Summary

• Costco has expanded to several countries, including Mexico, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Iceland, and the United Kingdom, with unique offerings in each location.
• The Los Angeles Costco offers a wide range of products and is known for its organized layout and extensive electronics section.
• Costco in China, particularly in Shanghai, experienced massive crowds on opening day and offers exclusive items like luxury handbags.

Costco: Loved by families, appreciated by bulk shoppers, and a staple for many. With over 850 stores of Costco around the world, Costco in different countries looks different, making each store unique in what it sells and how. It's always an adventure stepping foot into another country's one-stop-shop and without even leaving the comfort of your own home, we're bringing a glimpse into Costco stores worldwide.

For a long time, there was this question - is Costco in other countries? Costco's first non-U.S. location was opened near Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1985. The company expanded to Mexico several years later, in 1992, and then to Japan in 1999. More recently, Costco turned its attention to China, opening four stores around Shanghai in 2019.

From Japan's fresh seafood to Australia's love for vegemite as a staple, there's no end to what can be found in these stores. If you've never seen a pumpkin pie with a jack 'o lantern face before, now's your chance... Because Costco is opening up foodie doors like nobody's business.

UPDATE: 2023/11/19 08:10 EST BY SUNIL PURUSHE

This List Has Been Updated With Four More International Stores

This article has been refreshed with four Costco worldwide locations in Taiwan, Iceland, the United Kingdom, and Mexico. Whether you love the brand or not, it's a global powerhouse!

Related: Japan Is Home To The Most 7-11 Stores In The World, And Here's Why They're So Awesome

Los Angeles Costco Has Everything

Miles of aisles and shelves stacked to the ceiling, Los Angeles is killing it in terms of what's available to shoppers.

The Los Angeles Costco is everything a Costco-lover could imagine in the US. Everything is neatly organized and updated routinely, so it's pretty easy to find what you're seeking... and get lost simultaneously. Skipped breakfast? Don't worry - with 72 waffles, it's easy enough to just grab them on the go, especially when a box like this will last just over ten weeks if one waffle is eaten every day. There's being prepared, and then there's an Eleven-from-Stranger-Things-type love for Eggos.

In the market for a new TV? Never fear; Costco Los Angeles has every style, brand, and size you could ever want! Just be prepared to spend some serious hours here because these TVs are like the Inception of electronics.

• Location: 2901 Los Feliz Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039
• Hours: Sunday through Friday (10 AM - 8:30 PM), Saturday (9:30 AM - 7 PM), Thursday Closed.

Costco In China Is Relatively New

For electronics, groceries, small appliances, and more.

On opening day in Shanghai, China's first Costco actually had to close its doors early due to rowdy crowds and a mad rush to go shopping. It was so chaotic that the store actually broke records that day. Obviously, pizza is half the reason to go to Costco in the first place. A limited-edition Nintendo Switch was spotted on the display floor to add more desire to the Costco run. The Switch normally wouldn't be a big deal, but a limited-edition game system is worth tackling crowds for the gamers out there.

It gets even better, though - Shanghai also gave customers access to luxury handbags, which of course, went like wildfire. Safely behind a red rope, these handbags are exclusively available at Shanghai's Costco store.

• Location: China, Shang Hai Shi, Min Hang Qu, 联友路388号 邮政编码: 201705 (Minhang District)
• Hours: 8 AM - 10 PM

Australia's Costco Has Some Unique Finds

Vegemites, Abalones are common in Australia. But it doesn't stop there!

Australia has 15 Costco stores across the country. An unexpected and atypical suggestion beyond the general tips for touring Sydney on a budget would be to shop at the closest Costco, especially if it's a long trip or a trip with many people. That Vegemite is a must-have snack item, right? Especially when it comes in 100-gram tubs! No one on earth loves vegemite more than Australians, and now they can have a six-month supply with one shopping trip.

As strange as it looks, abalone is a specialty in Australia, but their Costco seafood isn't limited to this. The store's seafood section is wide and varied and similar to something you'd see at a seafood market. What about some Nutella to go with all that Vegemite? It might be tough not to just stick your face in this tempting tub of chocolate hazelnut spread, but please wait until you're past the checkout line. Ah, the show-stopper: Lobster claws the size of shopper's faces! This delicacy was exclusive to Costco and a limited item, but it's well worth it to have the best part of the super-sized lobster.

• Location: 21 Parramatta Rd, Lidcombe NSW 2141, Australia
• Hours: Monday through Friday (10 AM - 8:30 PM), Saturday (9:30 AM - 6:30 PM), Sunday (10 AM - 6 PM)

Related: 20 Of The Strangest Things Found In Different Dollar Trees Across The U.S.

Japan's Costco Has Nearly Everything

With enough Sushi to serve as breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Japan's Costco is a work of art.

Sushi is great, but have you ever tried shrimp on pizza? If ham and pineapple can be a thing, then shrimp can, too... At least as far as Kirkland is concerned. Japan is the most unexpected and different country to answer in the affirmative to what countries have Costco. The food court menu looks fairly similar, with a few exceptions, and some locations in Japan even offer salads and parfaits. We're unsure what a chicken bake is, but it looks delicious. Even the pizza at Japan's Costco looks great - don't tell New Yorkers, but rumor has it that it's pretty tasty. Really, what more does a shopper need than a jumbo-sized box of Pocky? It's Halloween every day, or at least year-round, with these whimsical pumpkin pies.

