Hy-Vee vs Fareway: Who is Cheaper?
Hy-Vee is a grocery store chain with about 280 stores in the Midwest and is employee owned. Fareway is a smaller grocery store chain with about 130 stores and operates in 6 states in the Midwest.
To determine if Hy-Vee or Fareway is the cheaper option for groceries, we will price compare a grocery list for a family of 4 for a week. Scroll to the bottom, to find out who is cheaper for groceries!
Is Fareway cheaper than HyVee?
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 Cheese & Toast
- Vanilla Yogurt with Strawberries and Leftover Pineapple
- French Toast with Syrup & Bananas
- Peanut Butter Toast with Bananas
Lunches
- Salad with Leftover Parmesan Chicken
- Pasta Salad with Hard Boiled Eggs and Tomato, Cucumber, and Parmesan Cheese
- Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
- BLT Sandwiches with Side Salad
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Orange Chicken with Pineapple over Brown Rice
- Sloppy Joe on French Bread with Cheese and Canned Corn
- Kielbasa, Potatoes and Green Beans in the Crockpot
- Tex Mex Pizza with Taco meat, Refried Beans, Salsa, and Cheese
- Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Butter Pasta, and Broccoli
- Breakfast for Dinner: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Bacon, Fried Potatoes, and Sauteed Apples
Snacks
- Chips and Salsa
- Peanut Butter and Apples
- Yogurt Bites
Sweet Treat
- Homemade Orange Popsicles
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Des Moines, Iowa. 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 #7“
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Fareway Price | Hy-Vee Price |
| Strawberries | 1lb= $2.99 | 1lb= $4.69 *on sale* |
| 6 Bananas | $0.24 each = $1.44 | $0.22 each = $1.32 *on sale* |
| Lettuce | Dole Iceberg= $1.99 | Dole Iceberg= $1.89 *on sale* |
| Tomato x2 | Vine Ripe $1.87 each= $3.74 | Local Homegrown $1.64 each= $3.28 |
| Cucumber | $0.99 each | $0.89 each |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of russets= $3.49 | 5lb bag of russets= $3.79 *on sale* |
| Apples | Braeburn $0.50 each= $3.00 | Honeycrisp $0.45 each= $2.70 |
| Total: (7 items) | $17.64 | $18.56 |
In the produce department, Fareway came out cheaper with a total of $17.64. This was $0.92 cheaper than Hy-Vee’s total of $18.56.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Fareway Price | Hy-Vee Price |
| Bacon | DSM 12oz pack= $4.99 *on sale* | Johnsville 12oz pack = $5.49 *on sale* |
| 4-6 Chicken Breasts | Tyson 2.5lb bag of breasts= $10.99 | Tyson 2.5lb bag of breasts= $11.99 |
| Kielbasa Sausage | Zatarain’s Smoked Sausage 14oz= $3.88 *on sale* | Hillshire 14oz= $2.99 *on sale* |
| 1 lb ground turkey | Fareway 1lb roll= $3.99 | Honeysuckle 1lb roll= $3.99 |
| Total: (4 items) | $23.85 | $24.46 |
In the meat section, Fareway came out cheaper again with a total of $23.85. This was $0.61 cheaper than Hy-Vee’s total of $24.46.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Fareway Price | Hy-Vee Price |
| Sandwich Bread | Corner Store 16oz white= $1.39 | That’s Smart 16oz white= $1.29 |
| Canned Pineapple | Dole 20oz can = $1.97 | That’s Smart 20ox can = $1.99 |
| Pancake Syrup | Fareway 24oz bottle = $2.94 | That’s Smart 24oz bottle = $1.89 |
| French Bread Loaf | Bakery Fresh = $1.99 | Fresh Baked = $1.99 |
| Cinnamon | Tones 1.76oz bottle = $2.99 | That’s Smart 2.38oz bottle= $1.00 |
| Peanut Butter | Fareway 16oz= $2.79 | Hy-Vee 16oz= $2.29 |
| Italian Dressing | Fareway 16oz bottle= $2.25 *on sale* | That’s Smart 16oz bottle= $1.88 |
| Pasta | Fareway 16oz Rotini = $1.48 | That’s Smart 16oz elbows= $1.25 |
