Smart & Final vs Safeway: Who is Cheaper?
Smart and Final is a regional grocery store chain with about 250 stores in the Western United States. Safeway is a major grocery retailer with 912 stores in 18 states mostly in the West but a few in the Northeast.
To determine if Smart & Final or Safeway is cheaper for groceries, we will price compare a grocery list for a whole week. Scroll to the end to see the final verdict!
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Is Smart and Final cheaper than Safeway?
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
- Pumpkin Smoothies
- Swiss Cheese and Tomato Toast w/ Scrambled Eggs with a Banana
- Ham and Cheese on English Muffins with a Banana
- Overnight Pumpkin Pie Oats
- Yogurt Parfait with Banana and Homemade Granola
Lunches
- Mexican Dip (refried beans, salsa, sour cream) with Homemade Tortilla Chips
- Cuban-ish Quesadillas (leftover pork, sliced ham, Swiss cheese, and pickles) and Carrot Sticks
- Fried Egg Grilled Swiss Cheese Sandwich with Leftover Soup
- Spinach Salad with Sliced Ham, Tomatoes & Cucumbers
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Beef Tamale Casserole with Sliced Cucumbers
- Brown Sugar Chicken Thighs with Potato Wedges and Green Beans
- Beef, Vegetable, & Rice Soup with Spinach Salad
- Chicken, Squash, and Carrot Rice Bowls
- Crockpot Ranch Pork Loin with Mashed Potatoes & Carrots
- Leftover Pork Pasta with Spinach & Tomatoes in Creamy Sauce
Snacks
- Carrot Sticks
- Popcorn
- Homemade Granola
Sweet Treat
- Banana Oatmeal Cookies
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Salinas, 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 #8“
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Smart & Final Price | Safeway Price |
| Bananas x6 | $0.75 a lb=$1.85 | $0.36 each= $2.16 |
| Tomatoes x3 | Regular Tomato $1.99 a lb= $2.98 | Vine Ripe $2.00 each=$6.00 |
| Spinach | Dole 5 oz bag= $3.39 | Signature Farms 8oz bag= $2.49 |
| Cucumber | $0.89 each | $1.00 each |
| Carrots | 1lb bag= $0.99 | 1lb bag= $1.29 |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of Russets= $3.99 | 5lb bag of Russets= $3.00 *on sale* |
| Yellow Squash | $1.49 each | $2.00 each |
| Total: (7 items) | $15.58 | $17.94 |
In the produce section, Smart & Final came out cheaper with a total of $15.58. This was $2.36 cheaper than Safeway’s total of $17.94.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Smart & Final Price | Safeway Price |
| Ground Beef (1lb) | 93/7 fresh ground= $6.99 | 85/15 fresh ground= $7.99 *on sale* |
| Chicken Thighs (6-8) | $1.69 a lb (5.28lbs) =$8.92 | $1.99 a lb (4lbs)= $7.96 |
| Pork Loin | $2.99 a lb (4.18lbs)= $12.49 | $4.99 a lb (3.25lbs)= $16.22 *on sale* |
| Ham Lunchmeat | First Street 16oz pack= $6.99 | Hillshire 9oz pack= $5.99 *on sale* |
| Total: (4 items) | $35.39 | $38.16 |
In the meat section, Smart & Final came out cheaper with a total of $35.39. This was $2.77 cheaper than Safeway’s total of $38.16.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Smart & Final Price | Safeway Price |
| Pumpkin Puree | First Street 29oz can= $2.99 | Libby’s 15oz can= $3.00 *on sale* |
| Brown Sugar | Zulka 1lb bag= $1.29 | Signature Select 1lb bag= $3.29 |
| Sandwich Bread | Simply Value 20oz white bread= $2.79 | Oven Joy 22oz wheat bread= $1.69 |
| English Muffins | First Street 6ct= $1.99 | Signature Select 6ct= $2.99 *on sale* |
| Quick Oats | First Street 16oz container= $2.99 | Malt O Meal 16oz container= $2.29 |
| Refried beans | First Street 16oz can= $1.19 | Rosarita 16oz can= $1.99 *on sale* |
| Tortillas | Calidad 8ct = $1.59 | La Rosa 10ct= $1.29 |
| Pickle Slices | Famous Dave’s 24oz jar= $3.79 | Mt. Olive 24oz jar= $3.00 *on sale* |
| Salsa | La Mexicana 24oz jar= $2.89 *on sale* | Signature Select 16oz jar= $2.79 |
| Canned Corn | First Street 15.25oz can= $0.89 *on sale* | Signature Select 15.25oz can= $1.25 *on sale* |
