The very first thing to do when you arrive to Kiel as a foreign student is to check out on local prices and find out the best places to buy your groceries that you would not spend too much money on things which you can find cheaper in other places. And for someone who is not speaking German and who has never been in Kiel before it is kind of a hard task to do it without spending too much money. The main goal of this article is to reach foreign students, Erasmus+ students and give them the opportunity to find out the prices and to know the top 5 of grocery shopping places from the perspective of another Erasmus student who already was here in Kiel.

5.   FAMILA

Famila is probably the place I have been the most in 3 months of being in Kiel, but I cannot call it the cheapest place to buy stuff. The main advantage of Famila is the size of the market and its assortment. Famila usually a huge shop with everything you need from vegetables and fruits to any kind of cloths, household appliances and you can even buy a smartphone there which is unusual for grocery store. But the main disadvantage is the prices. Every single shop in our list up there is cheaper than Famila. So, in the end my recommendation would be – if you like the concept of all-in-one shop and you can spend extra money Famila is definitely a very good choice.

            Average review summary on Google: 4.3

4.   REWE

Rewe for me seems the most widespread grocery store line at least in Kiel. You can find twenty Rewe markets in Kiel. And it is a first huge advantage. Rewe’s prices are reasonable and quite standard with some good discounts and unique products which you will not find in other grocery stores around. For example, there is a pack of schnitzel with cheese. The pack contains 3 units for around four euros which is great price and tasty dish. On the other hand, the main disadvantage is the size of the Rewe’s stores. They are quite small in compare to Famila, Kaufland or Edeka. Which leads to the strict assortment in the shop. Overall, in my opinion Rewe contains everything you need for a reasonable prices and its prevalence makes store easy to reach.

            Average review summary on Google: 3.8

3.   NETTO

After reading my review on Netto you will probably think why is it on the 3rd place, but I will explain it later. The main argument against Netto is that the store is as small as Rewe. In addition to size, wideness of Netto retail chain is much smaller than other stores (there is only 9 stores in compare to 20 of Rewe’s). But that is the only disadvantages I could find. The pros are more exciting. I would call Netto the cheapest store out there. Even though you will not find a huge selection of the products there, but you’ll find anything you need for a cheapest price. Other advantage I just must mention is that Netto is probably the most eco-friendly store with huge assortment of natural or bio products which is great for environment. To summarize, the store is worth your attention. The best prices and strong focus on environment makes Netto one of the best stores.

            Average review summary on Google: 3.9

2.   KAUFLAND

Kaufland is the biggest store you can find in Kiel. With big range of products and great assortment the only disadvantage Kaufland has is his wideness in Kiel. There is only one Kaufland. And I would say it is in a bad spot of the city. The Store is quite far away from a city center but, to be fair, Kaufland is in shopping center. There are a lot of other stores like cloths stores and household stores. On the other hand, you have the biggest assortment in Kiel, fair prices with great discounts. So, Kaufland is definitely the best store for people who wants to do their grocery shopping in advance for a week or a month or so.

            Average review summary on Google: 4.0

1. EDEKA

Edeka is on the 1st place for a few reasons. But first – disadvantages. There are almost none of them. The only thing I would say is that the prices there are not the cheapest for grocery shopping, but not that expensive either. And now – the pros. First, Edeka is widespread. There are 19 stores of Edeka in Kiel. Same as Rewe, the stores are easy to find and reach. The assortment is great, you can find there anything you need or want. The quality of products like vegetables and fruits are the best out of all stores mentioned before. And the main advantage of Edeka, for me personally, is how the store looks. The inside is always clean, and the outside promises you a quality products and services. To summarize, even though Edeka looks expensive from the outside, it is not that expensive. Even if I do not have Edeka near me, it is much more comfortable to shop there in compare to others.

Average review summary on Google: 4.4

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, all the stores are great on its own. You want the cheapest store with everything needed, but without huge assortment – you go to Netto. You need everything in one place with reasonable prices and great discounts – you will choose Kaufland. And if your desire is reasonable prices, great service and comfortable place to shop, Edeka is your choice. This is my personal list for foreign students who don’t know what contains which store and in the end, I would tell that you still have to try every single shop to know for yourself which is the best.