(not op) I live in Boston. I have 3 grocery stores (2 supermarkets, 1 Korean grocer) within half a mile of me. One is directly on my bike route home. I walk or bike roughly once or twice a week and pick up a few days worth of food. Each visit lasts maybe 15 or so minutes. When I lived in the Midwest, I'd drive once a month and make it an all afternoon ordeal. Doing it the "Boston way" is probably a little less time on average, about the same cost (actually cheaper with the car cost), and yields a far fresher+healthier diet. When I lived in the Midwest, most produce would be rotten in a couple of weeks, most meat would end up at some point in my deep freezer, and dry goods (like box/can foods & starches) were the base of most meals. Now I eat fresh greens daily, rarely eat box foods, and shaved 5 points off my BMI.