• Location: 3 Chome-6-1 Oyamagaoka, Machida, Tokyo 194-0215, Japan (Tamasakai Warehouse)
• Hours: 10 AM - 8 PM

Costco Is Better In Taiwan

The store has everything from Kirkland booze to Black Sea cucumbers and some great local Mango concoctions.

Taipei, in Taiwan, has 3 Costco stores, each just like the ones in the U.S. - The cinderblock walls, with red and white logos. While the salads, sandwiches, and Pepsi might be the same, the shaved ice with mango ice adds some of the store's local flavor. Visitors to Taiwan on extended trips should explore the option of shopping in bulk at Costco for everyday items to save money for the entire trip.

There are more that add to the local touch at the Taipei Costco. For example, there is mango milk pudding and many local leafy greens.

The patience displayed by customers while standing in sampling lines is also very local and not as chaotic as in the U.S. Of the 14 Costco operations in Taiwan, three stores – Taichung, Neihu, and Chungho – ranked in the top 10 in the world in terms of sales volume.

• Location: No. 268, Section 1, Jiuzong Rd, Neihu District, Taipei City, Taiwan 114
• Hours: 10 AM - 9:30 PM

Familiar Layout And Identical Design, Iceland's Only Store Could Be In New York

Many warm clothes on display and appreciably higher food prices are clear differences.

Iceland's only Costco store is in Garðabær, about 6 miles south of Reykjavík. Icelandic signs for different store sections are the visual differences between any U.S. store and this one.

The food court sells many of the same items, except the court is a little smaller. The obvious ones missing in Icelands are smoothies, salads, and churros. There is also an orange-flavored Icelandic soda called Egils Appelsin on the soda fountains. Iceland's Skallagrímsson Brewery has produced Egils Appelsin since 1955 and is often served at festivals and holidays like Christmas. It's a beverage unique to Iceland. Some other special Icelandic items, such as Vikingr dried fish fillets called Hardfiskur, are commonly sold here.

Even in summer, the temperature in Iceland hovers around 50° F - 59° F, so warm clothes are a year-long requirement, sold year-long. In a nutshell, most items are more expensive in Iceland than in the U.S., except toilet rolls, and a few Icelandic products are being sold as well. The rest is similar to any Costco store in America.

• Location: Kauptún 3, 210 Garðabær, Iceland
• Hours: 10 AM - 9 PM (Monday through Friday), 9:30 AM - 8:30 PM (Saturday), 10 AM - 6 PM (Sunday)

Brand Awareness Of Costco Is At 75% In The U.K.

Costco is set to open 14 new warehouses in the next two years.

There are 29 Costco stores in the United Kingdom as of 2023, and Costco Hayes in Hounslow, Southall, is the largest Costco store in the country, with a floor area of 17,600 square meters.

Despite these numbers, Costco is less famous in the U.K. than in the U.S. The argument is that the smaller average home sizes in the U.K. don't allow the volume of storage that a typical Costco trip requires. Most Costco stores in the U.K. are in England, with just a couple in Scotland, one in Wales, and none in Northern Ireland.

Although many U.S. brands are sold in Costco U.K., not everything available in the American stores is found in the U.K. In terms of whether there is a Costco in London, the answer is that there aren't any in central London, but there are if you go further into the communities surrounding the capital city; Costco Hayes is a case in point.

• Location: Western International Park, Hayes Rd, Cranford, Hounslow, Southall UB2 5XJ, United Kingdom
• Hours: Monday through Friday (10 AM - 9 PM), Saturday (9:30 AM - 7 PM), Sunday (11 AM - 5 PM)

Costco In Santa Fe, Mexico City Is An Effort Towards Sustainability

The store sits underneath a green roof with a soccer field, two basketball courts, and a skate park.

Among the countries that have Costco, Mexico stands at number three in terms of number of stores. There are 40 Costco stores in Mexico, but the store in the Santa Fe district of Mexico City is truly enormous. Its warehouse-like shopping area and three-story parking structure add up to more than 524,000 square feet of real estate, making it the biggest Costco in Mexico. However, unlike most Costcos worldwide, this one has been designed to conceal itself underneath a massive public park.

There are walls of greenery to camouflage the building, and the green roof has various native grasses and plants that play host to local insects and pollinators. It is also designed to collect stormwater for water features around the park.

Amongst all the Costco international locations, there is a substantial similarity in inventory between Mexico and the U.S. Still, the prices in Mexico are usually higher because of the increased tax on goods crossing the U.S./Mexico border. The Sevillanas brand Chorizo found at Mexican Costco stores is the true giant of the sausage world. Mexico's version of eggnog, Rompope, has almonds as added elements and is so popular that it is sold and consumed year long. Another essential element at Mexican Costcos is giant jars of Cajeta, a creamy, golden, caramelly spread.

• Location: Av. Tamaulipas 128, Lomas de Santa Fe, Contadero, Cuajimalpa de Morelos, 05348 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
• Hours: Monday through Friday (10 AM - 8:30 PM), Saturday (9:30 AM - 9 PM), Sunday (10 AM - 8 PM)