Aldi vs Meijer: Who is Cheaper?
Aldi is a discounted grocery retailer that has over 1600 stores in the US. Meijer is a grocery chain that operates stores mainly in the Midwest and has about 259 stores in the US.
To determine if Aldi or Meijer is cheaper for groceries, we will price compare a week’s worth of groceries. Scroll down to the end to see the final verdict of which store had the cheapest groceries. (The results may surprise you!)
Is Aldi cheaper than Meijer?
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 Detroit, Michigan. 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 | Meijer Price | Aldi Price |
| Strawberries | 1lb= $2.75 | 1lb= $1.99 |
| 6 Bananas | $0.32 each= $1.92 | $0.33 each= $1.98 |
| Lettuce | Iceberg head= $1.39 | Iceberg head= $1.49 |
| Tomato x2 | Greenhouse $0.75 each= $1.50 *on sale* | Sunset 3 pack= $2.65 |
| Cucumber | $0.69 each | $0.75 each |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of russets= $3.29 | 5lb bag of baking potatoes= $4.95 |
| Apples | $1.59 a lb Jonagold (3lbs)=$4.77 | 2lb bag of Pink Lady= $4.39 |
| Total: (7 items) | $16.31 | $18.20 |
In the produce section, Meijer came out cheaper with a total of $16.31. This was $1.89 cheaper than Aldi’s total of $18.20.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Meijer Price | Aldi Price |
| Bacon | Top Valu 12oz pack= $3.49 | Appleton Farms 16oz pack= $4.55 |
| 4-6 Chicken Breasts | $2.99 a lb (4.94lbs) = $14.77 *on sale* | $2.89 a lb (4.3lbs) = $12.43 |
| Kielbasa Sausage | Meijer 12oz pack= $3.49 | Parkview 14oz pack= $3.85 |
| 1 lb ground turkey | Meijer 16oz roll= $2.49 | Kirkwood 1lb roll= $3.29 |
| Total: (4 items) | $24.24 | $24.12 |
In the meat section, Aldi barely came out cheaper with a total $24.12. That was $0.12 cheaper than Meijer’s total of $24.24.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Meijer Price | Aldi Price |
| Sandwich Bread | Meijer 20oz white= $1.79 | L’oven 20oz white= $1.09 |
| Canned Pineapple | Meijer 20oz can= $1.45 | Sweet Harvest 20oz can = $1.45 |
| Pancake Syrup | Meijer 24oz bottle= $2.15 | Aunt Maple’s 24oz bottle= $2.09 |
| French Bread Loaf | Meijer= $2.29 | Specially Selected= $1.89 |
| Cinnamon | Meijer 2.37oz jar= $3.19 | Simply Nature Organic= $2.75 |
| Peanut Butter | Meijer 16oz jar= $2.19 | Peanut Delight 18oz jar= $1.89 |
| Italian Dressing | Meijer 16oz bottle= $1.99 | Tuscan Garden 16oz bottle= $2.09 |
| Pasta | Meijer 16oz elbows= $1.00 | Reggano 16oz penne= $1.05 |
| Large can Tomato Soup | Meijer 26oz can= $1.55 | Simply Nature Organic 18.6oz can= $2.35 |
| Canned Tomatoes | Meijer 14.5oz can= $0.75 | Happy Harvest 14.5oz can= $0.79 |
| Orange Marmalade | Meijer 18oz jar= $2.75 | Berryhill 18oz jar= $2.55 |
| BBQ Sauce | Open Pit 18oz bottle= $1.09 *on sale* | Burman’s 18oz bottle= $1.35 |
| Soy Sauce | Meijer 10oz bottle= $1.59 | Burman’s 15oz bottle= $1.75 |
| Brown Rice | Riceland 1lb bag= $1.19 | Earthly Grains 8.8oz = $1.45 |
| Canned Green Beans | Meijer 14.5oz can= $0.59 | Happy Harvest 14.5oz can = $0.65 |
| Taco Seasoning | Meijer 1oz pack= $0.49 | Casa Mamita 1oz pack= $0.45 |
| Refried Beans | Meijer 16oz can= $0.89 | Casa Mamita 16oz can= $1.05 |
| Salsa | Meijer 24oz jar= $2.19 | Casa Mamita 24 oz jar= $2.15 |
| Worcestershire Sauce | Meijer 10oz bottle= $1.29 | #Subsitution- Burman’s Ketchup 38oz = $1.65 |
| Mustard | Meijer 8oz bottle= $0.99 | Burman’s 20oz bottle= $0.99 |
| Canned Corn | Meijer 15oz can= $0.59 | Happy Harvest 15.25 oz can = $0.65 |
| Mayonnaise | Meijer 15oz jar = $2.59 | Burman’s 30oz jar $3.09 |
| All Purpose Flour | Meijer 5lb bag= $1.79 | Baker’s Corner 5lb bag= $2.35 |
| Dry Active Yeast | Meijer 3pack= $0.99 | Baker’s Corner 3pack= $0.99 |
| Total: (24 items) | $37.37 | $38.56 |
In the dry goods section, Meijer came out cheaper with a total of $37.37. This was $1.19 cheaper than Aldi’s total of $38.56.
