Life in Punta Cana - Grocery Shopping

As a snowbird retiree — one of those from the snowy north who loves escaping the cold during the winter months — the top priority when choosing a destination is often grocery shopping. It can be a challenge experience, and one that can make or break a location particularly if there are dietary concerns.

Punta Cana offers a variety of supermarkets where both locals and visitors can find a wide range of products. Unlike the larger grocery chains in North America, each store in the area may have its own unique selection of items. After spending four winters here, we’ve developed a regular routine for where we like to shop, and know where we need to go to get what we need.

Ciccolella

Within El Cortecito (the beach side community we stay in Punta Cana) there is a small grocery store called Ciccolella. It is a small space, but they carry almost everything we need. It is within walking distance to most places within the community, making it a perfect spot to stop in and pick up what we need between our bigger shopping trips. Fresh produce is very limited here. The prices are just slightly higher than those at the main grocery stores, but we love this little shop, and many others do too, as shown by how busy it always is.

Jumbo

Jumbo is our go-to grocery store as it has a large variety of products.  While North American brands may not be abundant, there's a variety of  local and other brands to fill the gap. The fresh produce section is large and fairly fresh.  Jumbo also features a small houseware and clothing section to pick up anything that we're needing.  We are able to fulfill most of our shopping list at this one store.

Located in the Downtown Mall in Punta Cana, it requires us to take an Uber to get there, costing us only $5 USD each way.

Sirena

Sirena is closer to a North American-style grocery store in appearance and feel.  The variety of products is not as good as Jumbo, but the fresh produce and bakery is better. At this store we can find a few North American brands, but still few and far between.

It is located directly behind Jumbo so we will usually shop in both stores on the same trip.

Nacional 

This store is farther away for us so we don't routinely shop here.  However, they say it most resembles a North American grocery store with products you can't find anywhere else. It is also the most expensive grocery store.

Unidos

This is the newest grocery store and is a fun store to go to as they had a second floor where there is a variety of home goods and furnishings. The grocery section is more limited than the others we've been to, but the bakery section is nice.

There are a few other grocery options, but these are the main ones that we shop at.

Overall, we find that the cost of groceries in Punta Cana is typically 1.5 to 2 times what we’d pay at home. Of course, you can reduce costs by opting for local brands instead of North American ones. Chicken prices are similar to what we pay back home, but beef tends to be much more expensive.

While grocery shopping in Punta Cana is a necessity, it can also be a fun adventure, adding to the experience of spending an extended period in this beautiful tropical haven.