cost of living toronto

Shopper outraged at price difference between groceries in Toronto and the U.S.

People spending the time and money to trek to the U.S. for grocery hauls may just have the right idea as prices at Loblaws, Sobeys and more outlets north of the border continue to shock and dismay.

One TikToker partook in the trend of comparing shelves at different stores to show how out-of-control the cost of living in Canada is right now, and discovered a baffling contrast between the cost of an item in Toronto, and the same one just a few hours away in America.

After sharing that he spent a total of $60 at a downtown Loblaws — the St. Clair and Bathurst location specifically — the consumer whipped out what he found to be the most appallingly-priced product when compared to its U.S. counterpart: a $13.65 packsge of chicken thighs.

@trash_pandaaaaa Doing Groceries in Canada has become a luxury. This is completely unacceptable, they are FLEECING us. #loblaws #metro #sobeys #groceriesonabudget #groceriesincanada #canada #canadagroceries #shrinkflation #inflation #cpi #consumerpriceindex #foodcrisis #torontogroceries #torontotiktok ♬ Succession Main Theme (From "" Succession"") - Geek Music

"Yeah I know it's Loblaws, and yeah I know it's organic, but that's not the point," the resident says of the four-pack of bone-in, skin-on thighs, which were selling for $22.02 a kg.

He then whips a similar container of thighs that he purchased from a Target south of the border two weeks prior, for which he paid only $3.55 USD, which he notes is the equivalent of about $4.50 CAD ($4.87, actually).

To boot, the American version also had a larger serving size, weighing 2.1 lbs (around 0.95 kg) compared to the 0.62 kg from Loblaws (which is only around 1.4 lbs). The Target price per unit? $1.69 a pound (~$3.72 a kg), versus the whopping $22.02 a kg (~$10 a pound) at Loblaws.

"They're fleecing us," the man says at the end of the video, clearly frustrated with the huge disparity.

And the tens of thousands of people who have vieweed the clip thus far seem to agree.

As Canadians keep coming across exorbitantly-priced items at their local supermarkets (yes, even ones known for being budget-friendly), the practice of crossing over into the U.S. and sneaking some basic staples back may become more common for those in border areas, as more and more tout the potential savings on social media.

Lead photo by

@trash_pandaaaaa


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in Eat & Drink

Thousands of people want to boycott Loblaws stores 'indefinitely'

One of the most anticipated Toronto restaurants of the year is now open

Toronto cafe is closing after 12 years

New food hall in Toronto with over 50 vendors opens this month

Loblaws finally agrees to sign Canada's Grocery Code of Conduct

Toronto restaurant that enforced a no-tipping policy is shutting down

15 restaurants in Toronto that make you feel like you're in Europe

Toronto co-op grocery store says people are flocking to join amid Loblaws boycott