Kroger vs Giant Eagle: Who is Cheaper?
Kroger is a major supermarket chain with about 1348 stores in 38 states in the US. Giant Eagle is a smaller grocery chain with 221 stores in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, and Indiana.
To determine if Kroger or Giant Eagle is cheaper for groceries, we are going to do a side-by-side price comparison for a week’s worth of groceries. Scroll to the end to see the final verdict!
Is Kroger cheaper than Giant Eagle?
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 Morgantown, West Virginia. 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 | Kroger Prices | Giant Eagle Prices |
| Strawberries | 1lb= $2.99 | 1lb= $3.00 *on sale* |
| 6 Bananas | $0.21 each= $1.26 | $0.15 each= $0.90 |
| Lettuce | Iceberg head= $1.59 | Iceberg head= $1.69 *on sale* |
| Tomato x2 | Beefsteak $1.29 each x2= $2.58 | Produce Stem $0.50 each= $1.00 *on sale* |
| Cucumber | $0.69 each | English cucumbers $1.19 each *on sale* |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of Russets= $3.99 | 5lb bag of Russets= $3.99 *on sale* |
| Apples | $0.99 a lb/ Gala Apples= $2.97 | 3lb Red delicious = $3.50 *on sale* |
| Total: (7 items) | $16.07 | $15.27 |
In the produce section, Giant Eagle came out cheaper with a total of $15.27. This was $.80 cheaper than Kroger’s total of $16.07.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Kroger Prices | Giant Eagle Prices |
| Bacon | Kroger 16oz pack= $4.79 | Giant Eagle 12oz pack= $4.69 *on sale* |
| 4-6 Chicken Breasts | $3.79 a lb (3.25lbs) = $12.28 | $2.79 a lb (3.5lbs) = $9.77 *on sale* |
| Kielbasa Sausage | Simple Truth 12oz = $3.00 *on sale* | Eckrich 14oz =$3.99 *on sale* |
| 1 lb ground turkey | 85% fresh ground= $4.99 | 85% fresh ground= $5.69 |
| Total: (4 items) | $25.06 | $24.14 |
In the meat section, Giant Eagle came out cheaper with a total of $24.14. This was $0.92 cheaper than Kroger’s total of $25.06.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Kroger Prices | Giant Eagle Prices |
| Sandwich Bread | Kroger 20oz white= $1.50 *on sale* | Giant Eagle 20oz white= $0.99 *on sale* |
| Canned Pineapple | Kroger 20oz can = $1.39 | Giant Eagle 20oz can= $1.79 |
| Pancake Syrup | Kroger 24oz bottle= $1.99 *on sale* | Giant Eagle 24oz bottle= $2.99 |
| French Bread Loaf | $1.99 each | $1.99 each |
| Cinnamon | Smidge & Spoon 2.25 oz= $1.25 | Badia 20z= $1.69 |
| Peanut Butter | Kroger 16oz jar= $1.50 *on sale* | Giant Eagle 16oz jar= $1.99 |
| Italian Dressing | Kroger 16oz bottle= $1.99 | Giant Eagle 16oz bottle= $2.00 *on sale* |
| Pasta | Kroger 16oz Rotini= $1.33 *on sale* | Giant Eagle 16oz elbows= $1.19 |
| Large can Tomato Soup | Kroger 26oz can= $1.99 | Giant Eagle 26oz can = $2.29 |
| Canned Tomatoes | Kroger 14.5oz can= $0.69 *on sale* | Giant Eagle 14.5 oz can = $0.75 *on sale* |
| Orange Marmalade | Kroger 18oz jar= $3.79 | Giant Eagle 18oz jar= $2.69 |
| BBQ Sauce | Kraft 18oz bottle= $1.25 *on sale* | Open Pit 18oz bottle= $1.00 *on sale* |
| Soy Sauce | Kroger 10oz bottle= $1.69 | Giant Eagle 10oz bottle= $2.19 |
