Vons vs Smart & Final: Who is Cheaper?
Vons is a grocery store chain that is only available in California and Nevada. They are part of the Albertsons Company. Smart & Final is a grocery store chain available in California, Nevada, and Arizona.
We are going to take a weeklong meal plan for a family, and then price compare the items at both stores to determine if Vons or Smart & Final is cheaper for groceries. Scroll to the end to see the final verdict!
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Is Smart and Final cheaper than Vons?
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
- Ham and Mushroom Scrambled Eggs
- Biscuits with Sausage Gravy
- Vanilla Yogurt with Blueberries
- Cinnamon Toast with Strawberries
- Cheese Toast
Lunches
- Salad with Ham and Hard Boiled Eggs
- Baked Potato with Sour Cream
- Egg Salad with Saltines
- Grilled Cheese with Corn Chips
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Scalloped Potatoes with Ham and Cheddar Cheese
- Ground Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff (beef broth, green bell pepper, egg noodles, cream of mushroom soup, and sour cream)
- Ground Beef Chili over Brown Rice (canned tomatoes, kidney beans, chili powder, green bell pepper) with Canned Corn
- Grilled Chicken with Brown Rice and Peas
- Leftover Grilled Chicken with Cream Cheese Topping (ranch powder, fresh tomatoes, and cheddar cheese) and Butter Noodles
- Ham, Cheese, and Broccoli Stromboli
Snacks
- Celery sticks with ranch dressing
- Popcorn
- Corn Chips
Sweet Treat
- Saltine “Crack” Brittle
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Torrance, California. 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 #6.”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Vons Price | Smart & Final Price |
| Mushrooms | Signature Farms 8oz = $2.49 | First Street 16oz = $2.99 |
| Blueberries | Signature Farms 6oz= $3.50 *on sale* | 6 oz container = $2.99 * on sale* |
| Strawberries | 1lb container = $3.99 | 1lb container = $3.49 |
| Potatoes | Signature Farms 5lb gold potatoes = $4.99 | First Street 5lb bag of russets = $3.99 *on sale* |
| Lettuce | Romaine head = $1.69 | Romaine head = $1.39 |
| Tomato x2 | $2.49 a lb/ on the vine = $1.64 | $1.99 a lb/ regular= $1.31 |
| Cucumber | $0.99 each | $0.49 each |
| Green Bell Pepper | $0.99 each | $0.99 each |
| Celery | 1 head= $1.99 | 1 head= $1.49 |
| Total: (9 items) | $22.27 | $19.13 |
In the produce section, Albertsons came out cheaper with a total of $19.13. This was $3.14 cheaper than Vons’ total of $22.27.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Vons Price | Smart & Final Price |
| Diced Ham | Smithfield 8oz pack = $3.99 | Farmer John Ham Steak 8oz = $3.29 |
| 1lb ground beef | 1lb ground beef sirloin = $3.99 *on sale* | First Street 80/20= $4.99 |
| Chicken Breasts (4-6) | Signature Farms 40oz frozen breasts = $12.99 | Foster Farms Bone In Breasts $2.79 a lb /4.88lbs= $13.61 |
| Total: (3 items) | $20.97 | $21.89 |
In the meat section, Vons came out cheaper with a total of $20.97. This was $0.92 cheaper than Smart & Final’s total of $21.89.
