Publix vs Walmart: Which is cheaper for Groceries?
This grocery store comparison is quite personal for my family. On one side we have my grandma who is an avid Publix shopper, and on the other side we have my dad that swears by Walmart.
We decided to finally find out who comes out as the cheaper option for grocery shopping and how much savings there can be. Grandma swears the savings is only a dollar or two, and Dad claims that savings is huge. Skip to the end to see who was right!
Is Publix more expensive than Walmart?
For this price comparison, I have made a meal plan for a family of 4 using “25 Cheap food that fills you up when you are broke!” as a guide. Our plan is to get groceries for a week that are healthy and cheap!
Here is our meal plan:
Breakfasts
- Scrambled Eggs with Bacon and Toast
- Banana Pancakes with Maple Syrup
- Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars
Lunches
- Leftover Chicken Salad with Raisins Sandwiches
- Black Bean Hummus (using leftover black beans) with Homemade Potato Chips and Carrots
- Taco Salads (leftover taco meat)
- Baked Potatoes with Sour Cream, Cheese, and Bacon
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Lentil Veggie Soup (using dry lentils, canned tomatoes, chicken broth from cooking whole chicken, and frozen mixed vegetables)
- Baked BBQ Pork Chops with Carrot Raisin Salad (mayo, lemon juice, & maple syrup), and Baked Potato Wedges
- Chicken Carbonara-ish Pasta with Bacon and Frozen Peas (alfredo sauce with Italian seasoning) *using leftover chicken*
- Whole Baked Chicken with Brown Rice and Baked Carrots
- 1/2lb Ground Turkey and Black Bean Tacos (with lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream) and Brown Rice
- 1/2lb Ground Turkey Chili with Cornbread and Side Salad with lemon juice & oil dressing
Snacks
- Bananas
- Carrots
- Popcorn
Sweet Treat
- Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Miami, Florida. I will be selecting items for our meal plan that are the absolute cheapest.
This means mostly generic store brand options and the smallest size needed. This may not be the best value, but we are going for the cheapest option.
We are assuming that we already have kitchen basics like cooking oil, seasonings, salt/pepper, and baking powder at home. Everything else needed for the meal plan will need to be purchased.
For a more in depth break down on how I would make this meal plan work, check out “Healthy Grocery List for Family of 4 on a Budget #3.”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Publix Price | Walmart Price |
| 8 bananas | $0.76 a lb = $2.48 | $0.58 a lb= $1.84 |
| Potatoes | Russet 5lb bag- $6.09 | Russet 5lb bag- $3.67 |
| Carrots | 16oz bag- $1.43 | 16oz bag – $0.67 |
| Leafy Green Lettuce | 1 head- $3.29 | 1 head =$1.98 |
| 1 Tomato | $0.99 each *on sale* | $2.18 a lb = $1.00 |
| 1 Cucumber | $0.87 each | $0.74 each |
| 2 lemons | $0.98 each =$1.96 | $0.63 each x2= $1.26 |
| Total: (7 items) | $17.11 | $11.16 |
Walmart easily won the produce department with a total of $11.16. That was $5.95 cheaper than Publix at $17.11.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Publix Price | Walmart Price |
| Pork Chops | $6.09 a lb- Bone-In Pork Loin Chops (1.49lb) $9.07 | $3.68 a lb Pork Ribeye Chops (2lbs) = $7.51 |
| Whole Chicken | $1.65 a lb (5.89 lbs )= $9.72 *on sale* | $1.18 a lb (6.84lbs) = $8.08 |
| Precooked Bacon | Publix 2.1 oz = $5.19 | Great Value 2.1oz = $3.78 |
| 1lb ground turkey | 93% Publix 1lb – $5.19 | Jennie-O 90% roll = $3.58 |
| Total: (4 items) | $29.17 | $22.95 |
Another win by Walmart with a total of $22.95. This was $6.22 cheaper than Publix with a total of $29.17.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Publix Price | Walmart Price |
