Where to buy groceries, what's available, what's expensive, and the delivery services that actually work.
Grocery shopping in Santa Teresa is manageable once you know the layout, but it will humble you if you show up expecting a full-service supermarket. This is a small beach town on the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, and the stores reflect that. Stock up smart, know which shop does what, and you will eat well and spend reasonably. Arrive clueless and you will pay tourist prices for half the things you need.
The Reality Check First
Prices here run higher than San Jose or even Cobano. Import costs, road logistics, and the simple fact that this town draws people with money all push prices up. Imported brands, specialty diet products, protein powders, certain supplements, and niche cooking ingredients are either unavailable or priced to sting. If you depend on something specific, bring it from home or grab it in San Jose on the way through. For everything else, read on.
Also worth knowing: selection shifts with the season, the weather, and delivery schedules. If a shelf is empty today, it may be full tomorrow or it may not. That is just the rhythm here. If you are still figuring out the basics of getting around, check the getting-around-santa-teresa-without-car guide before you plan a big grocery run.
The Main Stores in Santa Teresa
Super Ronny's (there are two locations, Ronny #1 and Ronny #2) is where most people end up doing the bulk of their in-town shopping. You get produce, dairy, rice, beans, eggs, bread, water, beer, cleaning supplies, and most everyday basics. The selection is honest rather than curated. Prices are a bit high by Costa Rican standards, but they are fair for what this town is. If you are staying more than a few nights, you will be here multiple times a week. Check the hours before planning a late-evening run because they do close, and the schedule is not always posted clearly online.
Super La Hacienda is a solid stop if you are staying in the southern end of town near Mal Pais or Casa Cecilia. Convenient for daily top-ups, fresh coconuts, and not driving the full strip. The small tiendas scattered along the main road fill the gaps: cold drinks, forgotten items, fresh tortillas, basic snacks. Do not underestimate them for quick stops.
Tienda Green Market is the health-focused option. Organic produce, specialty items, imported pantry staples, and the things that are genuinely impossible to find elsewhere in town: cleaner protein powders, specialty cooking oils, high-quality dark chocolate, certain supplements. The prices reflect the selection. This is not your everyday shop. This is where you go for the specific things that matter to you, and you accept the cost. If you are eating vegetarian or vegan, this place becomes more essential.
Do the Cobano Run
This is the single most useful piece of advice in this guide. If you are staying a week or longer, or if you are traveling with a family, do one larger grocery run in Cobano and then use the Santa Teresa stores for top-ups. Cobano is about 15 minutes inland, and the supermarkets there offer meaningfully more selection and noticeably better pricing on pantry goods, cleaning supplies, bulk items, and produce. If you are arriving by car from the Paquera ferry, you pass right through Cobano anyway. Stop there first. You will save money and avoid frustration. See the renting-a-car-costa-rica-nicoya guide if you are still sorting out transport logistics.
For a cost-of-living breakdown that puts grocery spending in context with rent, eating out, and everything else, the cost-of-living-santa-teresa guide has the full picture.
The Thursday Farmers Market
Do not miss this. The Thursday market in Santa Teresa runs weekly and is genuinely the best place to buy fresh produce, local fruit, eggs, honey, homemade food, and small-batch goods. Prices are better than the supermarkets for fresh items, the quality is higher, and you are buying directly from local producers and vendors. It is also just a good morning out. The thursday-market-santa-teresa guide covers exact location, timing, and what to expect in detail. Go early, things sell out.
Grocery Delivery Services
This is where things have genuinely improved in the last couple of years. A few services now operate in Santa Teresa that can stock your kitchen before you arrive or restock during your stay.
Autentica (eatauthentica.com) runs a fridge-stocking service focused on locally sourced products. You pre-order before your trip, they coordinate with your property, and you arrive to a stocked kitchen. They also handle reorders: orders placed before midnight are delivered before 5pm the next day. The emphasis is on local producers and artisans, so this is a good option if you want to eat well and support local rather than just getting the cheapest imports.
Feeling Pura Vida (feelingpuravida.com) offers a grocery delivery service starting around $35 per shopping list (the grocery cost itself is separate). You send your list, they shop and deliver to your accommodation. Useful for organic and specialty items that require hunting across multiple stores. They operate 24/7 customer service via WhatsApp, which matters when you are trying to coordinate arrival timing.
Both services are worth considering if you are arriving after a long travel day and do not want your first sunset in Santa Teresa to be spent in a checkout line. That said, confirm current pricing and availability directly before your trip, as rates in this town shift regularly.
What to Expect to Spend
We will not pretend prices are low. A rough sense of what you are dealing with, as of mid-2026 (confirm locally, things move):
- Basic local produce (papaya, plantains, tomatoes, onions): reasonable, especially at the Thursday market
- Imported items (olive oil, pasta, specialty snacks, wine): expect to pay 30-60% more than you would at home
- Beer and local spirits: fair, Imperial and Pilsen are cheap, imported wine is not
- Eggs, rice, beans, local bread: affordable staples that keep your daily food cost down
- Anything labeled organic or imported health food: budget accordingly
If you are eating out regularly and want to know where to spend your restaurant budget wisely, the best-restaurants-santa-teresa and cheap-eats-santa-teresa guides will help you balance the two.
A Few Practical Notes
- Bring reusable bags. Plastic bag availability is limited and the culture here leans toward reducing waste.
- Cash is useful at smaller tiendas and the Thursday market. Cards are accepted at the main supermarkets but connectivity can be spotty. The atms-money-santa-teresa guide covers where to get cash reliably.
- If you are a long-term resident or planning a move, the moving-to-santa-teresa guide covers the full logistics of building a kitchen routine here.
- Do not count on finding specific baby products, certain personal care items, or niche cooking ingredients. Buy early when you see them, or bring them.
FAQ
Is there a full-size supermarket in Santa Teresa? No. The largest stores in town are mid-size supermarkets like Super Ronny's. For a wider selection, Cobano is your best bet, about 15 minutes away.
Can I get groceries delivered to my rental? Yes. Autentica and Feeling Pura Vida both offer delivery services. Pre-ordering before arrival is the most reliable option. Expect a service fee on top of grocery costs.
Is organic produce available in Santa Teresa? Some. Tienda Green Market carries organic options, and the Thursday market has local produce that is often grown without heavy chemicals even if not certified. Selection varies week to week.
Are prices higher than the rest of Costa Rica? Yes, noticeably. The combination of import logistics and a tourist-heavy clientele pushes prices up. Cobano is cheaper for pantry staples, and cooking at home versus eating out every meal makes a real difference on a weekly budget.
What should I bring from home or buy before arriving? Anything very specific: prescription supplements, specialty diet products, particular baby items, niche cooking ingredients. If you cannot find it in a mid-size Costa Rican city, assume it is not in Santa Teresa.
Browse the full local services directory for more practical resources: /directory/services