Even shopping for a few basic groceries felt like I was paying dollar amounts more than I would expect to see at home but in a currency that's worth 1.3x+.
When I visited Vancouver from the Bay Area things only felt cheaper accounting for the exchange rate.
https://creditcardgenius.ca/blog/most-expensive-cities-canad...
I think US grocery prices are higher because there's not really a goal of keeping them lower. Subsidies could be structured to ensure that they help the consumer, but they aren't. And so on.
Food is expensive and no one is getting rich from it. It's a strong sign you are in an advanced economy, and will be having it hard if you aren't part of that "advanced".
Attach the subsidy to the eventual retail price and they would at least be a little lower.
The US prices are the same as the Canadian prices, despite their dollar being worth 30% more.
Wild