Sprouts vs King Soopers: Who has cheaper Groceries?
King Soopers is a well know store in Colorado and Sprouts is common in 23 states in the US. King Sooper’s is part of the Kroger Company and sells a lot of store brand Kroger items.
If King Soopers and Sprouts are your options for grocery shopping, which one will be cheaper to shop at? We will take a meal plan with a grocery list and shop both stores to find out which store is the cheaper option. Scroll to the end to see the final verdict!
Is Sprouts cheaper than King Soopers?
For this test, I have prepared a meal plan for one week that consists of breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners for a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 young kids). I am using the “25 Cheap food that fills you up when you are broke!” as my guide to pick not only healthy foods but also ones that should be fairly cheap.
Here is the meal plan for this grocery trip:
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
For this meal plan, I am going to shop at both stores and look for the best deals on price. We will be using prices in Aurora, Colorado. for this store comparison.
Most items will be the generic store brand, and I will be aiming to get my groceries needed for the cheapest price available.
Even though my pantry is very well stocked, for this experiment I will shop as if I only have the bare basics at home like seasonings, salt, sugar, and cooking oil. For a full breakdown of this meal plan, and how I would make it work, check out “Healthy Grocery List for Family of 4 on a Budget #1.”
Produce
These are the fresh vegetables and fruits needed in the produce section for my meal plan this week.
| Items | Sprouts Price | King Soopers Price |
| 8 Bananas | $0.55 a lb = $1.92 | $0.55 a lb = $1.92 |
| Gala Apples | $1.49 a lb/3lbs= $4.47 | 3lb bag= $4.99 |
| Green Leafy Lettuce | 1 head = $1.79 | 1 head = $2.29 |
| Potatoes | Russet 5lb bag = $3.49 | Russet 5lb bag = $2.29 |
| Tomatoes x3 | $1.25 a lb = $2.88 * on sale* | $2.19 a lb = $3.69 |
| Cucumber | $0.69 each | $0.69 each |
| Carrots | 1lb bag of baby carrots= $0.98 *on sale* | $0.89 a lb= $0.89 |
| Totals: 7 Items | $16.22 | $16.76 |
We are off to a great start with only $0.54 cents difference between stores. Sprouts came in a little cheaper at $16.22 compared to King Soopers $16.76.
Deli/Meats
Here are the items I will need from the deli and meat section of the stores.
| Items | Sprouts Price | King Soopers Price |
| Pepperoni | Boars Head 6oz = $4.49 | Kroger 6oz= $2.79 |
| Whole Chicken | $1.79 a lb (5.09lb) = $9.11 *on sale* | $1.49 a lb (5.5lb) = $8.20 |
| Ground Turkey | 85% 1lb fresh= $4.99 | Jennie-O 85% 1lb roll= $3.19 |
| Pork Loin | $5.99 a lb/1.33 lb = $7.97 | Smithfield 1.7lb = $6.99 * on sale* |
| Totals: 4 Items | $26.56 | $21.17 |
King Sooper’s came out cheapest at $21.17. This was $5.39 cheaper than Sprouts at $26.56.
Dry Goods
This is the center area of most grocery stores, and I call this area dry goods. It is all items that are considered shelf stable and are typically stored in a cabinet or on a pantry shelf.
