. Have done the Walmart and Costco runs. Found this market directly across from Costco. It’s by far my favorite. It has everything from Asian to Gourmet to the Cava to BBQ to bath to sheets to beauty to pharmacy to clothes to optometry to electronics. Think an upscale Fred Meyer or Target which is laid out much better. Prices are reasonable. Yes you tip your bagger at check out. Just an extremely clean store where, in typically Mexican style, every single employee is helpful and friendly.
Meat store Across the street from la Comer, Francisco Villa
La California Produce, next to la comer on Francisco Villa also at Palmar de Aramara
Mega Soriana Supermarket Medina Ascencio near the Sheraton Hotel
Comments from Yelp:
I didn’t plan to go shopping but by chance walked by MEGA, checked Yelp n saw its high rating so I decided to give it a try.
It was phenomenal, blew my mind it was like a Mexican Costco, it had everything under the sun. A huge deli too, drugstore, you name it, they had it, I got donuts at 60 cents each when the hotel sold them for $2.50 each, coke was also dirt cheap, chili sauces, fresh yogurt my eyes lit up to see they had green apple yogurts no longer available in Paris, I don’t like milk so don’t drink any, I just eat frozen yogurt n it helped make my bone so strong to withstand several falls I had the past 2 years. The yogurt in the us is too milky. The apply yogurt tastes like a nice ice cream dessert they even had coconut yogurt good but not like in Thailand. 2 huge bags of groceries n it cost just $10! Can’t beat that!
It’s your typical mega mart, where you find everything from groceries to cosmetics to…washing machines? Well, that’s typical around here.
The prices are great, it has everything one would need if a local living there or a tourist staying at a nearby resort. I am the latter here, so this was where I stocked up for the week.
While I wasn’t in need of a washing machine, I was in need of beer and tequila. Boy do they have a great selection of both. The tequila section is obviously well stocked, this is Mexico, and this is Jalisco. Beer wise, you had your standard domestic varieties, but import was pricier. Don’t forget, Corona is domestic and Bud Light is import.
After grabbing the required booze, we threw in snacks and other treats into our cart. Pretty much whatever we would need while in our room, and not out and about eating our way through the city.
Mega saved me again this trip. Packing a carry on only, I can’t bring all the toiletries i use because of the liquid and gel rules. So Mega is always an early stop to stock up. It’s so big, you’d be hard pressed not to find something you want or need.
Fantastic supermarket that boasts nearly everything one could need in a shopping trip. Prices are fair, produce is fresh, deli options are sometimes confusing and scary but always delicious, and don’t get me started on the dangers of the bakery. I make my bi-weekly shopping trips here to get the things I can’t find (or if I was too lazy to walk to the mercado). They take CC so you don’t have to worry about having the proper amount of cash on hand.
Soriana Hiper Plaza Caracole
Soriana Hiper Supermarket Plaza Marina
Walmart Supermarket, Sam’s Club Marina Terminal
Mercado Ollin Col. Emiliano Zapata Lazaro Cardenas, The Park Condo Building Puerto Vallarta,
his is such a great little market in PV if you want to get GF, organic, American items. It has the best selection/ variety of items per square foot of any market I have been to in PV by far.
They have a selection of produce that is more similar to what you find in the large groceries in PV, not what you expect or usually find in a market this size.
Natural / organic / GF things I found:
- Ezekiel bread
- Pamela’s GF cookies etc
- Mary’s Gone Crackers
- Go Raw crackers etc.
- Late July chips
- Almond flour, other alternative flours
- organic nut butters
- dried goji berries, golden berries, vaca, spirulina, cacao, chia, inulin
- european dark seeded breads
American things some people might be psyched for
- Skippy peanut butter
- Pop tarts
- LA CROIX sparkling water!
Good selection of coffee and chocolate options.
Big selection of condiments and canned / jarred / preserved items like sun dried tomatoes and pickles and olives different kinds of mayo and sauces etc. Asian foods, American, Italian, Mexican.
The aisle of cleaning products is as varied and well stocked as the rest of the store. They even had Eco-friendly options like spoons made out of avocado pits, etc.
They do have a lot of personal care products shampoo etc but I did not scan this carefully.
There is also a very large selection of alcohol.
Also shoes? I didn’t examine closely but I did see they were at least selling Birkenstocks, unclear if other shoes as well.
Lazaro Cardenas / Insurgentes
Casa Ley 5 de Diciembre Av. México 1150 Puerto Vallarta, Supermarket
Comments from Yelp:
This is a fairly large super market that has everything from fresh produce, meat, baked good, cooked to go meals, to laundry detergent. We were in the area and popped in to get some fresh limes, chips, and soda. The place has no A/C so get your dairy items last so they don’t warm up too much. The check out lines were about 3 customers deep, but ladies are very nice. The place is a dirty looking hence 3 stars.
I tried to check into the store but it told me I had to wait an hour. And it’s 10 AM. I think they need to update the hours because it opened at 7 AM. I’ve went to the store two different times it’s eight minutes from where I’m staying. And they have everything a girl can need.
