Supermarkets, Groceries & Essentials

Where to buy food, water, nappies and everything you forgot to pack.

By Sam Med · Last updated October 2026

Inside a convenience store — The aisle of an Oxxo. Photo: Fernanda Ornelas, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

If you're in a rental rather than a resort, or travelling with children, or simply staying long enough to want breakfast at home, knowing where to shop changes the economics of a trip considerably. Puerto Vallarta has four distinct tiers of shop and they're good at different things.

The four tiers

Type	What it's for	Where
Big supermarkets	A full weekly shop, imported goods, household items, alcohol	Mostly north of Old Town, along the coastal road and near the Marina
Convenience stores (Oxxo and similar)	Water, snacks, beer, phone top-ups, bill payments, cash machines	Everywhere, constantly, often 24 hours
Neighbourhood shops (abarrotes)	Basics, cold drinks, a few pesos cheaper than the chains	Every residential street, including in Old Town
Markets, fruit shops, tortillerías	Produce, tortillas, fish — the cheapest and best of it	Around the municipal market and scattered through the neighbourhoods

The big supermarkets

The large chains cluster north of the centre, along the main road through the Hotel Zone towards the Marina, and inland around Avenida Fluvial Vallarta and Avenida Francisco Villa. There is no large supermarket in the heart of Old Town, which surprises people: from there it's a short bus ride or a taxi with the shopping on the way back. The nearest full supermarket to Old Town is Casa Ley on Avenida México, in the centre north of the Malecón.

They stock everything you'd expect, including a reasonable range of imported goods, and they're where to buy wine and spirits at normal prices rather than tourist ones.

Store	Where	Good to know
Costco	Av. Fluvial Vallarta 134, at the corner of Av. Francisco Villa	Members only; see below. Food court, pharmacy, optician and petrol station.
Sam's Club	Av. Francisco Medina Ascencio, opposite the cruise terminal, next to Galerías Vallarta; a second club in Nuevo Vallarta	Members only. Sam's says an active membership from another country works at any club, paying at a staffed till.
Walmart Supercenter	Next to Sam's Club on Av. Francisco Medina Ascencio; another inland in the Los Sauces area	The biggest general range; also in Nuevo Vallarta (Plaza Lago Real)
La Comer	Av. Francisco Villa 1285, Fluvial; also Nuevo Vallarta (Paseo Flamingos)	Open daily 7 am to 10 pm (Nuevo Vallarta to 11 pm); good fresh counters and imported goods
Chedraui	Blvd. Francisco Medina Ascencio 2735, Hotel Zone; also Nuevo Vallarta and Bucerías	Large Mexican hypermarket
Soriana	Several stores, including Plaza Caracol in the Hotel Zone	The chain that took over most of the old Comercial Mexicana (Mega) stores
Casa Ley	Av. México, Centro, near Parque Hidalgo	The closest full supermarket to downtown and Old Town

Shopping at Costco

Your membership from home works. Costco Mexico accepts a current membership from another country at any of its warehouses. Paying by card is subject to your bank's approval, so tell your bank you're travelling.
Joining locally costs MXN 600 a year for the standard (Gold) membership and MXN 1,200 for Executive.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 10 am to 8.30 pm, Saturday 9.30 am to 9 pm, Sunday 10 am to 8 pm. Executive members can get in an hour earlier on weekdays and Sundays, and half an hour earlier on Saturdays.
Where: Av. Fluvial Vallarta 134, at the corner of Av. Francisco Villa, in the Fluvial district inland from the Hotel Zone. It opened in 2008, and it's the only Costco on the bay: we found no plans for one on the Nayarit side.
Services: a food court, a pharmacy, an optician, a bakery, fresh produce and meat, and a petrol station. Petrol is for members only.
Guests: members can bring a guest in with them. Costco's US "shop cards" for non-members don't work in Mexico.
Two prices: Costco Mexico shows a lower price for paying in cash or by debit card and a higher one for credit cards, so check the shelf label.
Getting there: it's inland, about 15 minutes by taxi from Old Town, and a big shop is easier with a car or a taxi back. See getting around.

Oxxo, and what it's really for

Oxxo is the convenience-store chain you'll see on every other corner, and it does far more than sell snacks. It's where you top up a Mexican SIM, pay for things online that you couldn't pay for by card, buy bottled water and cold beer at 2am, and find a cash machine. It is more expensive per item than a supermarket and completely indispensable.

The market and the small shops

The municipal market near the Río Cuale, and the smaller neighbourhood fruterías, are where produce is both dramatically cheaper and noticeably better than in the supermarkets. Buy fruit and vegetables here. Tortillas come from a tortillería, sold hot by weight, and cost a fraction of the packaged supermarket version — a stack of fresh tortillas for a few pesos is one of the small pleasures of self-catering here. For the food side of the markets, see food tours.

What's cheap and what isn't

Cheap: fruit and vegetables, tortillas, eggs, chicken, local beer, tequila, coffee, avocados, limes.
Normal: most staples, dairy, Mexican-brand household goods.
Expensive: imported cheese, imported wine, breakfast cereals, branded toiletries and anything else shipped in. If a product is familiar from home, you will usually pay a premium for it.

Self-catering even for breakfast and one other meal a day makes a real difference to a trip's cost — see what a trip actually costs.

Pharmacies

Pharmacies are plentiful, often open late and sometimes around the clock, and many carry a doctor's consulting room attached for a very small fee. A good number of medicines that require a prescription at home are sold over the counter here, though antibiotics do require one. If you take something specific, still bring it with you — see what to pack.

Water

Don't drink from the tap. Buy bottled water, or better, a large refillable jug (garrafón) if you're in a rental — it's how households here do it and it's a fraction of the cost of small bottles. Full detail on can you drink the water?

Travelling with a baby or small children

Nappies, wipes and formula are stocked by the big supermarkets and pharmacies. Brands differ from home, so if your child is particular, bring enough for the first days.
Baby food is available but the range is narrower than you may be used to.
Buy water for making up bottles, never tap.
Sun protection for children is widely sold but expensive — bring it.

Practical notes

Bring a bag. Since 2019 Jalisco has regulated single-use carrier bags (they must contain recycled plastic or be compostable) rather than banning them outright, and many shops charge for bags or don't offer one.
Baggers at supermarket checkouts are usually working for tips alone — small coins are customary. See money & tipping.
Cards work at the chains; markets, tortillerías and small shops are cash.
Shops stay open late and most open on Sundays.

Frequently asked

Can I use my US or Canadian Costco membership in Puerto Vallarta?

Yes. Costco Mexico accepts a valid membership from another country at any of its warehouses, including Puerto Vallarta. A foreign membership can't be added to Costco Mexico's digital card, so bring the physical card.

Where is Costco in Puerto Vallarta?

At Av. Fluvial Vallarta 134, at the corner of Av. Francisco Villa, inland from the Hotel Zone, about 15 minutes by taxi from Old Town.

What are Costco Puerto Vallarta's opening hours?

Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 8.30 p.m., Saturday 9.30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with earlier entry for Executive members.

How much is a Costco membership in Mexico?

MXN 600 a year for the standard Gold membership, including a free card for a second person, and MXN 1,200 for Executive, which pays 2% back.