Going on vacation usually means forgetting about the mundane activities of everyday life, like grocery shopping.

But my recent trip to Arizona included stopping at a grocery store in Phoenix to stock up on food for a week in the desert. This experience made me wonder how prices in this US city compare to those back home in Canada.

I headed into Fry's — a supermarket operated by the US grocery retail giant Kroger Co. — to pick up some staples and decided to compare the prices to those of the Real Canadian Superstore.

I was curious to see if Fry's, a grocery store I had never heard of before, was comparable or cheaper to the Loblaw-owned Superstore. After all, many Canadians who have visited or moved to the US have recently commented on how much more affordable the prices are down south.

I converted the US dollar using the latest conversion rate as of May 15 (US$1 = C$1.36).

Of course, this is a very unscientific experiment: I visited one store in one US city, so it doesn't speak to grocery prices in America as a whole.

Nevertheless, it's always interesting to see how Canadian prices stack up to those in the States.

Produce

Avocados

Fry's avocados: US$0.99 each or C$1.35

Superstore's avocados: C$1.99 each

Winner: Fry's

Strawberries

Fry's strawberries: US$2.77/lb or C$3.77/lb

Superstore's strawberries: C$2.99/lb

Winner: Superstore

Bag of mandarin oranges

Fry's oranges: US$4.99 for a three-pound bag or C$6.79

Superstore's oranges: C$8.99 for a three-pound bag

Winner: Fry's

Head of Iceberg lettuce

Fry's lettuce: US$1.99 for one head of lettuce or C$2.71

Superstore's lettuce: C$2.99 for one head of lettuce

Winner: Fry's

Green bell pepper

Fry's peppers: US$0.79 each or C$1.07

Superstore's peppers: C$2.16 each

Winner: Fry's

Dairy

Organic 2 per cent milk

Fry's milk: US$3.99 or C$5.43 per 64 fluid ounces, or C$0.08/oz

Superstore's milk: C$4.09/litre, or $0.12/oz

Winner: Fry's

Carton of large eggs

Fry's eggs: US$3.49 per carton or C$4.75

Superstore's eggs: C$4.12

Winner: Superstore

Cheddar cheese

Fry's cheese: US$4.29 per pound or C$5.84

Superstore's cheese: C$7.89 for 700 g. When converted to pounds, this cheese would work out to C$5.11/lb

Winner: Fry's

Meat

Chicken thighs

Fry's chicken: 6.23 pounds is priced at US$11.15 or C$15.17 (US$1.79/C$2.43 per pound).

Superstore's chicken: Approximately 5.8 pounds costs C$27.74, which is C$4.78 per pound.

Winner: Fry's

Thick-cut bacon

Fry's bacon: 1-lb package is priced at US$6.99 (regular price) or C$9.51

Superstore's bacon: C$9.94 for a 2.2-lb package, which works out to C$4.52 per lb.

Winner: Superstore

Other staples

Whole wheat bread

Fry's bread: US$3.99 or C$5.43 for a loaf (approximately 566 grams or C$0.96 per 100 grams)

Superstore's bread: C$3.79 per loaf (approximately 675 grams or C$0.56 per 100 grams)

Winner: Superstore

Penne pasta

Fry's pasta: US$1.99 or C$2.71 for a 454 g box (works out to C$0.60 per 100 grams)

Superstore's pasta: C$1.69 for a 410 g box (works out to C$0.61 per 100 grams)

Winner: Fry's (although this one is very close)

Organic maple syrup

Fry's maple syrup: US$5.99 (C$8.15) for 236 ml (works out to approximately C$3.45 per 100 ml)

Superstore's maple syrup: C$12.99 for 375 ml (C$3.46 per 100 ml)

Winner: Fry's (this one is also very close)

Cheerios

Fry's Cheerios: US$6.99 (C$9.51) for a 771-gram box (works out to C$1.23 per 100 grams)

Superstore's Cheerios: C$5.47 for a 725-gram box (C$0.75 per 100 grams)

Winner: Superstore

How did you think Fry's grocery prices compared to Real Canadian Superstore? Let us know in the comments.