4 Discount Supermarkets in Mexico City
Reduce your spending by shopping at these 4 discount supermarkets in Mexico
If you are a backpacker, that's a low-budget traveller, who is always looking to save a few cents here and there, then this post is for you.
As a backpacker, having lodgings, whether a hostel, a hotel or AirBnB with a place to cook, should be your number one priority. This will ultimately save you lots of cash.
If you can cook for yourself, you can create filling meals for around 1 USD but if you are eating street food, just 1 taco will cost you more than that and eating just 1 won't fill the space.
So once you have your accommodation with cooking facilities sorted, you need to go buy your food.
The 4 discount supermarkets in Mexico are:
1. Bodgea Aurrera
2. Tiendas 3B
3. Neto
4. Waldo's
These are the Mexican versions of Lidls or Farmfoods.
Yes, you can get some good deals at the markets BUT, for example, in Roma there is a great Sunday Only market which according to Miss CDMX has the best prices compared to many other markets across the city. There is a good Friday market on Merida and a smaller one on the Tuesday in the same place and a Wednesday market next to Pushkin Park but this one has the highest prices of all the markets.
As a traveller, you won't have this 'local knowledge' and if you don't stay long in one place, then you won't be hanging around for the weekly markets.
There is a big market near the Cuauhtémoc Metro but the prices can be a little high. So the 4 discount supermarkets listed here are you best and most reliable options.
As a backpacker, having lodgings, whether a hostel, a hotel or AirBnB with a place to cook, should be your number one priority. This will ultimately save you lots of cash.
If you can cook for yourself, you can create filling meals for around 1 USD but if you are eating street food, just 1 taco will cost you more than that and eating just 1 won't fill the space.
So once you have your accommodation with cooking facilities sorted, you need to go buy your food.
The 4 discount supermarkets in Mexico are:
1. Bodgea Aurrera
2. Tiendas 3B
3. Neto
4. Waldo's
These are the Mexican versions of Lidls or Farmfoods.
Yes, you can get some good deals at the markets BUT, for example, in Roma there is a great Sunday Only market which according to Miss CDMX has the best prices compared to many other markets across the city. There is a good Friday market on Merida and a smaller one on the Tuesday in the same place and a Wednesday market next to Pushkin Park but this one has the highest prices of all the markets.
As a traveller, you won't have this 'local knowledge' and if you don't stay long in one place, then you won't be hanging around for the weekly markets.
There is a big market near the Cuauhtémoc Metro but the prices can be a little high. So the 4 discount supermarkets listed here are you best and most reliable options.
1. Bodega Aurrera:
This is owned by Walmart and is the same as the Despensa Familiar found in Guatemala and El Salvador and the Maxi found in Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
This is the best of the 4 listed here. They have fresh bread and fruit and veg so this one wins hands down over the other 3 listed here. A very good selection of popular brands and a few that aren't up too much.
This is the best of the 4 listed here. They have fresh bread and fruit and veg so this one wins hands down over the other 3 listed here. A very good selection of popular brands and a few that aren't up too much.
2. Tiendas 3B:
They have some decent brands, it's a question of getting to know which ones are good, or not! We use this one mostly for cleaning products or getting 6 packs of Carta Blanca beer:
3. Neto:
I had to make a longer excursion to this one and the nearest one didn't have much selection of anything really. If you have one near you, Neto is probably a good place to pick up a few staples like tooth paste, soap, small packets of laundry powder. They stock the bottom of the range beers too but everyone is 'price matching' these days so and as there are not many Netos in Mexico City, you're probably be nearer to one of the other discount supermarkets listed here.
4. Waldo's:
The nearest one for us is actually right next door to a Tiendas 3B but this photo is of another one across the city.
I went in for a look. This is the nearest thing you can get to a Wilco, as found in the UK. They have a lot of cheap stuff, cups and plates, bowls, tupperware boxes etc etc. They don't sell beer, well at least not the one I went to. Food is limited.
I went in for a look. This is the nearest thing you can get to a Wilco, as found in the UK. They have a lot of cheap stuff, cups and plates, bowls, tupperware boxes etc etc. They don't sell beer, well at least not the one I went to. Food is limited.
Some of the stores are bigger than others and have a completely different set up. The Bodega Aurrera in Oaxaca for example was massive and stocked clothes and cheap shoes as does the Waldo's above, in the northern part of the city.
Coming soon, the convenience stores you need to be avoiding if you are a low budget backpacking traveller.
Coming soon, the convenience stores you need to be avoiding if you are a low budget backpacking traveller.