| Items | Sprouts Price | King Soopers Price |
| Sandwich Bread | Sprouts 18oz white= $3.29 | Kroger 20oz white = $1.33 * on sale* |
| Peanut Butter | Sprouts 16oz jar= $2.69 | Kroger 16oz jar= $1.59 |
| Oatmeal | $1.69 a lb /1lb= $1.69 | Kroger 18oz container= $1.99 |
| Raisins | $3.99 a lb (8oz)= $1.99 | Kroger mini boxes (6oz)= $1.59 |
| Canned Tuna Fish (2 cans) | Sprouts 5oz can 2.29 each= $4.58 | Starkist 5oz $1.00 each = $2.00 |
| Pasta | Sprouts Penne 16oz = $1.79 | Kroger Penne 16oz = $1.33 |
| Zesty Italian Dressing | Sprouts 12oz bottle = $3.49 | Kroger 16oz bottle = $1.67 *on sale* |
| Flour Tortillas | Mission Street 12ct- $2.49 *on sale* | La Banderita 10ct = $1.00 |
| Microwave Popcorn | Sprouts 9.9oz/3ct bag= $3.29 | Pop Secret 9.8oz / 3ct bag = $2.00 * on sale* |
| White Rice | $1.59 a lb = $1.59 | Kroger 2lb bag= $1.79 |
| Alfredo Sauce | Newman’s Own 15oz jar= $3.29 | Kroger 6oz jar = $1.99 |
| Canned Corn | Sprouts 15.25oz can = $1.39 | Kroger 15.25oz can = $0.89 |
| Refried Beans | Sprouts 16oz can = $1.49 | Kroger 16oz can = $1.00 |
| Salsa | Sprouts 16oz jar = $3.69 | Kroger 16oz jar = $1.49 |
| Canned Pineapple | Sprouts 20oz can = $2.29 | Kroger 20oz can = $1.89 |
| All Purpose Flour | Sprouts 5lb bag= $3.49 | Kroger 5lb bag= $2.69 |
| Dry Active Yeast | Red Star 3ct= $2.39 | Fleishmann’s 3ct = $2.79 |
| Brown Sugar | $1.69 a lb = $1.69 | Kroger 2lb bag= $1.89 |
| Totals: 18 items | $46.61 | $30.92 |
King Sooper was definitely cheaper with a total of $30.92. This was $15.69 cheaper than Sprouts at $46.61. It is worth noting that most of the dry goods available at Sprouts are organic, so this is part of the reason their prices are much higher compared to King Soopers.
I did like how you could buy item by the pound like raisins, quick oats, and brown sugar. This means you just buy what you need, but in general it wasn’t really cheaper to do it this way.
Frozen Foods
This is the area in the store that typically has frozen meats, vegetables, fruits, and ice cream. We will mainly stick to the frozen veggie section.
| Items | Sprouts Price | King Soopers Price |
| Frozen Mixed Vegetables | Sprouts 16oz = $2.49 | Kroger 12oz bag= $1.00 |
| Frozen Broccoli | Stahlbush 10oz bag = $3.79 * on sale* | Bird’s Eye 10.8oz bag = $1.49 |
| Totals: 2 items | $6.28 | $2.49 |
King Sooper’s easily came in cheaper at $2.49. This was $3.79 cheaper than Sprouts at $6.28.
Dairy
This is the final section of the store and will cover all dairy needs like cheeses and milk.
| Item: | Sprouts Price | King Soopers Price |
| Eggs | Sprouts 12ct brown = $3.29 | Kroger 12ct white = $2.99 |
| 2% Milk (gallon) | Sprouts = $4.29 | Kroger $3.89 |
| Cheddar cheese (shredded) | Market Corner 8oz bag= $3.99 | Kroger 8oz bag = $2.89 |
| Mozzarella cheese (shredded) | Market Corner 8oz bag= $3.99 | Kroger 8oz bag = $2.89 |
| Sour Cream | Sprouts 16oz tub= $1.99 | Kroger 8oz = $1.25 |
| Totals: 5 items | $17.55 | $13.91 |
King Soopers came in cheaper again at $13.91. This was $3.64 cheaper than Sprouts at $17.55.
Is Sprouts or King Sooper cheaper?
This was so close for every section, so I can’t even predict who will be cheaper!
| Section | Sprouts Price | King Soopers Price |
| Produce | $16.22 | $16.76 |
| Deli/Meats | $26.56 | $21.17 |
| Dry Goods | $46.61 | $30.92 |
| Frozen Foods | $6.28 | $2.49 |
| Dairy | $17.55 | $13.91 |
| Overall Total | $113.22 | $85.25 |
King Soopers came out cheaper than Sprouts by almost 25%. King Soopers total was $85.25, and Sprouts was $113.22. This was a difference of $27.97.
If you love Sprouts but want to save money on your grocery budget, you may want to try to stock up on pantry essentials at King Soopers. Or if you just switch to shopping at King Soopers every other week you could potentially lower your grocery bill a lot!
For more ways to save money, check out “Will HelloFresh save me money?” and “Are outlet stores cheaper?“.