Aldi did not have Worcestershire sauce, so we substituted ketchup. A common substitution for Worcestershire sauce is 1 part soy sauce to 1 part ketchup. It’s not quite the same but it works in a pinch!
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Meijer Price | Aldi Price |
| Frozen Broccoli | Meijer 12oz bag= $0.89 | Season’s Choice 2oz bag= $1.05 |
| Total: (1 items) | $0.89 | $1.05 |
In the frozen section, Meijer came out cheaper with a total of $0.89. This was $0.16 cheaper than Aldi’s total of $1.05.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Meijer Price | Aldi Price |
| Eggs | Penny Smart 12ct white= $2.09 | Goldhen 12ct white= $2.29 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Meijer 8oz bag= $2.39 | Happy Farms 16oz bag= $3.29 |
| Vanilla Yogurt | Meijer 32oz tub= $2.79 | Friendly Farms 32oz tub= $2.19 |
| American Cheese | Meijer 12oz= $2.09 | Happy Farms 12oz= $2.09 |
| Parmesan Cheese | Meijer 6oz= $2.39 | Emporium 5oz bag= $2.59 |
| 2% milk | Meijer gallon= $3.79 | Friendly Farms gallon= $3.45 |
| Butter | Meijer 1lb= $4.09 | Countryside Creamery 1lb= $4.39 |
| Total: (7 items) | $19.63 | $20.29 |
In the dairy section, Meijer came out cheaper with a total of $19.63. This was $0.66 cheaper than Aldi’s total of $20.29.
Is Meijer more expensive than Aldi?
Each section was really neck and neck, so let’s look at overall totals.
| Section | Meijer Price | Aldi Price |
| Produce | $16.31 | $18.20 |
| Deli/Meats | $24.24 | $24.12 |
| Dry Goods | $37.37 | $38.56 |
| Frozen Foods | $0.89 | $1.05 |
| Dairy | $19.63 | $20.29 |
| Overall Total: (43 items) | $98.44 | $102.22 |
Overall, Meijer came out cheaper than Aldi with a total of $98.44. This was $3.78 (about 4%) cheaper than Aldi’s total of $102.22.
I used to be a huge Aldi fan and loved shopping there for great deals. Unfortunately, Aldi is not the best price on everything, and doing weekly shopping there can actually cost you more.
If you were to only shop Aldi from great deals and look at the weekly sales flyer for Meijer, you could combine shopping at both stores and save a lot of money on your grocery budget every month.
Just make sure to check price per ounce, and make sure it is actually a good deal before you purchase anything at Aldi. Sometimes the price is great for the amount you get like on the shredded cheese and mustard, but other items like the flour and canned goods were not a great deal.
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Meijer vs Jewel Osco: Who is cheaper for Groceries?” and “Meijer vs Walmart: Who is cheaper?“
