I’m Canadian & I Travel Across the Border to Buy These 12 Items from Costco

As a meals author and recipe developer, exploring and purchasing for new meals merchandise and elements outdoors of my common routine is one thing that I actually take pleasure in. When I journey, I all the time make it a degree to go to native markets, boutique grocers and standard grocery-store chains alike. I really like the expertise of being launched to new merchandise, elements and dishes firsthand and benefit from the puzzle of attempting to determine whether or not that individual merchandise is value bringing house. For me, it is a calculation of many issues, together with availability, value, comfort, our means to move it and once I is likely to be again subsequent to get it.

I reside in Canada near the U.S. border, and we journey to Buffalo for day journeys incessantly to soak up some artwork, have lunch and hit up our favourite spots: Target and Trader Joe’s. And if there’s time, we additionally attempt to add in a visit to Aldi and Wegmans. The wider vary of fascinating choices out there within the U.S. and the (usually decrease) value level make it a no brainer. Since the closest U.S. Costco is sort of 2½ hours away, my visits are deliberate round in a single day or weekend journeys, which we goal to do each few months. For these journeys, I all the time deliver a cooler and loads of ice packs in order that I can deliver house a few of my favourite merchandise. Fun truth: Your Costco membership can be utilized at any Costco location worldwide and as of June 2025, Costco has greater than 800 areas throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico, Canada, the U.Okay., Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Australia, Mexico, Spain, Iceland, France, China, New Zealand and Sweden, with the overwhelming majority being within the U.S. and Canada. Here are a few of the objects I’m prepared to make the journey for.

1. Organic Dark Truffle Figs

As a little bit lady, I might often get Polish sweets when a member of the family traveled to or from Poland or to a European specialty-food retailer in a much bigger metropolis, and śliwka Nałęczowska—a dried plum lined in chocolate—was my absolute favourite. I really feel like I found a unicorn with the fig “truffles,” from the corporate That’s It. With the elements being merely dried figs and 60% darkish chocolate, these sweets are a more healthy model of one among my favourite childhood treats. Since they don’t seem to be out there in Canada, I replenish whereas I’m stateside. Though they’re a more moderen buy for me, these little bites of heaven will now be on my record perpetually.

2. Sparkling Water

I’m a sparkling-water girlie by way of and thru. Each day round 3 p.m., I make myself a drink: I fill my insulated tumbler half-full of ice, pour in a flavored glowing water, cap it and sip for the remainder of the afternoon. This tiny act feels restorative and transformative all of sudden, and it genuinely makes the water really feel like one thing further particular. It’s a ritual that I look ahead to every day, and it is the impetus for holding an everyday provide of glowing water on the prepared. Of course, glowing water is broadly out there in Canada, and there are some gems right here that I purchase frequently. But there are just a few the reason why I really like shopping for my glowing water within the U.S.: There’s a greater variety of flavors, the value level is usually higher and Costco carries a number of of my favourite manufacturers, together with LaCroix, Waterloo, Spindrift and Costco’s personal Kirkland Signature glowing water. Neither the Kirkland Signature nor the Spindrift glowing water is offered in Canada. And till they’re, you will all the time discover three to 4 circumstances in my cart on the checkout.

3. Bear Fruit Rolls

Bear Fruit Rolls are harking back to old-school fruit roll-ups, however higher in each doable means, if you happen to ask me. The elements are easy: blended and gently dried fruit, plus black carrot extract for coloration. Their fruit-forward taste and pure texture are second to none. In a blind style check, I’d guess that it might be onerous to discern between Bear Fruit Rolls and a equally flavored do-it-yourself fruit leather-based. A field of 24 servings is $10.99, and every serving consists of two small rolls plus a thoughtfully designed card with a sport on it (a pleasant shock we found after first shopping for them). They aren’t a substitute for recent fruit, however they do a wonderful job serving as a little bit candy deal with. The snack/exercise card mixture makes them wonderful for highway journeys or different sorts of journey when entertaining children is important for survival. But I additionally like to tuck them into an in any other case recent fruit- and veggie-packed lunch once in a while or snack on them when I’m craving a candy pick-me-up.

4. Fresh Organic Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

Organic and grass-fed meat is rather more costly in Canada. For instance, a bundle of recent natural boneless, skinless hen breasts is $5.99 a pound on the U.S. Costco and round $13 a pound in Canada. That’s an enormous value distinction! Because of the environmental impression of manufacturing meat, I attempt to purchase domestically and assist smaller farms as usually as doable. Some farms supply gross sales or reductions on pre-orders, and I’ll usually replenish and freeze our meat when that occurs. But it is useful to have the ability to get a few of our go-tos throughout our journey and get monetary savings whereas doing it.

5. Grillo’s Pickles

Pickles have been getting a number of hype over the previous few years, with manufacturers releasing pickle-flavored merchandise like hummus, salad kits, falafel, “pickle de gallo” and far, rather more. This is nice information from this Polish lady’s perspective! The salty, tangy crunch of a pickled vegetable, or conventional cucumber, can’t be in comparison with the rest. Pickles pair effectively with so many issues, and each the pickles and their brine might be stretched and remodeled into different vivid and flavorful meals like dips, vinaigrettes and pasta salads, to call just a few. I usually purchase fermented pickles at my native retailer, however when I’m within the U.S. I have to select up a container of Grillo’s, as they don’t seem to be out there up north.

