Here’s how grocery prices in Italy compare to Canada right now

The rate of inflation on goods and services in Canada may be easing up, but the nation’s ludicrous cost of living is still an issue as residents in cities like Toronto struggle with immense unaffordability for many goods and services.

The drastic price hikes we’ve seen in recent years for groceries in particular remains a hot topic — which is why during a trip to Italy last month, I was very interested in checking out the difference in food costs between the two countries.

With a handful of cash at an exchange rate of around $1.50 CAD per Euro, I went into a Conad store in Rome to suss out what residents of the capital city are paying for basic staples. The chain has the largest supermarket presence in the country, with around 3,400 locations.

Here’s what I found, and how Conad’s prices measure up to Walmart Canada’s, though it must be noted that not all products are exact matches, only comparables:

Bananas

Conad: €1.98/kg ($2.94 CAD)
Walmart Canada: $1.30/kg
Winner: Walmart

Granny Smith Apples

Conad: €2.25/kg ($3.34 CAD)
Walmart Canada: $0.99 each or about $5.50/kg
Winner: Conad

Navel oranges

Conad: €1.79/kg ($2.66 CAD)
Walmart Canada: On sale for $0.46 each or around $1.84 per kg, down from $1.23 each or $4.92 ish/kg regularly
Winner: Walmart, only because of sale

Red grapes

Conad: €3.48/kg ($5.17 CAD)
Walmart Canada: $8.80/kg
Winner: Conad

Basic green lettuce

Conad: €2.79/kg ($4.14 CAD)
Walmart Canada: $2.77 per one, so approximately $8.31/kg, depending on size
Winner: Conad, by far

Celery

Conad: €1.49/kg ($2.21 CAD)
Walmart Canada: $2.97 per bunch, or about $4.82 per kg, depending on size
Winner: Conad, by far

Sliced cheese

Conad: €1.89/130g package ($2.81 CAD) or 2.2 cents/g
Walmart Canada: $4.97/210-230g package or 2.3 cents/g
Winner: Conad

Grated parmesan

Conad: €1.89/100g bag ($2.81 CAD)
Walmart Canada: $4 for 100g house brand 
Winner: Conad

Milk

Conad: €0.95-€1.95/L ($1.41-$2.90 CAD)
Walmart Canada: About $3.32/L
Winner: Conad

Almond milk

Conad: €2.15-€2.39/L ($3.19-$3.55 CAD)
Walmart Canada: $1.64-$2.50/L depending on brand
Winner: Walmart

Greek yogurt

Conad: On sale for €5.82/kg ($8.64 CAD), regularly €7.65/kg ($11.36 CAD)
Walmart Canada: $6.30/kg
Winner: Walmart

Large eggs

Conad: €2.59/12-pack ($3.85 CAD)
Walmart Canada: $3.93 for house brand 12-pack
Winner: Conad, by a slim margin

Chicken wings

Conad: €3.10/kg ($4.60 CAD)
Walmart Canada: $13.00/kg
Winner: Conad, by far

Local boneless steak

Conad: €25.30/kg ($37.58 CAD)
Walmart Canada: $22.80/kg for cheapest cut and quality
Winner: Walmart, though the disparities in meat grading, standards and quality make comparison difficult

Chicken thighs

Conad: €10.90/kg (marinated) ($16.19 CAD)
Walmart Canada: $26.60/kg (unmarinated)
Winner: Conad, by far

Flour

Conad: €1.77-€2.23/kg ($1.77-$3.31 CAD)
Walmart Canada: $1.20-$2.40/kg
Winner: Walmart

Dececco dry pasta

Conad: €0.59/500g ($0.88 CAD)
Walmart Canada: $2.97/500g
Winner: Conad, by far

Whole wheat sliced bread

Conad: €1.75/500g ($2.60 CAD)
Walmart Canada: $1.45/500g
Winner: Walmart

House-brand sliced white bread

Conad: €0.95/400g ($1.41 CAD)
Walmart Canada: $1.16/400g
Winner: Walmart

Cream-filled croissants

Conad: €1.59/6-pack ($2.36 CAD, or $0.39 each)
Walmart Canada: $3.97/8-pack (or $0.50 each)
Winner: Conad

Toilet paper

Conad: €2.59/10 rolls ($3.85 CAD, or $0.39 per roll)
Walmart Canada: $7.94 for 12 double rolls, or $0.33 per roll)
Winner: Walmart

Detergent

Conad: €3.99/40 loads for house brand on sale ($5.92, or $0.15 per load)
Walmart Canada: $11.97/74 loads for Tide, or $0.16 per load
Winner: Conad, only because of sale

Frozen peas

Conad: €5.30/1 kg ($7.87 CAD)
Walmart Canada: $5.30/1 kg
Winner: Walmart, by far

Frozen spinach

Conad: €1.69/600 g ($2.51 CAD)
Walmart Canada: $3.06/600 g
Winner: Conad

Ristorante frozen pizzas

Conad: €3.63/each ($5.39 CAD)
Walmart Canada: $5.98/each
Winner: Conad, by a slim margin

Lastly, there was wine available on the shelves of Conad for as low as €2.85 ($4.23 CAD) a bottle.

Despite the fact that Walmart Canada does not have alcohol pricing online, it goes without saying that the product is significantly more expensive here — even Walmart’s de-alcoholized wine goes for around double Conad’s price for the alcoholic version.