Publix vs Aldi: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
I keep hearing everyone say that Aldi is so much cheaper than all the other grocery stores, but I always have issues with this. I just don’t think shopping everything on my list at Aldi comes out cheaper.
So today we will do a side-by-side comparison of Publix and Aldi to see who has cheaper groceries. We will also determine if it is worth just going to one store, or if there is a savings by going to both stores for our grocery list. Let’s see how it goes!
Is Aldi cheaper than Publix?
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
- Egg & Bacon Breakfast Burritos with Orange Slices
- Muffins, Yogurt, & Diced Pears
- Banana Smoothies and Scrambled Eggs
- Banana Raisin Pancakes with Pancake Syrup and Diced Pears
Lunches
- Sloppy Joe & Cheese Taquitos with sour cream
- BLT wraps
- Leftovers from Dinners
Dinners
- Sloppy Joes with Carrot Salad and Homemade Potato Wedges
- Tuna Casserole with Green Peas
- Ground Beef Burrito Bowls with Rice, served with (lettuce, tomato, black beans, sour cream, & cheddar cheese)
- Smoke Sausage Foil Packs with carrots, potatoes, & onion
- Mississippi Chicken in the Crockpot served over white rice with Brussell Sprouts
- One Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta with Garlic Bread & Green Beans
Snacks
- Orange Slices
- Popcorn
- Yogurt
- Diced Pears
Sweet Treat
- Easy Maple Cookies (uses pancake syrup)
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Smyrna, Tennessee. 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 Week #12 (Quick, Healthy and Cheap for a Family!)”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Publix Price | Aldi Price |
| Bananas x8 | $0.30 each= $2.40 | $0.21 each= $1.68 |
| Oranges | 3lb bag of mandarins= $5.37 | 3lb bag of mandarins= $3.95 |
| Lettuce | 1 head green leaf= $3.65 | 1 head green leaf= $1.65 |
| Tomato x2 | Regular Tomato $0.79 each=$1.58 *on sale* | 2 pack Beefsteak tomato= $1.89 |
| Onion x2 | Yellow Onions $0.74 each= $1.48 | 2lb bag of sweet onions= $2.55 |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of red potatoes= $3.87 *on sale* | 5lb bag of red potatoes= $4.75 |
| Carrots | 16oz bag baby carrots= $1.37 | 16oz bag baby carrots= $1.35 |
| Total: (7 items) | $19.72 | $17.82 |
In the produce section, Aldi came out cheaper with a total of $17.82. This was $1.90 cheaper than Publix’s total of $19.72.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Publix Price | Aldi Price |
| Bacon | Publix 12oz pack= $4.93 | Appleton Farms 16oz pack= $4.09 |
| Ground Beef | Publix 80/20 fresh $5.53 a lb (1.32lbs)= $7.30 | 85/15 1lb roll= $4.39 |
| Smoked Sausage (kielbasa, etc) | Hillshire Farms 12oz pack= $5.83 | Parkview 12oz pack= $3.65 |
| Chicken Breasts (need 4-5) | Perdue 3lb frozen bag= $12.49 | Kirkwood 5lb fresh pack= $12.45 |
| Total: (4 items) | $30.55 | $24.58 |
In the meat section, Aldi came out cheaper with a total of $24.58. This was $5.97 cheaper than Publix’s total of $30.55.
*It is worth noting that not only was Aldi cheaper, but we also got 4oz more of the bacon and 2 lbs more of the chicken breasts.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Publix Price | Aldi Price |
| Flour Tortillas | Misson 12ct= $2.75 | Pueblo Lindo 20ct= $2.09 |
| Muffin Mix | Jiffy blueberry 7oz box= $1.11 | Jiffy corn 8.5oz box= $0.69 |
| Pancake Syrup | Publix 24oz bottle= $3.87 | Millville 24oz bottle= $2.35 |
| Ketchup | Hunt’s 20oz bottle= $2.19 | Burman’s 38oz bottle= $1.95 |
| Brown Sugar | Publix 1lb bag= $1.75 | Baker’s Corner 2lb bag= $2.05 |
| Worcestershire Sauce | Lea & Perrins 5oz bottle= $3.09 | *substitution* Burman’s Steak Sauce 10oz bottle= $2.19 |
| Hamburger Buns (8ct) | Publix 8ct= $2.37 | L’oven Fresh 8ct= $1.45 |
| Raisins | Publix 6oz mini boxes= $2.09 | Southern Grove 6oz mini boxes= $1.75 |
| Diced Pears (canned) | Publix 15.5oz can= $2.21 | Sweet Harvest 15oz can= $1.49 |
| Mayonnaise | Duke’s 8oz jar= $3.31 | Burman’s 18oz bottle= $2.85 |
