Food Depot vs Kroger: Who is Cheaper?
Food Depot is a regional grocery store chain with about 41 stores in the metro Atlanta area. Kroger is a major grocery store chain that operates under the Kroger Company. They currently have 1,348 Kroger stores in 38 states.
We will take a grocery list of foods for full week’s menu plan and compare prices at Food Depot and Kroger to determine who is cheaper for groceries. Scroll to the end to see the final verdict!
Is Kroger more expensive than Food Depot?
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 Douglasville, Georgia. 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 | Food Depot Price | Kroger Price |
| Mushrooms | 8oz pack sliced= $2.29 | 8oz pack whole= $2.39 |
| Blueberries | 1 pint= $1.29 | 1 pint= $3.49 |
| Strawberries | 16oz pack= $1.49 | 16oz pack= $3.99 |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of Idaho potatoes= $3.99 | 5lb bag of Russet potatoes= $3.89 |
| Lettuce | 1 head iceberg= $4.99 | 1 head iceberg= $1.99 |
| Tomato x2 | Cocktail tomatoes= $2.79 for a pound | Beefsteak tomatoes ($1.01 each x2) = $2.02 |
| Cucumber | $1.29 each | $0.69 each *on sale* |
| Green Bell Pepper | $0.99 each | $0.79 each |
| Celery | 1 bunch= $1.89 | 1 bunch= $1.69 |
| Total: (9 items) | $21.01 | $20.94 |
In the produce section, Kroger barely came in cheaper with a total of $20.94. This was $0.07 cheaper than Food Depot’s total of $21.01.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Food Depot Price | Kroger Price |
| Diced Ham | Sugardale 8oz pack= $1.81 | Smithfield 8oz pack= $2.50 *on sale* |
| 1lb ground beef | Market Ground beef 1lb fresh= $2.98 | Kroger 1lb roll= $4.79 |
| Chicken Breasts (4-6) | Chicken Tenders $2.48 a lb. (5 lbs.) = $12.40 | Heritage Farms $2.99 a lb (4.72lbs) = $14.14 |
| Total: (3 items) | $17.19 | $21.43 |
In the meat section, Food Depot came out cheaper with a total of $17.19. This was $4.24 cheaper than Kroger’s total of $21.43.
Food Depot doesn’t always stock everything, so we substituted chicken tenders for chicken breasts.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Food Depot Price | Kroger Price |
| Sausage Gravy Mix | Southeastern 2.75oz pack= $0.68 | Pioneer 2.75 oz pack= $1.25 *on sale* |
| Sandwich bread | Food Depot 20oz white bread= $1.35 | Kroger 20oz white bread= $1.50 *on sale* |
| Saltines | Global Select 10.6 oz box= $1.19 | Kroger 16oz box= $1.79 |
| Corn Chips | Bugles 7.5oz bag= $1.81 *on sale* | Kroger 9oz bag= $1.99 *on sale* |
| Beef Broth | Essential Everyday 14.5oz can= $0.50 *on sale* | Kroger 14oz can= $0.69 *on sale* |
| Egg Noodles | Pampa 12oz bag= $1.13 | Kroger 16oz bag= $2.29 |
| Cream of Mushroom Soup | Essential Everyday 10.5oz can= $0.50 *on sale* | Kroger 10.5oz can= $1.00 |
| Canned Tomatoes | Hunt’s 14.5oz can= $1.10 *on sale* | Kroger 14.5oz can= $1.00 |
| Chili Powder | Badia 2.5oz jar= $1.45 | Smidge & Spoon 2.19oz jar= $1.25 |
| Kidney Beans | Luck’s 15oz can= $0.90 | Kroger 15.5oz can= $0.89 |
| Brown Rice | China Doll 1lb bag= $1.49 | Kroger 1lb bag= $0.99 |
| Ranch Seasoning | Essential Everyday .5oz pack= $0.55 | Kroger 1oz pack= $0.69 |
| Ranch Dressing | Pampa 16oz bottle= $1.33 | Smart Way 16oz bottle= $1.99 |
| Microwave Popcorn | Cousin Willies 3 ct bags= $1.23 *on sale* | Cousin Willies 3 ct bags= $1.99 |
| Brown Sugar | Domino 1lb box= $1.36 | Kroger 2lb bag= $1.67 *on sale* |
| Cinnamon | Spice Supreme 3.5oz jar= $0.65 | Smidge & Spoon 2.25oz jar= $1.25 |
| Chocolate Chips | Essential Everyday 11.5oz bag= $1.79 *on sale* | Kroger 12oz bag= $2.59 |
| Canned Corn | Libby’s 14.75oz can= $0.88 *on sale* | Kroger 15.25 oz can= $0.89 |
| Total: (18 items) | $19.89 | $25.71 |
In the dry goods section, Food Depot came out cheaper with a total of $19.89. This was $5.82 cheaper than Kroger’s total of $25.71.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Food Depot Price | Kroger Price |
| Frozen Peas | Bird’s Eye 13oz bag= $0.89 | Kroger 12oz bag= $1.25 *on sale* |
| Frozen Broccoli | Bird’s Eye 10.8 oz bag= $1.08 *on sale* | Bird’s Eye 10.8 oz bag= $1.59 *on sale* |
| Total: (2 items) | $1.97 | $2.84 |
In the frozen section, Food Depot was cheaper with a total of $1.97. This was $0.87 cheaper than Kroger’s total of $2.84.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Food Depot Price | Kroger Price |
| Eggs | Wild Harvest 12ct brown eggs= $3.84 | Kroger 12ct white eggs= $2.59 |
| 2% milk | Flav O Rich gallon= $3.69 | Kroger gallon= $3.19 |
| American Cheese | Birden 16ct= $2.35 | Kroger 16ct= $2.29 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Dutch Farms 8oz bag= $2.05 | Kroger 8oz bag= $2.49 *on sale* |
| Vanilla Yogurt | Yoplait 32oz container= $2.18 | Kroger 32oz container= $2.69 |
| Sour Cream | Essential Everyday 8oz container= $0.79 *on sale* | Kroger 8oz container= $1.25 *on sale* |
| Cream Cheese Block | Essential Everyday 8oz= $1.09 *on sale* | Kroger 8oz= $1.99 |
| Biscuits | Essential Everyday 5ct biscuits= $1.05 | Kroger 8ct biscuits= $1.69 |
| Total: (7 items) | $17.04 | $18.18 |
In the dairy section, Food Depot came out cheaper with a total of $17.04. This was $1.14 cheaper than Kroger’s total of $18.18.
Is Food Depot cheaper than Kroger?
There was a lot of back and forth on which store was cheaper. Let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Food Depot Price | Kroger Price |
| Produce | $21.01 | $20.94 |
| Deli/Meats | $17.19 | $21.43 |
| Dry Goods | $19.89 | $25.71 |
| Frozen Foods | $1.97 | $2.84 |
| Dairy | $17.04 | $18.18 |
| Overall Total: (40 items) | $77.10 | $89.10 |
Overall, Food Depot came out cheaper than Kroger with a total of $77.10. This was $12.00 (about 13%) cheaper than Kroger’s total of $89.10.
There were a few items at Food Depot like the lettuce, eggs, and milk that was much cheaper at Kroger. IF these are my two options, I would buy the majority of my items at Food Depot, and then fill in with a trip to Kroger.
I would also utilize the weekly sales flyer so I could make my meal plan based on what is currently on sale. This would also allow me to stock up on items that are at a really good price.
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Albertsons vs Ralphs: Who is Cheaper?” and “Shaw’s vs Stop & Shop: Who is Cheaper?“