The vegetables are very fresh tons of meats and vegetables and a really great selection of any thing you need an a basic Mexican grocery store. Shoot in any grocery store. You may not find the American things that you used to in America but if you’re used to it down here and have your Google Translate in case you need it to take pictures to translate things. You’ll find everything you need is here. It just may be the Mexican version. And let’s be honest if you don’t know by now anything you buy in Mexico is going to be a healthier version than what they sell you in America. They do not use the high fructose corn syrup in the cokes and that’s why they taste so good and it’s the same for every other item on the shelves. The vegetables even taste better. If you don’t know now you know.
The staff is very helpful at one point I couldn’t find the white vinegar for cleaning my vegetables and asked a woman in my broken Spanglish and she walked me all the way over to help me find it. They also have some lovely Tres leches cake in the back left section of the store sold by the piece for like $1.50. If you haven’t had it before I highly suggest you go try it.
This is not Mega, but for a grocery in 5 De December area, this is the best choice. The Service Deli also cooks a number of items in store. Small automotive and hardware section on second level, along with clothing, health and beauty, and other assorted crap.
Chedraui Flamingos Supermarket Zona Hotelera Norte S/N near the marina terminal Puerto Vallarta,
Comments from Yelp:
It’s a great local grocery chain. Like all grocery stores right now they struggle to keep stock on the shelves. You can find some American brands, but who wants those when we live in Mexico? Their brands are actually better because they have a Food Czar who checks on all the calories, fat, sodium, and sugar. It’s one of the reasons why it’s rare to see a fat Mexican.The service is impeccable and the store is huge, but it’s comfortable.
Pescaderia La Corbeteña between 5 de Febrero & Aquiles Serdan
Comments from Yelp:
This is your spot for fresh fish in Old Town PV. It follows the format for small Mexican fish markets – open-air, stocked with a rotating selection of whatever came off the boats that day, and ready to rock. If you’re squeamish about fish smell or the idea of flies, you might want to send your husband/friend/manservant here to purchase your fish for you. However while it looks a lot more rustic than your average US fish market, it’s not that bad.
We scored some excellent seabass and a fat kilo of tuna here for what I’d consider to be dirt cheap. And I’m assuming I paid gringo-price. The guys were helpful, spoke enough english to get me what I needed, and when I asked for tuna, they pulled a huge whole tuna out of the cooler, hacked off a kilo, and handed it to me. See photos. It was a thing of beauty.
The fish sections in the supermercados around here suck. Come to this Pescaderia and get the fresh, tasty stuff instead. Support the little guy.
This very small, “hole-in-the-wall” in size, fish market, is on Constitucion, directly across the street from where the entrance and exit to the former Rizo’s Supermercado were located.
Fish, other seafoods, and shellfish, arrive at the shop in the early-mornings (weekdays, and Saturday), and once unpacked, are set up for sale rather quickly by the staff. My favourite time to shop there is between 7-9am, when the products are out for sale, and the selections and freshness the best.
For me, it’s been primarily a place to shop for shrimp. I find their selections are often ‘the’ best in the area — allowing me to choose sizes graded from small to large, and at times, very large, with heads still attached. For us, I’m most often seeking “mediums” for our our cooking, but once in a while, the “small” are great for cocktails, to use in sandwiches, stir-fries, and the like, and the “large” or “very large” can make some yummy dinner treats. The shrimp are priced by the kilo, and the friendly and accommodating staff will always provide you with as much or little as you wish.
I like this little pescaderia, have been shopping there for several years, and have never had a problem with the quality of products purchased.
Tortillas, 5 de Febrero / Constitucion next to the fish market
Casa Gourmet Vallarta esq. Aquiles Serdan
Comments from Yelp:
Cocktail sauce, horseradish, relish, baked beans, corn starch, Fleishman rapid rise yeast, Bragg apple cider vinegar, shake n bake, tomato paste, etc ………..
You can live comfortably in these areas for $1,500 to $2,000 per month.” Overall, be prepared to spend anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000 a month on your major living expenses in Mexico. Depending on your lifestyle and needs, you might want to set aside more money to cover anything extra or unexpected.
Walmart Pitillal Plaza Macro Plaza Blvd. Francisco Medina Ascencio
Soriana Pitillal Supermarket
Palmar de Aramara Market Produce-Meat
5 de Diciembre Market up the end San Salvador street: Produce-Fish-Seafood-meat
Old Town Romantic Zone, Lazaro Cardenas / Camichin
Versalles, on Roma / Vienna
For convinence and basic stores you have the OXXO and Kiosko chains of stores, you can find almost everywhere.
On Thurday there is the Food and arts market at the Marina Vallarta around te Marina Vallarta Malecon
On Saturday morning the is the food and arts market at Lazaro Cardenas Park
One day we will make one for Nuevo Vallarta, Bucerias and La Cruz de Haunacactle???
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