UAE Essential Goods Prices Platform: How to find the cheapest groceries near you

If you’re looking to lock down the best deal on your groceries, there’s likely no better comparison tool right now than the UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism’s (MOET) Essential Goods Prices Platform. What is the Essential Goods Prices Platform? Announced on April 19, the Essential Goods Prices Platform is a digital platform that allows customers to make informed purchasing decisions, by aggregating and analysing price data for 33 goods. The items are further divided into 17 essential consumer items and 16 other major products. MOET’s initiative aligns with UAE’s Cabinet Decision No. 120 of 2022 regulating prices of essential consumer goods, which consists of nine everyday commodities: cooking oil, eggs, dairy products, rice, sugar, poultry, legumes, bread, and wheat. No matter which emirate you’re located in, you can find real-time price tracking for these items, and many others, and compare them by location. The Platform features a wide range of consumer cooperatives and retail outlets from across the UAE. How do I use the Essential Goods Prices Platform? Step 1: Visit the website First, visit the Essential Goods Prices Platform on MOET’s website: moet.gov.ae/en/essential-goods-prices-platform . You do not need a login or password to access the Platform. Step 2: Browse items Next, you can browse items curated by the Ministry. The essential goods are organised by category, such as cooking oil, wheat and rice. You can instantly see a snapshot comparison of retail stores that offer the ‘best price’ versus the ‘highest price’. If you would like more details, click on the item you are interested in, for instance, cooking oils. Doing so allows you a closer look at exactly what subcategories are available, and which brands are being offered. For instance, you have the option of checking the prices of sunflower oil, corn oil and canola oil. Clicking on the subcategory shows you its price in retail stores across the UAE. The items are listed in ascending order (by price), with the best offer highlighted right at the top of the list. The Platform provides you the name of the retail store where you can buy it, and its precise address, so there’s no room for confusion. You can even go further, by clicking on the store name, and comparing the prices of other brands in the subcategory, for instance, comparing different brands of sunflower oil within that store. Step 3: Search for items If you already have a particular item in mind, you don’t need to scan the items on display. The Platform’s search bar is an effective way to find what you need. Directly input the name of the item, or trigger an advanced search with the following filters: Category (for instance, dairy) Subcategory (for instance, fresh whole milk) Brand Units Emirate Store Store branch Once you have made your selection – for instance, three different brands of fresh whole milk – click on ‘Compare Prices’. The Platform will show you exactly which store has the best deal for your selection. Now, you can make an informed decision on where to shop for your groceries.