I'm an American who visited Costco in Canada. It may look identical, but it's not the same.

The largest Canadian retailer is Loblaws, a supermarket chain, according to Statista. Costco surpassed Sobeys, Metro, and Walmart, according to the same source. 

When I walked into Costco, I was immediately transported to my home country because the inside of the warehouse looked exactly like its counterpart stores in the US. 

Ramsey Monroe, a Costco fan who has been to more than 200 locations around the globe, previously told Business Insider that the layout is similar in every store she's been in. 

"If I ever feel homesick, I can just go to Costco," Monroe said. "I just feel at home at Costco, so no matter where I am in the world, it's just comforting."

According to a report from Statistics Canada, more than 20% of the country's population speaks French as their first language. 

While French is the primary language in Québec, according to the report, it's the minority language in Ontario — the province where I visited Costco. 

Since winters are colder in Canada, I thought this made sense.

Canada has one of the harshest winters of any country in the world because of its high altitudes and location up north, according to the Government of Canada. Dressing for the weather is essential to combat frostbite, windburn, and hypothermia. 

All Costco warehouses locally source vendors, as BI previously reported. 

During my visit to the Niagara Falls store, I spotted maple leaf cookies, orange mango quinoa cookies, and Hungarian beef sausage among other items that I haven't seen at Costco in the US.

From bison burgers to wagyu beef, Costco stores in Canada have a wide variety of locally sourced meats.

The US has a variety of locally sourced meat and seafood as well, according to Costco.

I see Aero chocolate bars — a popular treat in the UK and Ireland — in the US every so often, but they're not widely available in my experience. According to Mashed, they're hard to find outside Amazon.

So, I was surprised to see them being sold in bulk in this Costco. As I learned later reading Nestlé's website, it turns out the bars are widely sold in Canada, Australia, South Africa, and Japan.

Tim Horton's is a popular coffee brand and fast-food breakfast joint based in Canada. 

I got a breakfast sandwich and an iced coffee drink when I visited the chain and thought the food tasted fresher than that from most fast-food restaurants I've been to.

Although I didn't get a chance to try it for myself without a membership, I noticed that the food court carried poutine, a popular Canadian dish that has three ingredients: fries, gravy, and cheese curds. 

Later in my trip, I went to La Banquise, a restaurant in Montréal known for poutine, and I really enjoyed it. The fries were crispy and greasy — just like I like them. I thought the gravy was reminiscent of Thanksgiving dinner, and the curds added a unique texture without adding too much flavor.

Although I was outside of the US, visiting Costco in Canada felt like a taste of home. With a nearly identical layout to the American stores I've been to, I felt transported to my childhood as I strolled the aisles. 

If I ever find myself in a Canadian Costco again, I'll pick up some Aero, Tim Horton's coffee, and poutine.