No matter where you shop, food prices are higher, but new research is reminding us how much the store where you fill your cart can make a difference at the register. Consumer Reports and market research firm Strategic Resource Group teamed up to find the least and most expensive grocery store chains in the U.S.
They collected in-store prices on commonly purchased items from more than two dozen mainstream supermarket chains across the country.
Walmart prices were used as a baseline and stores were ranked from least to most expensive relative to theirs.
Only six chains across the country had lower prices, so which was the cheapest? Costco is the most affordable, where groceries cost an average of 24.4% less than at Walmart.
Sure, you have to pay an annual $65 membership fee to shop at Costco, but the savings add up quickly.
The wholesale model is definitely one of the most budget-friendly ways to shop for groceries, as BJ’s Wholesale Club is the second-most-affordable chain in the study.
Whole Foods tops the list of the priceless chains, where groceries cost almost 40% more than they would at Walmart.
Top 10 Least Expensive U.S. Grocery Stores:
1. Costco Wholesale
2. BJ’s Wholesale Club
3. Lidl
4. Aldi
5. WinCo
6. H-E-B
7. Walmart
8. Market Basket
9. Target
10. Wegmans
Top 10 Most Expensive U.S. Grocery Stores
1. Whole Foods
2. Shaw’s
3. El Rancho
4. Jewel-Osco
5. Mariano’s
6. Vons
7. Big Y
8. Tom Thumb
9. Albertsons
10. Trader Joe’s
Wicker & Wilde do not know all of these stores and we were super shocked to see TJ's on the "Most Expensive" list. Where is your fave place to shop? Tell us in the comments on FB!
