Target vs Publix: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
In recent years, Target has expanded to start offering full grocery options. Now you can grab pillows, kitchen appliances, and groceries at the same time! LOL!
I think Target tends to be a little pricey on some home items, so I am very curious to see what shopping for groceries is like at Target. Let’s see if Target or Publix will be the cheaper option to get a full week’s worth of food. Skip to the end to see the final verdict!
Is Publix more expensive than Target?
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, 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 Atlanta, Georgia (Buckhead area). 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 | Target Price |
| 8 bananas | $0.66 a lb = $2.56 | $0.19 each =$1.52 |
| Potatoes | Russet 5lb bag- $3.59 | Russet 5lb bag- $3.29 |
| Carrots | 16oz bag- $1.27 | 1lb baby carrots – $0.99 |
| Leafy Green Lettuce | 1 head- $3.29 | 3 ct romaine hearts -$2.99 |
| 1 Tomato | $0.99 each *on sale* | 16oz Roma tomatoes – $1.49 |
| 1 Cucumber | $0.79 each | English cucumber – $1.59 |
| 2 lemons | $0.76 each x2=$1.52 | $0.65 each x2= $1.30 |
| Total: (7 items) | $14.01 | $13.17 |
I was very surprised at the produce section at Target. Most of their lettuce is precut so we had to go with Romain Hearts instead of Leafy Green Lettuce. We also had to substitute baby carrots, Roma tomatoes, and an English cucumber.
Target still came out a little but cheaper with $13.17. That was $0.84 cheaper than Publix at $14.01.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Publix Price | Target Price |
| Pork Chops | $7.41 a lb/ Thin Boneless Pork Chops (1.22lb) = $9.04 | Thin Boneless Porkchops 15oz = $5.79 |
| Chicken Breasts | Tyson 40oz bag of chicken breasts = $10.79 | Good & Gather 40oz bag of Chicken breasts = $9.49 |
| Precooked Bacon | Publix 2.1 oz = $5.19 | Market Pantry 2.1 oz box – $3.49 |
| 1lb ground turkey | 93% Publix 1lb – $5.19 | Butterball 1lb fresh 93/7 =$4.89 |
| Total: (4 items) | $30.21 | $23.66 |
Target did not offer whole chickens which is what I had originally planned for this meal plan. I changed over to chicken breasts to make this more comparable.
Target came up to $23.66 which was $6.55 cheaper than Publix at $30.21.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Publix Price | Target Price |
| Peanut Butter | Peter Pan 16.3 oz = $2.47 *on sale* | Good & Gather 16oz – $1.69 |
| Sandwich Bread | Publix white bread 20oz= $1.73 | Market Pantry White bread 20oz – $1.19 |
| Maple Syrup | Pearl Milling 12oz bottle = $3.31 | Market Pantry 24oz bottle- $2.29 |
| Oatmeal | Publix 18oz container = $3.87 | Good & Gather 18oz container = $1.89 |
| Brown Sugar | Publix 16oz = $1.65 | Good & Gather 32oz bag- $1.79 |
| Mayonnaise | Duke’s 8oz = $3.09 | Market Pantry 30oz jar- $2.69 |
| Raisins | Sun-Maid Mini Snack Boxes (6oz) – $2.59 | Good & Gather mini boxes (6oz) = $1.59 |
| Black Beans (dried) | Publix 1lb bag – $1.97 | Good & Gather 1lb bag- $1.59 |
| Lentils (dry) | Publix 16oz bag- $2.07 | Iberia 12oz bag- $1.29 |
| Chicken Broth | Publix 32oz carton – $2.43 | Good & Gather 32oz carton – $1.29 |
| Canned tomatoes x 2 | Publix 14.5oz can $0.86 each x2=$1.72 | Good & Gather 14.5 oz can $0.75 each x2= $1.50 |
| BBQ sauce | Open Pit BBQ 18oz bottle = $2.19 | Open Pit BBQ 18oz bottle = $1.19 |
| Alfredo Sauce | Newman’s Own 15oz jar – $3.43 | Good & Gather 15oz jar – $1.69 |
| Brown Rice | Publix 8.8oz bag – $2.09 | Good & Gather 1lb bag – $0.89 |
| Taco Seasoning | Publix 1.5oz pack – $1.05 | Mccormick 1oz pack – $0.36 |
| Flour Tortillas | Mission Street 12ct- $2.53 | Mission Street 12ct- $2.39 |
| Kidney Beans | Publix 15.5oz can – $1.09 | Bush’s 16 oz can – $0.99 |
| Chili Powder | Badia Spices 2.5oz jar – $2.37 | Good & Gather 2.5oz jar- $1.19 |
| Cornbread Mix | Jiffy Mix 8.5oz box – $0.59 | Krusteaz Mix 15oz box – $1.99 |
| Popcorn | Pop Secret 7.8oz 3ct- $4.09 | Market Pantry 17.4oz 6 ct- $2.99 |
| Total: (19 items) | $46.33 | $32.48 |
So, this was a huge difference! Target came out much cheaper with a total of $32.48. This was $13.85 cheaper than Publix at $46.33. Target also ended up with bigger packages of brown sugar, mayonnaise, brown rice, and popcorn.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Publix Price | Target Price |
| Frozen Mixed Vegetables | Publix 15oz bag- $2.53 | Good & Gather 12oz bag – $0.95 |
| Frozen Peas | Publix 15oz bag- $2.53 | Good & Gather 12oz bag – $0.95 |
| Total: (2 items) | $5.06 | $1.90 |
Target’s total was $1.90, which was $3.16 cheaper than Publix at $5.06.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Publix Price | Target Price |
| Eggs | Publix Large Eggs 12ct – $2.65 | Good & Gather large eggs 12ct = $1.59 |
| Sour Cream | Publix 8oz tub – $1.53 | Good & Gather 8oz tub- $0.99 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Publix 8oz bag – $4.29 | Good & Gather 8oz bag – $2.29 |
| Shredded Mozzarella Cheese | Publix 8oz bag – $4.29 | Good & Gather 8oz bag – $2.29 |
| Butter (sticks) | Publix 8oz – $3.43 | Good & Gather 1lb – $3.99 |
| Milk | Publix 2% gallon – $4.27 | Good & Gather 2% gallon- $3.49 |
| Total: (6 items) | $20.46 | $14.64 |
Target came out to $14.64, which was $5.82 cheaper than Publix at $20.46.
Is Target cheaper than Publix for groceries?
We could already tell by each section that Target was definitely cheaper, let’s see how the overall totals went.
| Section | Publix Price | Target Price |
| Produce | $14.01 | $13.17 |
| Deli/Meats | $30.21 | $23.66 |
| Dry Goods | $46.33 | $32.48 |
| Frozen Foods | $5.06 | $1.90 |
| Dairy | $20.46 | $14.64 |
| Overall Total: (38 items) | $116.07 | $85.85 |
Target came out so much cheaper with a total of $85.85. This was $30.22 cheaper than Publix at $116.07. By shopping at Target instead of Publix, you could potentially save about 26%.
If you are not familiar with the Buckhead area of Atlanta, this is a very expensive town. This price comparison shows that just because you live in an expensive area, there are still cheaper options available.
If you were to meal plan based on what is on sale at Target and if you have a Target Red Card, you could really save even more money! (The Red Card gives you an additional 5% savings)
To see more grocery store comparisons, check out “Publix vs Walmart: Which is cheaper for Groceries?”
For money saving tips on grocery shopping, check out “How often should you go grocery shopping?“
