Woman Shares Steep Costs of Groceries in the Arctic — Including $47 Chicken Breasts

Living in the Arctic can come with a host of challenges, freezing cold temperatures and rugged terrain among them. But the cost of groceries, which have to be delivered via only a few highways in the region, is another.

In a video posted to TikTok, user @Willow_Allen invites her followers to "Come get groceries with us in the Arctic."

The video was taken in Inuvik, which Allen notes is located in Canada's Northwest Territories.

"Groceries here aren't even close to as expensive as the other northern communities," she says in the video, as the prices of groceries in her local store are shown.

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And the sticker shock is big, with an International Delight coffee creamer costing $7.49, and a 1 kg. jar of Nutella coming in at $48.95.

"We have a highway that goes in and out of our community," she adds. "But I thought $47 for four chicken breasts was kind of crazy. I don't really know what normal grocery prices -

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are down south."

She adds that she "got two bags of groceries," showing that her haul includes two packages of ground beef, a carton of Feta cheese, frozen pizza, cereal bars and other odds and ends — for a total of $215.

Followers have weighed in, with many sharing disbelief at the prices.

"If you ever want Nutella I will MAIL YOU Nutella $48.00 is a crime," writes one.

Adds another: "I'm never complaining about grocery prices again."

CBC reports that a basket of groceries in Inuvik would cost roughly 81% more than in Edmonton, a metropolitan city in the Canadian province of Alberta. That's because inflation, spurred by a number of factors including the COVID-19 pandemic and fuel costs — plus manpower required to deliver the groceries — means more expensive goods.

Those deliveries can require that trucks take day-long treks through dangerous terrain, in which they can encounter iced-over roads or frozen rivers. As CBC notes, winter freezes require groceries "be driven to the city of Yellowknife and then flown into Inuvik."

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