Ingles vs Kroger: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
Soaring grocery prices are now causing more people to be willing to travel for their groceries. One of the moms at a recent playdate told me she travels 30 miles to the next big town in order to shop at Kroger.
She says that even with the cost of gas, buying her groceries at Kroger is saving her a lot of money every month. Instead of shopping weekly, she is now going shopping once or twice a month at Kroger instead of shopping locally.
This makes me wonder if Kroger is cheaper than Ingles and by how much. Will the results be worth travelling more than 30 miles to get cheaper groceries? Let’s find out!
Is Ingles cheaper than Kroger?
Similar to the pricing comparisons that we did for Walmart and Publix, I will be using the same meal plan for the weekly grocery shopping trip. This meal plan is based on “25 Cheap food that fills you up when you are broke!” and is a pretty healthy meal plan for a family of 4 (2 adults & 2 young kids).
Here is the meal plan for the price comparison:
Breakfasts:
- Peanut Butter Toast with Bananas x2
- Overnight Oats with Apples and Raisins x3
- Scrambled Eggs with Cheese on top and Toast x2
Lunches
- Tuna Salad Sandwiches x 2
- Veggie & Pepperoni Pasta Salad with Zesty Italian Dressing
- Salad Wraps with tomato, cucumber, and cheese
- Leftovers
Snacks
- Carrots
- Apples
- Popcorn
Dinners
- Baked Whole Chicken with rice and sautéed carrots
- Leftover Chicken in a Pasta with Alfredo Sauce, Broccoli, and side salad
- Ground Turkey Tacos with Corn and Refried Beans
- Leftover Taco Meat in a Mexican Baked Potato Bar with Side Salads
- Pork Loin with Mashed Potatoes and Corn
- Hawaiin Pizza with Leftover Pork, Pepperoni, and Pineapple (using a little Alfredo Sauce as the Base)
Sweet Treat
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Drinks
- Milk
- Water
- Coffee
- Pineapple Water (leftover pineapple juice mixed with water)
The rules for this grocery shopping comparison are simple and basically, I am trying to buy the cheapest options available to make my meal plan. That means most items will be store brand and I will be buying the smallest/cheapest option available.
This will be a little different than Wise Buying where we look at price per ounce and will be focusing on just getting the lowest price. For more information on wise buying, check out “Wise Buying- Everything you need to know.”
Normally my home has a well-stocked pantry and freezer, but for this price comparison we will be starting not many items. I am only assuming that we have seasonings, salt, sugar, and vegetable oil at home. Everything else for the meal plan will need to be purchased. Let’s see how it goes!
For a full breakdown on how I would make this meal plan work, check out “Healthy Grocery List for Family of 4 on a Budget #1.”
Produce
This is the first section usually in the grocery store and includes all the fresh vegetables and fruits we will need.
| Item | Kroger Prices | Ingles Prices |
| Bananas x8 | $0.59 cents a lb =$2.00 | $0.68 cents a lb =$2.17 |
| Gala Apples | 3lb bag = $4.29 | 3lb bag = $5.68 |
| Green Leafy Lettuce | 1 head = $2.19 | 1 head =$3.98 |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag Russet = $2.99 | 5lb bag Idaho = $4.48 |
| Tomatoes x3 | $1.59 a lb = $2.67 | $0.98 a lb *on sale*Beefsteak Tomatoes =$1.47 |
| Cucumbers | $0.69 each | $0.98 each |
| Carrots | 16oz bag (baby carrots) = $1.19 | 16oz bag = $0.98 |
| Totals: 7 items | $16.02 | $19.74 |
Kroger has started with a pretty good lead having a total of $16.02. This is $3.72 cheaper than the Ingles total of $19.74.
Deli/ Meats
This is section is typically towards the back of the store and includes lunch meats, prepared meats, and raw meats.
| Item | Kroger Prices | Ingles Prices |
| Pepperoni | 6oz Hormel *on sale* = $3.49 | 5oz Armour brand =$3.78 |
| Whole Chicken | Heritage Farm- $1.49 a lb/ 5.5lb bird = $8.20 | Tyson- $1.58 a lb/6.8 lb bird = $10.74 |
| Ground Turkey | Honeysuckle 85% ground turkey roll = $3.49 | Butterball 85% fresh ground turkey 1lb= $4.68 |
| Pork Loin | Hormel Lemon Pepper Pork Loin- 24oz *on sale* = $7.99 | Smithfield Garlic and Herb Pork Loin – 27.2oz =$8.48 |
| Totals: 4 Items | $23.17 | $27.68 |
Kroger did really good in the meat section too by coming in at $23.17. This was $4.51 cheaper than Ingles at $27.68.
