The cheapest grocery store | 2022 Price Comparison (2023)

Do you want to know which is the cheapest grocery store near me? Which supermarket will save you the most money? Take a look at this massive price comparison of four of the biggest supermarket chains to see how they fare. let's find outWhat is the cheapest supermarket?

I've always been a frugal shopper who loves to shop for the best deals. As a growing, single-income family, I have to spend our money. I've recently noticed that some of my favorite grocery stores don't seem as cheap as they used to. Of course, that prompted me to look for the cheapest supermarket in my area.

As a frugal grocery shopper, I regularly get questions like…

• Is Walmart or Aldi cheaper?
• Is Meijer cheaper than Kroger?
• Is Kroger cheaper than Walmart?
• Is Aldi cheaper than Kroger?
• Is Walmart cheaper than Kroger?
• And of course Aldi is cheaper than Walmart?

Those are all good questions I want to answer!

I live in northern Indiana, so I compared Meijer and Kroger to Aldi and Walmart. I like Meijer for their amazing meat sales. I like Aldi for the fast and cheap shopping experience. I love selling at Kroger! What about Walmart? Walmart isn't my favorite grocery store to shop at, but it's an inexpensive option where you can buy everything at once.

This project might be one of my biggest grocery shopping projects andI was honestly surprised by what I discovered in my search for the cheapest grocery store.I'm so excited to share all the details with you here today!

Feel free to prepare. Lots of details, prizes and statistics are waiting for you! Intelligent?Let me tell you how I found the cheapest supermarket.

Note: I first ran this price comparison in 2019 and updated it in 2021.the rapid increase in inflation,Got a full upgrade in May 2022 to save money on our meal.

How do I find the cheapest supermarket?

I looked at the stores that had the greatest reach. Walmart is a national chain that drives low prices.Is Walmart really the cheapest? Aldi claims to beat Walmart, but is it really?Meijer and Kroger are considered upscale grocery stores but have a wide range with excellent sales. For this price comparison, these were the four stores I chose to compare.

I startedMake a list of the most common foods that every household would use.Then I added some more specific items that our family uses regularly. Finally I askedthe Joyfully Thriving Facebook page for their feedback and received many great requests for items to add to the list.

I wanted a fair representation of different areas of the supermarket, so I focused on 10 different shopping categories. The categories I used were:

• dairy
• pantry
• canned goods
• Spices
• bakery products
• meat
• frozen
• Papier
• personal products
• diapers

I made a list of 183 items in 10 categories that I compared across all 4 stores.

I made a huge table of all the groceries and started comparing prices in stores. I walked around the store and wrote down the prices of everything on my list. Some products were brand specific, but many were simply for the cheapest generic version available in the store. I did not use fresh products in this price comparison, as these vary greatly depending on the season.

For a true comparison I have used daily prices and have not included sales in this list.

Note that prices vary in different parts of the country. These prices are Northern Indiana prices as of May 2022. Wherever you live, I still believe you can use these results to save money on your grocery bill.

What are the cheapest food results?

After several in-store purchases and searching through multiple store apps, my list was finally complete. Once I found the overall prices, I looked through them and started comparing prices to see which supermarket was cheaper.

First, I analyzed and highlighted the absolute lowest price for each item. If there was a store with a locked price, both stores were highlighted.

Comparing the results, I noticed that several trades were only pennies apart. If you've already shopped at a store, it makes sense to buy other items that are still hot. With that in mind, I went through the listings and highlighted any prices that were less than 5 cents off the lowest price. This gave them a brand at the second lowest price.

Then I counted the totals, both in numbers and in percentage (out of 183). I found that.

As you can see, Aldi had the lowest prices and Kroger had the lowest. There were some categories where all 4 stores were a penny, but only a few.

Aldi had the lowest prices for two-thirds of the items on my main comparison list.This is too much! This makes me want to shop there even though they don't always have everything I need.

Years ago, Meijer was my go-to place to keep everything cheap, but not anymore! I was really surprised how many lower prices Meijer had.Meijer really doesn't have the best deals on many things.

Aldi was the cheapest in almost a third of the categories. What I found interesting was that they had the lowest prices for over 100 items, but the second lowest at just 14.If Aldi isn't the cheapest, they really aren't competing to be the cheapest.As Aldi does not have everything, there were also some items on the list that could not be compared at Aldi.

