Why is the price for food is so high here (Phoenix: income, property)

[xenourtv]

New to Arizona and I would like to know why is the price of food, groceries and fast food are so high here. It is like 1 or 2 dollars more compared to other places I have been in. The price for food and fast food is so high here it give New York City a run for its money. I would not mind paying, but the quality is not good at all. It appears that a lot of the products are so out of date and the way its being processed by the employees in those restuarants. Does it have something to do with inflation based on the area you are living in or is it like this throughout the entire phoenix area. Anyway what is up with the prices of food here?

Also since the state is taxing practically everything and the price of food is so high, where is the balance, I mean is the state income tax less here???

[HX_Guy]

No, the property tax is very low here.

[sablebaby]

Can you give any comparisons of what you think is high? I think it's pretty comparable to many areas, but that doesn't mean I think it's cheap. Some people think when they move here that everything is cheap, but, in fact, it's really not all that different than many areas.

[honeymom]

I don't know where you are doing your shopping, but I have lived in NY, SF, LA, Connecticut and food is definitely cheaper here than any of those places. I will say though that there has been a pretty big run up in prices since I have been here. The run up in prices is due to the rise in gasoline prices. Try shopping Frys. They carry a lot of store brand foods that you can save money on.

[ivanabacowboy]

I'm also curious where you are comparing prices to? I moved here in September from Cleveland, and actually found prices here just a tad lower than Cleveland for grocery items. By the time I left Cleveland, all of our grocery store competition had left town and there was essentially ONE chain of any size (Giant Eagle) left and they priced accordingly...

In Phoenix, there is a much larger variety to choose from when shopping. Gourmet? AJ's. Organic: Whole Foods, Sprouts, Trader Joes. Everyday grocerey: Bashes, Fry's, Safeway, Albertsons. And there is always Super Walmart. And there may even be other's I havent discovered yet.

Pricing depends where you shop. Are you shopping at AJ's or Whole Paycheck Foods-if so your observation would not surprise me? Prices at those stores will indeed be a bit higher because you are paying for the "gourmet" and "organic" items. But the everyday run of the mill markets like Safeway, Fry's etc are definitely reasonable. And have some good sales if you watch the fliers and stock up.

Even Whole Paycheck Foods you can get some good deals at if you look. And if all else, it definitely encourages portion control lol!

Food EVERYWHERE is getting more expensive with the runup in fuel costs. That isn't just Phoenix.

[ivanabacowboy]

PS On the restaurants, which restaurants are you going to? True, there are some high priced restaurants out here. But the vast majority I would classify as "reasonable" (ie dinner and a soft drink under $20-25).

And what do you mean about "processing" and "out of date". Were you in a restaurant's kitchen?

[Garson]

As other posters pointed out food prices are climbing everywhere. Many food staple items have seen double digit inflation rates in the past year. For example - milk - +28% according to an on- line article I saw today.
So where ever you are from, their prices have likely risen as well.

[Greatday]

Without knowing where the OP is coming from - it is difficult to compare.

I live in Arizona AND Las Vegas. AND, I can tell you, from PERSONAL experience - the cost of living, including food, is much CHEAPER in Arizona than Las Vegas.

[xenourtv]

[B] EVERYTHING HERE IS OVERPRICED AND I THINK THE OWNERS OF THESE BUSINESSES ARE GETTING AWAY WITH IT

Im from Atlanta, and my example is just the cost of lets say a box of cereal which is seriously outdated costs like 4.75 , while in Atlanta at either a publix or Krogers you can get that same box of cereal for 2.50 tops and it is new not some outdated product where you see an ad on the box that was made out like 5 months ago and expiring in 6 months or less. Maybe I should try other grocery outlets I guess and stay away from safeway.

It just seems that the busineses here are a lot like those mom and pop supermarkets in Atlanta, Chicago and new York where they overcharge everything yet almost all of those products they have are [b]out of date, rotten and dirty[/B]. Instead of those mom and pop shops that are doing this it is these large chain buisinesses like subway, walgreens, cvs. Same thing goes with the walgreens here, drinks are 30 to 40 cents more, but the products are so out of date. I do not mind paying the extra amount, but my biggest concern is why is everything so out of date compared to Atlanta. I will give you an example, lets say an athlete was on a wheaties box which was brand new 6 months ago. They are still selling that same wheaties box that will probably expire in 6 months here, while in Atlanta we get the new cereal with a longer expiration date.

My other pet peeve is the price of fast food. How come it is $2.00 more here to buy a whopper value meal, at BK ex in atl 2.99 in most bk restuarants, here it is 4.99 to 5.49. In terms of fast food I have noticed it is like 2 dollars more here and it is not of quality too. Yet they tax everything here. I have not been here long enough so I am just trying to find a balance or I will only be doing my shopping at Walmart. Im just saying the prices are even lower in the loop in downtown Chicago. I dont want to complain cause I think it will get better, but something shady is going on here. Kind of like that movie in the 90's with Michael Douglas who just snapped and was upset with prices, nasty food etc.

[ibarrio]

Cost of living is a lot cheaper then the L.A. area...and why are you paying $4.75 for old cereal. You can find good sales if you look...