| Peanut Butter | Jif 16oz jar- $3.39 | Peter Pan 16.3oz jar = $2.16 *on sale* |
| Sandwich Bread | Publix white bread 20oz= $2.43 | Great Value White Bread 20oz- $1.00 |
| Maple Syrup | Publix 24oz bottle = $3.53 | Great Value 24oz bottle= $2.14 |
| Oatmeal | Publix 18oz container = $3.87 | Great Value 18oz container = $1.76 |
| Brown Sugar | Publix 16oz = $1.65 | Great Value 32oz = $1.62 |
| Mayonnaise | Duke’s 8oz = $3.09 | Great Value 30oz = $2.80 |
| Raisins | Publix 12oz box- $3.19 | Great Value 12oz box – $2.58 |
| Black Beans (dried) | Goya 14oz bag- $1.75 | Iberia 12oz bag- $0.92 |
| Lentils (dry) | Publix 16oz bag- $1.35 | Iberia 12oz bag- $1.18 |
| Canned tomatoes x 2 | Publix 14.5oz can $0.84 each x2=$1.68 *on sale* | Great Value 15.5oz can $0.72 each x 2=$1.44 |
| BBQ sauce | Publix 18oz bottle – $2.53 | Great Value 18oz bottle – $1.12 |
| Alfredo Sauce | Classico 15oz jar- $3.49 | Great Value 16oz jar- $1.50 |
| Brown Rice | Publix 16oz bag – $1.31 | Great Value 32oz bag- $1.37 |
| Taco Seasoning | Publix 1.5oz pack – $1.05 | Great Value 1oz pack – $0.48 |
| Tortillas | Mission Street 12ct- $2.53 | Great Value 10ct – $1.98 |
| Kidney Beans | Publix 15.5oz can – $1.09 | Great Value 15.5 can = $0.72 |
| Chili Powder | Badia Spices 2.5oz jar – $2.37 | Great Value 3oz jar- $0.98 |
| Cornbread Mix | Jiffy Mix 8.5oz box – $0.71 | Jiffy Mix 8.5oz box – $0.47 |
| Popcorn | Pop Secret 7.8oz 3ct- $4.09 | Great Value 7.67 oz 3ct = $1.33 |
| Total: (19 items) | $45.10 | $27.55 |
So, this was a huge difference! Walmart came in $17.55 cheaper at $27.55. Publix came in with a huge $45.10. Plus, we were able to get almost double the brown sugar, mayonnaise, and brown rice!
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Publix Price | Walmart Price |
| Frozen Mixed Vegetables | Publix 15oz bag- $2.53 | Great Value 12oz bag- $0.84 |
| Frozen Peas | Publix 15oz bag- $2.53 | Great Value 12oz bag- $0.84 |
| Total: (2 items) | $5.06 | $1.68 |
Walmart came in with a total of $1.68 which was $3.38 cheaper than Publix with a total of $5.06.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Publix Price | Walmart Price |
| Eggs | Publix Large Eggs 12ct – $3.09 | Great Value Large Eggs 12ct – $2.15 |
| Sour Cream | Publix 8oz tub – $1.53 | Great Value 8oz tub – $1.16 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Publix 8oz bag – $4.29 | Great Value 8oz bag – $2.22 |
| Shredded Mozzarella Cheese | Publix 8oz bag – $4.29 | Great Value 8oz bag – $2.22 |
| Butter (sticks) | Publix 8oz – $3.43 | Great Value 16oz – $3.98 |
| Milk | Publix 2% gallon – $5.49 | Great Value 2% gallon – $4.38 |
| Total: (6 items) | $22.12 | $16.11 |
We even got twice as much butter at Walmart, and they still came in cheaper at $16.11. That was $6.01 cheaper than Publix at $22.12.
Is Walmart cheaper than Publix?
We could already tell by each section that Walmart was definitely cheaper, let’s see how the overall totals went.
| Section | Publix Price | Walmart Price |
| Produce | $17.11 | $11.16 |
| Deli/Meats | $29.17 | $22.92 |
| Dry Goods | $45.10 | $27.55 |
| Frozen Foods | $5.06 | $1.68 |
| Dairy | $22.12 | $16.11 |
| Overall Total: (38 items) | $118.56 | $79.42 |
Walmart came in with a total of $79.42 which was $39.14 cheaper than Publix at $118.56. This means just by shopping at Walmart we saved 33% on our grocery trip for one week!
If you currently shop at Publix, even if you just shopped once a month at Walmart you could drastically decrease your monthly grocery budget.
Looks like my dad was right with there being a significant savings by shopping at Walmart! Unless something is on super sale at Publix, just head to Walmart to grab your groceries.
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Cheapest Grocery Store in Orlando, Florida.”