Kroger is definitely the most expensive if you buy without discounts! Quiet,Kroger has many incredible sales that beat Aldi's daily low prices.This chart doesn't account for sales, so it's hard to tell it's being represented. Kroger also offers gas rewards and more digital coupons that Aldi and Walmart don't have. Definitely worth considering when comparing prices.

What is the cheapest supermarket?

Decide on the daily lowest prices in the store,The clear winner for cheapest supermarket in 2022 is Aldi.Walmart is a finalist, followed by Meijer and Kroger.

But maybe you're still wondering...

What is the cheapest grocery store near me?

Aldi is the cheapest grocery store for me. But what if you don't have an Aldi nearby?

Walmart is probably the cheapest supermarket in the whole country. I say probably because Walmart doesn't have any specials. This is one factor why you can save a lot of money on groceries by shopping on sale.

To find the cheapest supermarket near you,Do your own quick price comparison in your local supermarkets.

Start by making a list of 20-25 items that you buy regularly. I don't recommend doing more than that at first because I don't want you to feel overwhelmed. (Trust me, 183 items is a LOT!) Pick the 2 dozen items you use each week and start there.

Then make a list of supermarkets in your area. Be sure to include places you shop regularly, as well as places you haven't shopped recently. You might be surprised by your results!

Then take your list and list these 25 items in different supermarkets. Quick tip. Many grocery stores have great websites or apps where you can check prices from the comfort of your own home. Unfortunately, at Aldi you have to venture into the store to see the actual prices.

After comparing prices in the nearest stores, we hope it is clear which is the cheapest supermarket in your area. I'd love to hear what you think your cheapest grocery store is in the comments!

How have supermarket prices increased?

This is the third time I've done this price comparison. I did this in 2019 and 2021. Here are the 2021 results. While prices have definitely increased over the last year, Aldi is still the winner as it was in 2021. Here are the 2021 results.

I did the original research in 2019 when Walmart was the cheapest. These are the results from 2019.

I will always go where the prices are lowest to stretch our money further.That's why I shop at Aldi more often.

At the same time, with gas prices soaring, we have to be smart buyers. Gone are the days of running into a store just for fun. We have to combine tasks and shop wisely.

For me, I shop at Kroger's for incredible deals because their retail prices often beat the daily lows at Aldi and Walmart. So once or twice a month I make a supply trip to Aldi, where the prices are lowest, to fill in the gaps. That's how it looks to me right now, but I'm constantly re-evaluating myself to be a smart shopper.

How do I use this information to buy groceries?

Knowing which is the cheapest supermarket is good because now it can affect the way we shop.

Now I have a list of what to buy at Aldi and elsewhere. I've also used these prices to create an inventory list with the best prices for each item so you can track sales at any store to beat these daily prices. (This list is included in my printable food e-book. See below for more on this.)

If you mainly shop in a store, shop at Aldi.

My plan? I intend to return to Aldi more regularly and supplement with sales at Kroger and occasional meat sales at Meijer. Walmart will continue to be my choice when I need a low price because their prices are close to Aldi on some items.

It's funny because when I first did this survey, I went from an Aldi shopper to a Walmart shopper to save money. Now? I return because I am a frugal shopper.I shop where prices are lowest to save money.

I will also use the store apps more often to check prices. This is incredibly useful and convenient! I've done this a few times in the aisle at Kroger to compare prices at Walmart to see if I should buy from Kroger or wait until Walmart. It went both ways, but sometimes the price difference is quite big!

Would you like more information about the cheapest supermarket?

Want to see all the real numbers and compare the prices yourself?

I have compiled a lot of information that I want to share in a blog post. This blog post is quite long, but I could share more. If you want a copy of all my charts with prices and statistics, you are welcome!I've compiled all of my research into a 45-page printable eBook with lots of detailed lists!

What lists are included in the e-book?

• Master price comparison (with the 4 shops and their prices)
• Lowest prices and lowest seconds
• Prices 2019 and 2021
• Stock Prices (Category)
• Stock Prices (alphabetically)
• Best Places to Buy (Category)
• The best places to shop (alphabetically)
• Aldi shopping list
• Meijer shopping list
• Kroger shopping list
• Walmart shopping list

Just enter your email address in the box below and I'll send you a download link to the full PDF right away! I will also add you to my weekly newsletter list so I can share other food saving tips and discoveries with you!

Learn more about saving groceries with...

• How to prepare for supermarket inflation in 2022
• How to build a reserve today
• The 25 best things to buy at Sam's Club