| Large can Tomato Soup | Fareway 26oz can= $1.88 *on sale* | That’s Smart 10.75oz can $0.69×2= $1.38 |
| Canned Tomatoes | Fareway 10oz can = $0.88 *on sale* | That’s Smart 14.5oz can = $0.79 |
| Orange Marmalade | Fareway 18oz jar= $2.69 | Hy-Vee 18 oz jar= $3.29 |
| BBQ Sauce | KC Masterpiece 18oz bottle = $1.98 | That’s Smart 18oz bottle = $1.18 |
| Soy Sauce | Fareway 10oz bottle= $2.19 | Hy-Vee 10oz bottle= $2.29 |
| Brown Rice | Mahatma 1lb bag= $1.49 *on sale* | Hy-Vee 1lb bag= $1.68 |
| Canned Green Beans | Butter Kernal 14.5oz can = $1.14 | That’s Smart 14.5oz can= $0.75 |
| Taco Seasoning | Fareway 1oz pack= $1.00 | Siete 1.31 oz pack= $0.75 *on sale* |
| Refried Beans | Fareway 16oz can = $0.99 | That’s Smart 16oz can = $0.99 |
| Salsa | Fareway 14.5oz can = $1.49 | That’s Smart 15.5oz jar= $1.79 |
| Worcestershire Sauce | Fareway 10oz bottle= $1.79 | That’s Smart 10oz bottle= $1.49 |
| Mustard | Fareway 8oz bottle= $1.19 | That’s Smart 14oz bottle= $0.99 |
| Canned Corn | Butter Kernel 15oz can = $1.14 | That’s Smart 15.5 oz can = $0.75 |
| Mayonnaise | Fareway 12oz bottle= $2.79 | Kraft 15oz bottle= $2.59 |
| All Purpose Flour | Fareway 5lb bag= $2.74 *on sale* | That’s Smart 5lb bag= $2.69 |
| Dry Active Yeast | Red Star 3 pack= $0.99 | Red Star 3 pack= $1.79 |
| Total: (24 items) | $44.17 | $38.77 |
In the dry goods section, Hy-Vee came out cheaper with a total of $38.77. This was $5.40 cheaper than Fareway’s total of $44.17.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Fareway Price | Hy-Vee Price |
| Frozen Broccoli | Fareway 12oz bag= $1.50 *on sale* | That’s Smart 12oz bag= $1.29 |
| Total: (1 items) | $1.50 | $1.29 |
In the frozen food section, Hy-Vee came out cheaper with a total of $1.29. This was $0.21 cheaper than Fareway’s total of $1.50.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Fareway Price | Hy-Vee Price |
| Eggs | Country Daybreak 12ct white= $2.79 | That’s Smart 12ct white= $1.99 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Fareway 8oz bag= $2.77 *on sale* | Hy-Vee 8oz bag= $2.99 |
| Vanilla Yogurt | AE Dairy 24oz tub= $2.50 (on sale) | Hy-Vee 32oz tub= $3.39 |
| American Cheese | Fareway 12oz =$2.99 *on sale* | That’s Smart 10.6oz = $1.69 |
| Parmesan Cheese | Fareway 6oz bag= $2.77 | Hy-Vee 6oz bag= $2.99 |
| 2% milk | Fareway gallon= $5.05 | That’s Smart gallon= $3.99 |
| Butter | Fareway 1lb= $4.48 | Hy-Vee 1lb= $3.99 |
| Total: (7 items) | $23.35 | $21.03 |
In the dairy section, Hy-Vee came out cheaper with a total of $21.03. This was $2.32 cheaper than Fareway’s total of $23.35
Is Fareway or Hyvee cheaper?
There was a lot of back and forth and no clear winner, so let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Fareway Price | Hy-Vee Price |
| Produce | $17.64 | $18.56 |
| Deli/Meats | $23.85 | $24.46 |
| Dry Goods | $44.17 | $38.77 |
| Frozen Foods | $1.50 | $1.29 |
| Dairy | $23.35 | $21.03 |
| Overall Total: (43 items) | $110.51 | $104.11 |
Overall Hy-Vee came out cheaper than Fareway with a total of $104.11. This was $6.40 (about 6%) cheaper than Fareway’s total of $110.51.
Both stores had a lot of great items on sale, and I believe if you shop smart and use the weekly sales flyer to fill in your meal plan you can save even more money on your grocery budget.
If you are mainly buying pantry staples/dry goods and dairy, I would stick with Hy-Vee though. Meat was a tiny bit cheaper at Fareway, but I would focus on their meat sales!
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Save-A-Lot vs Walmart: Who is Cheaper” and “Giant vs Safeway: Who is cheaper for groceries?“
