Costco vs. Aldi: Which Store Wins on Summer Snacks and Staples?
If you're stocking up for a summer full of cookouts, pool days and snack-heavy weekends, you're probably looking to throw your cares away by stocking up early, saving a bundle of cash, and then just chilling with a freezer full of ice cream bars.
But where to get these delicious frozen novelties for a better price and patience than waiting for the ice cream truck?
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To find out where your summer cart goes further, we compared seven staples at Costco and Aldi: chips, sparkling water, frozen appetizers, cheese, fresh strawberries, Greek yogurt, protein bars and frozen treats. Here's how each item stacks up, one by one.
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Chips
Aldi: $1.99 (Clancy's Original Potato Chips, 10-ounce)
Costco: $45.99 (Lay's Classic Potato Chips, 1.5-ounce, 64-count)
Winner: Aldi for small households but Costco on per-piece cost. Clancy's Original Potato Chips at $1.99 for a 10-ounce bag is the obvious pick if you just need one bag. Costco's Lay's Classic 64-count breaks down to about 72 cents per bag — a deal for party hosts, but you're committing to 6 pounds of chips.
Sparkling Water
Aldi: $3.99 (PurAqua Belle Vie Sparkling Flavored Water, 12-count, 12 fluid ounces)
Costco: $11.99 (LaCroix Sparkling Water, Variety Pack, 12 fluid ounces, 24-count)
Winner: Aldi on per-can cost. LaCroix at Costco runs about 50 cents per can versus Aldi's PurAqua Belle Vie at 33 cents per can — so Aldi's house brand actually edges it out per unit. But if you want a name brand, Costco is the move for summer entertaining.
Frozen Appetizers
Aldi: $3.25 (Fusia Asian Inspirations Chicken Egg Rolls, four-count, 12.26-ounce)
Costco: $14.49 (Ajinomoto Japanese Style Gyoza, Pork and Chicken, 60-count)
Winner: Costco on per-piece cost. Ajinomoto Gyoza at Costco works out to about 24 cents per dumpling, while Aldi's Fusia Chicken Egg Rolls run 81 cents per piece. For a cookout crowd, Costco's bulk gyoza is a significantly better deal; for a weeknight snack for two, Aldi's $3.25 price tag keeps the cost low. Of course, it all depends whether you prefer egg rolls or gyoza, so this isn't exactly apples to apples. Speaking of comparing fruit, let's look at our next competitors.
Fresh Strawberries
Aldi: $2.55 (1 pound)
Costco: $3.79 (2 pounds)
Winner: Costco on per-pound cost. Costco's 2-pound container breaks down to about $1.90 per pound, beating Aldi's 1-pound package at $2.55 per pound — so Aldi is cheaper if you only need a small amount, but more expensive if you buy two. For fruit salads and summer snacking boards, Costco's larger container is the better value.
Greek Yogurt
Aldi: $2.79 (Friendly Farms Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt, 32-ounce)
Costco: $17.29 (Chobani Greek Yogurt Variety Pack, 5.3-ounce, 20-count)
Winner: Aldi for everyday value. Friendly Farms Greek Yogurt at $2.79 for 32 ounces is about 9 cents per ounce. Costco's Chobani 20-count pack runs roughly 16 cents per ounce — still a decent deal for grab-and-go cups, but Aldi's bulk tub format wins on pure price per ounce. Unless you're taking these in a packed lunch, go for the value.
Protein Bars
Aldi: $7.15 (Elevation Chocolate Peanut Butter High Protein Bars, 6-count)
Costco: $26.49 (Kirkland Signature Protein Bar Variety Pack, 2.12-ounce, 20-count)
Winner: Aldi on per-bar cost as well as ease. Kirkland Protein Bars break down to about $1.33 per bar, while Aldi's Elevation bars come to $1.19 per bar — about 10% cheaper per unit, although we're splitting hairs when they're this cheap and similarly priced. Still, by the time you eat 20 of the Aldi bars, you've effectively saved a coupon's worth.
Frozen Treats
Aldi: $3.45 (Sundae Shoppe Crunch Dairy Dessert Bars, 12-count)
Costco: $12.49 (Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Milk Chocolate Almond Ice Cream Bars, 15-count)
Winner: Aldi on up-front cost as well as per-bar price. Sundae Shoppe Crunch Bars run just 29 cents per bar. Costco's Haagen-Dazs bars are a premium pick at 83 cents each — maybe worth it for a special occasion, but Aldi is the clear everyday winner here. Although the distinction between "dairy dessert" and ice cream is one of fat and flavor, so either treat may be worth more to you personally, depending on your goals: guiltless indulgence or guiltless decadence.
Overall, Aldi takes the edge for budget shoppers buying for one or two people, with a lower up-front spend across the cart. Costco wins on per-unit cost for chips, cheese, sparkling water and frozen appetizers, making it the smarter choice for larger households that can actually use the bulk quantities before things go bad.
Editor's note: Prices and availability are subject to change.
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