Does Aldi or Costco Offer Better Value on 6 Common Groceries?
Costco is known for offering its members great savings on bulk items, while Aldi offers low prices on groceries without the cost of a membership. Of course, when you’re buying a weekly haul of groceries, the question becomes, "Which store is cheaper?"
Based on the following online prices for several staple grocery items including milk, bread and chicken, Aldi is the cheaper choice. However, Costco wins for a several other mainstay foods when it comes to unit prices.
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Let's take a deeper dive below and see how the prices compare.
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1. Milk
A gallon of Friendly Farms whole milk is $2.59 at Aldi. Costco sells a two-count pack of gallon-size Kirkland Signature whole milk for $7.77, which is about $3.89 per gallon. Buying the milk at Aldi saves around $1.30 per gallon.
Winner: Aldi
2. Bread
At Aldi, a 20-ounce loaf of L'oven Fresh white bread is $1.65. At Costco, a two-pack of 20-ounce Mrs. Baird’s white bread is $5.44, or $2.72 per loaf.
Winner: Aldi
3. Butter
Aldi's Countryside Creamery salted butter is $3.19 for one pound. At Costco, four one-pound packages of Kirkland Signature salted butter are $10.20. That’s about $2.55 per pound, which saves you about $0.64 per pound.
Of course, you have to spend almost $10 and take home four pounds to get that price. However, if you use butter often, that may not matter. You can also freeze butter for up to four months if you place it in a freezer-grade container, per Land O’ Lakes.
Winner: Costco
4. Cheese
An 8-ounce block of Happy Farms sharp cheddar cheese is $1.95 at Aldi, which works out to $3.90 per pound. Costco had a two-pound block of Pacific Cheese sharp cheddar for $6, or $3 per pound. Shopping at Costco saves $0.90 per pound.
However, Aldi may still be a better option if you don't need two pounds of cheese. It is possible to freeze block cheese, but the more aged it is, the more crumbly it will become once frozen and thawed, per U.S. Dairy.
Winner: Costco
5. Bananas
You can buy bananas at Aldi for $0.55 per pound or singles for about 18 cents each. A three-pound package of Costco bananas is $1.69, which is about $0.56 per pound.
Winner: Aldi
6. Chicken Breasts
Meat is often one of the most expensive items on a grocery list. Kirkwood boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets are $2.19 per pound at Aldi. A package weighs about 4.2 pounds, for an estimated total of $9.20.
Costco's Kirkland Signature fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts are $3.39 per pound, or about $1.20 more per pound than Aldi’s chicken breasts. Plus, the average weight of a package is around 8.78 pounds, which would require you to spend around $30.
Winner: Aldi
Which Is Cheaper: Costco or Aldi?
Based on these online prices, Costco is cheaper by the pound on butter and cheese. However, you'd have to buy four pounds of butter or two pounds of cheese to get those prices.
Aldi is cheaper on milk, bread, bananas and chicken, all of which are common weekly purchases. You also don’t have to buy in bulk to get those prices.
Additionally, you have to pay a membership fee to shop at Costco. Its lowest-cost membership is $65 per year. For someone who shops at Costco only occasionally, the grocery savings need to be large enough to offset the added expense.
Editor’s note: Prices and availability are subject to change.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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