6. Butter

The Costco dairy part is a baker’s delight! The array of butter choices at U.S. shops is huge in comparison with Canadian shops, with one thing for each butter-lover. First off, the favored and beloved Kerrygold butter is available within the U.S. market, and Costco sells it for a actually nice value. In addition, Costco additionally carries grass-fed butter choices in addition to their Kirkland Signature candy cream butters, each salted and unsalted. All butter is offered in 2-pound packages, in comparison with the 1-pound packages I’ve entry to at house, and every part is a fraction of the value at round 50% off. Yes, you learn that appropriately: extra choices for half the value. If you take pleasure in this delectable dairy merchandise and are prepared and capable of make the journey, shopping for butter at Costco is a should. Since the choices are so a lot better, I like to recommend shopping for a little bit greater than you suppose you want and freezing it for once you do want it. Butter retains effectively within the freezer for as much as 9 months.

7. Strained (Greek-style) Yogurt

Strained (Greek-style) yogurt is all the time in our fridge. We eat it and use it for meal-prepping weekly. I desire the style of no less than 2% fats strained (Greek-style) yogurt, and a 750-milliliter (about 2-pound) container at an everyday Canadian grocery retailer tends to run between $6 and $7. I should buy a three-pack of smaller containers (about 5 kilos in complete) of the Kirkland Signature fat-free strained (Greek-style) yogurt for round $14, which is a steal of a deal. Costcos in Canada do not promote 2% yogurt, so on my journeys to the U.S., I like to purchase the Fage Total 2% Greek Yogurt, which is available in a 3-pound container for $6.99. And for a simple lunchbox addition or fast grab-and-go snack, I’ll additionally choose up a multipack of lower- or zero-sugar Chobani Yogurt Cups, which are not out there wherever in Canada and really feel like a particular discover.

8. Cottage Cheese

We all know that cottage cheese is having a second. With new and modern methods to eat it popping up virtually day by day, I’m frequently including this high-protein dairy meals to my cart. Cottage cheese is not at present out there at my native Costco, and a 2(ish)-pound container at my native grocer usually prices $5 to $7, relying on whether or not it is a retailer model or not. I’ll usually purchase 3-pound containers of cottage cheese at Costco for $5.99, which suggests much more high-protein ice cream, edible cookie dough and pasta sauce on our plates.

9. Wine and Prosecco

If we keep within the U.S. for 2 or extra days, I’ll virtually all the time choose up a few bottles of wine, glowing wine or Champagne. The pointers for bringing items throughout the Canadian border prohibit alcohol if you happen to journey for lower than 48 hours. After 48 hours, nonetheless, every individual of authorized age can herald two 750-milliliter bottles of wine (or the equal in spirits and beer), and we attempt to make the most of that chance at any time when we are able to. At the chance of sounding like a damaged file, the value level is considerably higher, particularly for Kirkland Signature bottles (which aren’t out there in Canada in any respect). And by way of Costcos within the U.S., we even have entry to forms of wine that we won’t get wherever right here. It’s an amazing alternative for us to strive new wines or save just a few {dollars} on the wine we like.

10. King Arthur Flour

Any guests to my house will virtually all the time be welcomed with a loaf of banana bread, do-it-yourself sourdough or a batch of wholesome cookies or muffins prepared for consuming in my kitchen. I’m an avid baker, and to serve my baking wants I periodically purchase 22-pound luggage of each all-purpose and bread flour at my native Costco. I retailer the flour in food-safe containers and it lasts me for a number of months. The flour is nice; I could not be happier with the standard and the value. But King Arthur’s status for being constant and dependable extends far past the U.S. border, and I’m a simple promote relating to high-quality baking merchandise. Though the flour finally ends up being costlier than my go-to manufacturers at house, I recognize that so many recipes have been examined with it for reliability and consistency and particularly love utilizing it when baking from one among my favourite King Arthur books. Not to say, the corporate is 100% employee-owned, so it appears like I’m supporting the households instantly once I purchase King Arthur. All in all, it is an amazing purchase!

11. Cholula Hot Sauce

Tangy and spicy, with a subtly earthy spine from the mix of arbol and piquin peppers, Cholula is a flexible and standard sizzling sauce alternative for any kind of meals. It’s even well used to make one among Cameron Diaz’s favourite snacks. It’s a little bit tougher to search out right here in Canada: Cholula is not bought at each grocery retailer, which generally means making a number of stops simply to have the ability to choose some up. Also, a typical 5-ounce bottle goes for about $7, except it is on sale. But once I purchase it at a U.S. Costco, I can get a two-pack of 12-ounce bottles for $10. Are you able to have your thoughts blown? When I do the maths of shopping for the equal quantity of sizzling sauce (factoring within the trade price), I save round $20.

12. Cheddar Whisps Cheese & Pretzel Bites

This different new-to-me product is a by-product of the Whisps Cheese Crisps, and they’re each bit as savory, crunchy and snack-fulfilling as they sound! The elements are simply cheese and pretzels (with an additional breakdown of elements in every of these), however the first ingredient is cheese and that tacky taste and texture are on the forefront. Yes, they’re wonderful for snacking on. But I additionally love adorning soups and salads with them rather than conventional croutons, including them to a seasonal fruit and cheese board and utilizing them as an alternative of bread in a comfortable French onion soup.

Our Expert Take

Grocery buying as a part of a full journey expertise might be enjoyable and thrilling, and should even prevent some cash in the long term. For my fellow Canadians studying this, you possibly can relaxation assured that I purchase 90% of my groceries at house. But like an art-lover enjoys visiting galleries whereas overseas, I really like exploring and attempting new eating places, new merchandise and elements, and buying at completely different grocery shops. Shopping at house is routine, and it could actually usually really feel monotonous week after week. Hopping over the border for a go to and a store simply hits in a different way and scratches my curiosity itch fairly effectively.

For any readers within the U.S. who reside near the border or plan to go to within the close to future, you must know that lots of the merchandise in Costco (and different main grocery chains) have the identical price ticket whether or not in Canada or might even be priced decrease. And you will positively discover issues that are not out there within the U.S. So it might be enjoyable and useful so that you can store right here, as effectively.