| Egg Noodles | Publix 16oz bag= $2.97 | Reggano 16oz bag= $1.59 |
| Tuna (canned) | Starkist 5oz can= $1.07 | Northern Catch 5oz can= $0.95 |
| Breadcrumbs | Publix 15oz container= $2.07 | Chef’s Cupboard 8oz container= $1.95 |
| Taco Seasoning Pack | Publix 1.25oz pack= $1.09 | Casa Mamita 1oz pack= $0.49 |
| White Rice | Publix 1lb bag= $1.43 | Earthly Grains 3lb bag= $2.65 |
| Black Beans (canned) | Publix 15.25oz can= $1.19 | Dakota’s Pride 15oz can= $0.85 |
| Au Jus Seasoning Pack | Publix 1oz pack= $0.98 | Stonemill 0.87 oz pack= $0.45 |
| Ranch Seasoning Pack | Hidden Valley 1oz pack= $1.43 *on sale* | Tuscan Garden 1oz pack= $0.55 |
| Pepperoncini | Mezzetta 16oz jar= $2.87 | Tuscan Garden 16oz jar= $2.45 |
| Tomato Sauce | Publix 15oz can= $1.07 | Happy Harvest 8oz can $0.49 each x2= $0.98 |
| Italian Seasoning | Publix 1.43oz jar= $2.65 | Stonemill 0.75oz jar= $1.09 |
| Green Beans | Publix 14.5oz can= $1.31 | Happy Harvest 15oz can= $0.55 |
| Microwave Popcorn | Orville 3ct box= $4.19 | Clancy’s 12ct box= $5.19 |
| All Purpose Flour | Publix 2lb bag= $2.19 | Baker’s Corner 5lb bag= $2.45 |
| Sugar | Publix 2lb bag= $2.43 | Baker’s Corner 4lb bag= $3.19 |
| Baking Soda | Arm & Hammer 8oz box= $0.83 | Baker’s Corner 16oz box= $0.89 |
| Vanilla Extract | Publix 1oz bottle= $4.41 | Stonemill 2oz bottle= $6.49 |
| Total: (26 items) | $58.92 | $51.62 |
In the dry goods section, Aldi came out cheaper with a total of $51.62. This was $7.30 cheaper than Publix’s total of $58.92.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Publix Price | Aldi Price |
| Frozen Peas | Green Giant 9oz bag= $2.19 | Season’s Choice 12oz bag= $1.05 |
| Frozen Brussell Sprouts | Green Giant 9oz bag= $2.21 *on sale* | Season’s Choice 12oz bag= $1.55 |
| Total: (2 items) | $4.40 | $2.60 |
In the frozen section, Aldi came out cheaper with a total of $2.60. This was $1.80 cheaper than Publix’s total of $4.40.
*It is worth noting that not only was Aldi cheaper, but we also got 3 oz more of the peas and the Brussel sprouts.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Publix Price | Aldi Price |
| Vanilla Yogurt | Publix 32oz container= $3.31 | Friendly Farms 32oz container= $2.55 |
| 1/2 gallon of Milk | Publix half gallon= $2.99 | Friendly Farms half gallon= $2.05 |
| Eggs | Publix 12ct large white eggs= $3.17 | Goldhen 12ct large white eggs= $1.89 |
| Cheddar Cheese (16oz) | Publix 16oz block= $7.53 | Happy Farms 16oz shred= $4.19 |
| Sour Cream | Publix 8oz container= $1.65 | Friendly Farms 16oz container= $1.89 |
| Butter | Publix 16oz sticks= $4.97 | Countryside Creamery 16oz sticks= $3.55 |
| Mozzarella Cheese (8oz) | Publix 8oz bag= $3.87 | Happy Farms 8oz block= $2.19 |
| Total: (7 items) | $27.49 | $18.31 |
In the dairy section, Aldi came out cheaper with a total of $18.31. This was $9.18 cheaper than Publix’s total of $27.49.
Is Publix more expensive than Aldi?
Aldi dominated in pretty much every section, but let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Publix Price | Aldi Price |
| Produce | $19.72 | $17.82 |
| Deli/Meats | $30.55 | $24.58 |
| Dry Goods | $58.92 | $51.62 |
| Frozen Foods | $4.40 | $2.60 |
| Dairy | $27.49 | $18.31 |
| Overall Total: (46 items) | $141.08 | $114.93 |
Overall, Aldi came out cheaper than Publix with a total of $114.93. This was $26.15 (about 18%) cheaper than Publix’s total of $141.08.
If I could only go to one store, I would obviously pick Aldi since they were much cheaper than Publix.
If I had the time to go to both stores or do a curbside pick up order, I could have potentially saved another 7% on my weekly shopping trip. By just getting the cheapest items at each store, our total would have been $106.75.
The combined total of both stores of $106.75 is much closer to my grocery budget of $100. So, I believe the time to go to both stores would be worth it, since that would save me an additional $8.18.
For more grocery store comparisons, check out “Rouses vs Publix” and “Aldi vs Kroger.”