| Brown Rice | Kroger 1lb bag= $0.99 | Giant Eagle 2lb bag= $1.59 |
| Canned Green Beans | Kroger 14.5oz can= $0.89 | Giant Eagle 14.5oz can= $0.69 |
| Taco Seasoning | Kroger 1.25oz pack = $0.39 | Old El Paso 1oz pack= $0.99 |
| Refried Beans | Kroger 16 oz can= $1.00 | Ortega 16oz can = $1.99*on sale* |
| Salsa | Kroger 16 oz jar= $1.79 | Giant Eagle 15.5oz jar= $2.09 |
| Worcestershire Sauce | Kroger 10oz bottle= $1.00 *on sale* | Giant Eagle 10 oz bottle= $1.79 |
| Mustard | Kroger 20oz bottle= $0.89 | Koops 12oz bottle= $1.99 *on sale* |
| Canned Corn | Kroger 14.5oz can= $0.89 | Giant Eagle 14.5oz can= $0.69 |
| Mayonnaise | Kroger 15oz jar= $3.19 | Duke’s 32oz jar= $3.59 *on sale* |
| All Purpose Flour | Kroger 5lb bag= $2.69 | Giant Eagle 5lb bag= $2.99 |
| Dry Active Yeast | Kroger 3pack= $1.19 | Red Star 3pack = $1.79 |
| Total: (24 items) | $37.26 | $43.74 |
In the dry good section, Kroger came out cheaper with a total of $37.26. This was $6.48 cheaper than Giant Eagle with a total of $43.74.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Kroger Prices | Giant Eagle Prices |
| Frozen Broccoli | Kroger 12oz bag= $1.25 *on sale* | Giant Eagle 10oz bag= $1.19 |
| Total: (1 items) | $1.25 | $1.19 |
In the frozen section, Giant Eagle came out cheaper with a total of $1.19. This was $0.06 cheaper than Kroger’s total of $1.25.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Kroger Prices | Giant Eagle Prices |
| Eggs | Kroger 12ct white= $1.99 | Hillandale 12ct white= $2.59 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Kroger 8oz bag= $2.49 | Giant Eagle 8oz bag= $2.39 |
| Vanilla Yogurt | Kroger 32oz tub= $2.00 *on sale* | Dannon 32oz tub= $4.19 |
| American Cheese | Kroger 16ct= $2.29 | Giant Eagle 16ct= $2.79 |
| Parmesan Cheese | Kroger 6oz bag= $2.49 | Giant Eagle 6oz bag= $2.19 |
| 2% milk | Kroger gallon = $3.19 | Giant Eagle gallon= $2.99 |
| Butter | Kroger 1lb= $3.99 | Giant Eagle 1lb= $4.09 |
| Total: (7 items) | $18.44 | $21.23 |
In the dairy section, Kroger came out cheaper with a total of $18.44. This was $2.79 cheaper than Giant Eagle’s total of $21.23.
Is Giant Eagle more expensive than Kroger?
There was no clear winner for cheapest, so let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Kroger Prices | Giant Eagle Prices |
| Produce | $16.07 | $15.27 |
| Deli/Meats | $25.06 | $24.14 |
| Dry Goods | $37.26 | $43.74 |
| Frozen Foods | $1.25 | $1.19 |
| Dairy | $18.44 | $21.23 |
| Overall Total: (43 items) | $98.08 | $105.57 |
Overall, Kroger was cheaper than Giant Eagle with a total of $98.08. This was $7.49 (about 7%) cheaper than Giant Eagle total of $105.57.
Both Kroger and Giant Eagle had a good number of items on sale, so to maximize the savings on your grocery budget, I would focus on the weekly sales paper.
If you only shop the deals at both locations, and then pick up your pantry staples at Kroger, you could potentially save a lot of money every month.
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Fareway vs Family Fare: Who is Cheaper?” and “Hy-Vee vs Fareway: Who is Cheaper?“
