By Belize Live News Staff: For years, many Belizeans have crossed the northern border believing that a trip to Chetumal automatically means cheaper groceries.
But when it comes to some basic vegetables, that gap may be getting smaller.
Recent prices at Chedraui in Chetumal show potatoes selling for 54 Mexican pesos per kilogram and white onions at 64 pesos per kilogram.
Using the exchange rate cited in the comparison, that works out to about BZ$3.20 a pound for potatoes and BZ$3.50 a pound for onions.
Back in Belize, potatoes were reported at around BZ$3.50 a pound and onions at about BZ$4.00.
So yes, Chetumal may still be cheaper on those items, but not by the huge margins some social media posts suggest.
Once fuel, transportation and the time spent crossing the border are added, the savings can shrink even further.
The comparison has become part of a wider debate over the cost of living in Belize, where food prices continue to be a major concern for families.
The Belize Marketing and Development Corporation has also defended its pricing, saying it tries to keep profit margins as low as possible while still operating sustainably and investing locally.
Of course, two vegetables do not tell the entire grocery story. Prices vary by store, season and product, and some goods may still be considerably cheaper in Mexico.
But the latest potato and onion prices make one thing clear: expensive food is not only a Belize problem.
Chetumal shoppers are feeling it too.