| Cornbread Mix | Jiffy 8.5oz box= $0.79 | Krusteaz 15oz box= $2.99 *on sale* |
| Enchilada Sauce | Las Palmas 28oz can= $2.59 | Signature Select 10oz can= $1.79 |
| Taco Seasoning | McCormick 1oz pack= $0.99 | Signature Select 1oz = $0.99 *on sale* |
| Canned Green Beans | First Street 14.5oz can= $0.89 *on sale* | Signature Select 14.5oz can= $1.25 *on sale* |
| Beef Boullion | Knorr 7.9oz jar= $2.59 | Signature Select 3.75oz jar= $2.49 |
| Diced Tomatoes | Del Monte 14.5oz can= $1.29 | Signature Select 14.5oz can= $1.25 *on sale* |
| White Rice | First Street 1lb bag= $0.89 | Signature Select 2lb bag= $2.49 |
| Soy Sauce | First Street 10oz bottle= $2.39 | Signature Select 10oz bottle= $2.79 |
| Ranch Powder | Hidden Valley 1oz pack= $2.89 *on sale* | Hidden Valley 1oz pack= $1.67 *on sale* |
| Microwave Popcorn | First Street 3bags= $1.99 | Jolly Time 4 bags= $1.25 *on sale* |
| Honey | Sun Harvest 12oz bottle= $4.49 | Signature Select 12oz bottle= $4.99 |
| Raisins | Sun-Maid 6ct mini boxes (6oz) = $3.49 | Sun-Maid 12oz box= $2.99 *on sale* |
| Cinnamon | First Street 2.7oz jar= $2.49 *on sale* | McCormick .25oz jar= $3.68 *on sale* |
| Pasta | Allegra 16oz penne= $1.25 | Signature Select 16oz Rotini= $1.59 |
| Total: (23 items) | $51.42 | $55.79 |
In the dry goods section, Smart and Final came out cheaper with a total of $51.41. This was $4.37 cheaper than Safeway’s total of $55.79.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Smart & Final Price | Safeway Price |
| Mixed vegetables | First Street 12oz bag= $1.79 | Signature Select 15oz bag= $1.49 |
| Total: (1 items) | $1.79 | $1.49 |
In the frozen section, Safeway came out cheaper with a total of $1.49. This was $0.30 cheaper than Smart & Final’s total of $1.79.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Smart & Final Price | Safeway Price |
| Vanilla Yogurt | Yoplait 32oz container= $3.49 | Lucerne 32oz container= $3.49 |
| 2% Milk | First Street gallon= $3.79 | Value Corner gallon= $4.29 |
| Sliced Swiss Cheese | First Street 12oz pack= $4.49 | Lucerne 10ct= $3.49 *on sale* |
| Eggs | First Street 12ct white eggs=$5.49 *on sale* | Lucerne 12ct white eggs=$4.49 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | First Street 8oz bag= $2.99 | Sargento 8oz bag= $3.00 *on sale* |
| Cream Cheese x2 | First Street 8oz $2.00 each x2=$4.00 | Lucerne 2 block pack= $4.99 |
| Total: (6 items) | $24.25 | $23.75 |
In the dairy section, Safeway came out cheaper with a total of $23.75. This was $0.50 cheaper than Smart & Final’s total of $24.25.
Is Safeway more expensive than Smart N Final?
There was a lot of back and forth in the different sections, so let’s look at the overall totals!
| Section | Smart & Final Price | Safeway Price |
| Produce | $15.58 | $17.94 |
| Deli/Meats | $35.39 | $38.16 |
| Dry Goods | $51.42 | $55.79 |
| Frozen Foods | $1.79 | $1.49 |
| Dairy | $24.25 | $23.75 |
| Overall Total: (41 items) | $128.43 | $137.13 |
Overall, Smart & Final was cheaper than Safeway with a total of $128.43. This was $8.70 (about 6%) cheaper than Safeway’s total of $137.13.
If these two grocery stores are your only options, you will really need to focus on the weekly sales ads. By taking advantage of what is currently on sale and in season, you can really get your grocery budget in check.
Another great way to save is to utilize what you already have on hand. For instance, you may already have brown sugar, soy sauce, and white rice in your cabinets. Always do a pantry, refrigerator, and freezer check before going to the grocery store!
Safeway does have weekly ads, and you can use them to help you meal plan for maximum savings. For more savings at Safeway, check out their FreshPass. They are currently offering a 30-day free trial!
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Foodland vs Safeway: Who is Cheaper?” and “Smart and Final vs Target: Who is Cheaper?“