It is worth noting that we did get almost 2.5lbs more chicken from Smart and Final, so they actually had the better value for chicken.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Vons Price | Smart & Final Price |
| Sausage Gravy Mix | Pioneer 2.75oz pack = $1.79 | Simply Organic 1oz pack = $1.79 |
| Sandwich bread | Value Corner 16oz white= $1.49 | First Street 24oz white = $2.49 |
| Saltines | Signature Select 16oz box = $1.79 *on sale* | First Street 16oz box = $1.49 *on sale* |
| Corn Chips | Fritos 9.25oz bag = $4.99 *on sale* | Fritos 18oz bag = $4.49 *on sale* |
| Beef Broth | Signature Select 14.5oz can = $1.25 | Swanson 14.5oz can = $1.59 |
| Egg Noodles | Streits 12oz bag – $2.50 *on sale* | Allegra 12oz bag = $1.99 |
| Cream of Mushroom Soup | Signature Select 10.5oz can = $1.49 | Campbell’s 10.5oz can = $1.69 |
| Canned Tomatoes | Signature Select 14.5oz can = $0.99 | S & W 14.5oz can = $1.39 |
| Chili Powder | Signature Select 2.5oz jar = $2.49 | First Street 3.1oz jar = $2.49 |
| Kidney Beans | Signature Select 15.5oz can = $1.25 | First Street 15oz can = $0.99 |
| Brown Rice | Signature Select 1lb bag= $0.99 | First Street 1lb bag= $0.89 |
| Ranch Powder | Hidden Valley 1oz pack = $3.29 | Laura Scudders 0.5 oz pack = $1.59 |
| Ranch Dressing | Signature Select 16oz bottle = $2.59 | First Street 16oz bottle = $2.09 |
| Microwave Popcorn | Signature Select 3pack/3.2oz= $1.49 *on sale* | First Street 3pack/3.3oz= $1.69 |
| Brown Sugar | Signature Select 1lb bag= $1.49 | First Street 2lb bag= $2.39 |
| Cinnamon | Signature Select 2.37 oz jar = $3.49 | First Street 2.7oz jar = $2.99 |
| Chocolate Chips | Signature Select 12oz bag = $3.79 | First Street 11.5oz bag = $2.49 |
| Canned Corn | Signature Select 15.25oz can = $1.29 | First Street 15.25oz can = $0.99 |
| Total: (18 items) | $38.45 | $35.52 |
In the dry goods section, Smart & Final came out cheaper with a total of $35.52. This was $2.93 cheaper than Vons’ total of $38.45.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Vons Price | Smart & Final Price |
| Frozen Peas | Signature Select 16oz bag= $1.99 | First Street 12oz bag= $1.19 *on sale* |
| Frozen Broccoli | Signature Select 12oz bag= $1.69 | c & W 16oz bag = $2.79 |
| Total: (2 items) | $3.68 | $3.98 |
In the frozen section, Vons came out cheaper with a total of $3.68. This was $0.30 cheaper than Smart & Final’s total of $3.98.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Vons Price | Smart & Final Price |
| Eggs | Lucerne 12ct white= $3.99 | First Street 12ct white= $3.49 *on sale* |
| 2% milk | Value Corner gallon = $3.99 | First Street gallon = $3.99 |
| American Cheese | Lucerne 16ct = $3.99 | First Street 16ct = $2.99 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Lucerne 32oz bag= $7.99 | First Street 32oz bag = $7.99 |
| Vanilla Yogurt | Lucerne 32oz container = $2.49 | Light and Fit 32oz container = $3.39 |
| Sour Cream | Lucerne 16oz tub= $1.79 *on sale* | First Street 16oz tub= $2.19 |
| Cream Cheese Block | Lucerne 8oz block = $2.49 | First Street 8oz block = $2.00 |
| Biscuits | Pillsbury Grands 8ct = $2.50 *on sale* | Pillsbury Grands 8ct = $2.59 |
| Total: (7 items) | $29.23 | $28.63 |
In the dairy section, Smart and Final came out cheaper with a total of $28.63. This was $0.60 cheaper than Vons’ total of $29.23.
Is Vons more expensive than Smart and Final?
Lots of back and forth in each section for who was cheaper. Let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Vons Price | Smart & Final Price |
| Produce | $22.27 | $19.13 |
| Deli/Meats | $20.97 | $21.89 |
| Dry Goods | $38.45 | $35.52 |
| Frozen Foods | $3.68 | $3.98 |
| Dairy | $29.23 | $28.63 |
| Overall Total: (40 items) | $114.60 | $109.15 |
Overall, Smart and Final was cheaper than Vons with a total of $109.15. This was $5.45 (about 5%) cheaper than Vons’ total of $114.60.
Most of the items were able to be bought in similar sizes and quantities, but I did notice that you got a better value on the chicken prices at Smart and Final.
If you pay close attention to the sales flyer and use that to supplement what you already have at home, you can save a lot of money on your grocery budget.
When you see a meat or pantry staple on sale at a good price, don’t be afraid to stock up on it! This can save you a lot of time and money on low weeks. The trick is to make sure it is not only a good deal but that your family will eat it too!
If you love Vons and want to save even more money, then check out their FreshPass options and coupons. Currently, they are offering $30 of your first $60+ order!
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Smart & Final vs Ralphs: Who has Cheaper Groceries?” and “Fred Meyer vs Safeway: Cheapest Grocery Store?“