Dry Goods
This is the area in the center of the store that has shelf stable foods like cereals, baking supplies, and the bread section.
| Item | Kroger Prices | Ingles Prices |
| Sandwich Bread | Kroger Honey Wheat 20oz = $1.59 | Laura Lynn Wheat Bread Loaf 20oz =$1.97 *on sale* |
| Peanut Butter | Kroger Creamy Peanut Butter 16oz * on sale*= $1.50 | Laura Lynn Creamy Peanut Butter 16.3 oz = $2.78 |
| Oatmeal | Kroger Old Fashioned Oats 42oz container = $2.99 | Laura Lynn Old Fashioned Oats 42oz container = $4.18 *on sale* |
| Raisins | Kroger 6 pack/1oz each =$1.59 | Laura Lynn Raisins – 12oz = $2.98 |
| Canned tuna Fish (2 cans) | Kroger Tuna in water 5oz (0.89 ea) = $1.78 | Laura Lynn Tuna in water 5oz (0.95 each) = $1.90 |
| Pasta | Kroger Penne 16oz = $1.33 | Laura Lynn Ziti 16 oz = $1.68 |
| Zesty Italian Dressing | Kroger Zesty Italian 16 oz = $1.89 | Laura Lynn Traditional Italian 6oz $2.00 *on sale* |
| Tortillas | Mission Flour Tortillas 10 count *on sale* = $2.29 | Laura Lynn Fajita Tortillas 10 count $1.98 |
| Popcorn | Jolly Time microwave popcorn – 3bags *on sale*= $2.00 | Jolly Time microwave popcorn – 3bags $2.28 *on sale* |
| White Rice | Kroger 2lb bag – $1.59 | Laura Lynn 1lb bag – $1.28 |
| Alfredo Sauce | Kroger Alfredo Sauce 16oz – $1.79 | Ragu Classic Alfredo Sauce 16oz – $3.18 *on sale* |
| Canned Corn | Kroger Canned Corn 15.25oz – $0.75 | Laura Lynn Canned Corn 15.25 oz – $0.98 |
| Refried beans | Kroger Refried beans 16oz – $1.00 | Laura Lynn Refried Beans 16 oz – $1.28 |
| Salsa | Kroger Mild Salsa 16oz – $1.39 | Laura Lynn Mild Salsa 16oz – $2.00 *on sale* |
| Canned Pineapple | Kroger Tidbits 20 oz – $1.39 | Dole Tidbits 8 oz – $1.28 |
| All Purpose Flour | Kroger 5lb bag of flour- $2.69 | Gold Medal 2lb bag of flour – $2.58 |
| Dry Active Yeast | Kroger dry active yeast – 3ct- $1.49 | Fleischmann’s dry active yeast – 3ct- $1.98 *on sale* |
| Brown Sugar | Kroger Light brown sugar 32oz bag- $1.89 | Domino Light brown sugar 16oz box $0.50 *on sale* |
| Totals: 18 items | $30.94 | $36.81 |
I’m starting to notice a trend here! Kroger came in cheaper again with $30.94 compared to Ingles being $36.81. Kroger was cheaper by $5.87.
Frozen Foods
The frozen food section is typically where you would find convienence meals like pizzas, ice cream, and frozen meats. We will be just looking at the frozen veggies.
| Item | Kroger Prices | Ingles Prices |
| Frozen Mixed Vegetables | Kroger Mixed vegetables 12oz – $1.00 | Bird’s Eye Mixed Frozen Vegetables 19oz – $1.88 *on sale* |
| Frozen Brocolli | Kroger Chopped Broccoli 12oz- $1.50 | Laura Lynn Chopped Broccoli 10 oz – $1.38 |
| Totals: 2 items | $2.50 | $3.26 |
Kroger was cheaper again with a total of $2.50 compared to $3.26 at Ingles. Kroger was cheaper by $0.76 which isn’t much, but it does add up!
Dairy
The dairy section is typically the last section of the store and will have all things eggs, milk, and cheeses.
| Item: | Kroger Prices | Ingles prices |
| Eggs | Kroger large 1 dozen – $2.29 | Large Laura Lynn 1 dozen – $2.22 |
| 2% milk (gallon) | Kroger Gallon – $3.59 | Laura Lynn Gallon – $3.86 |
| Cheddar cheese (shredded) | Kroger 16oz bag – $3.99 | Laura Lynn 16 oz bag – $4.68 |
| Mozzarella cheese (shredded) | Kroger 16oz bag – $3.99 | Laura Lynn 16 oz bag – $4.68 |
| Sour Cream | Kroger 8 oz tub – $1.25 | Laura Lynn 8 oz tub – $1.28 |
| Totals: 5 items | $15.11 | $16.72 |
Kroger squeaked ahead with a total of $15.11 compared to Ingles at $16.72. Kroger was cheaper by $1.61.
Who is cheaper Ingles or Kroger?
I started to realize pretty early on that Kroger was coming in cheaper in each section by at least a few dollars every time.
| Section | Kroger Prices | Ingles Prices |
| Produce | $16.02 | $19.74 |
| Deli/Meats | $23.17 | $27.68 |
| Dry Goods | $30.94 | $36.81 |
| Frozen Foods | $2.50 | $3.26 |
| Dairy | $15.11 | $16.72 |
| Overall Total | $87.74 | $104.21 |
Kroger actually came in cheaper in every section even compared to a few items being on sale at Ingles. Kroger did have a few sales items but really, they weren’t a huge savings. Most sale items were less than $1.00 off the original price.
Kroger definitely won this grocery battle with a total of $87.74! Compared to Ingles total of $104.21, shopping at Kroger saved us $16.47. That is a total savings of 15.8%.
It was very interesting to me that the savings by shopping at Kroger probably is significant enough for my mom friend to travel the distance to shop there. I’m hoping she pairs her shopping trip with another reason to go to the bigger city to help save on gas as well.
If we had meal planned based on the sales flyer at Kroger, I feel like we could have saved even more money. I’m always happy to see the total come out under $100 but I really feel that shopping the sales would have gotten this total closer to $60.
For more helpful tips to save on groceries, check out “Ingles vs Publix: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?” and “Is it cheaper to make your own Deli Meat?“
