Jewel Osco vs Mariano’s: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
When it comes to grocery shopping, it’s totally worth doing some price comparing between different stores. You never know when you might stumble upon a sweet deal that can save you some hard-earned cash and make your taste buds do a happy dance!
Today we will do a side-by-side price comparison of Jewel Osco and Mariano’s to determine who is cheaper for groceries. We will also see if it is better to just go to one store or if shopping both stores can save us even more money!
Is Jewel Osco cheaper than Mariano’s?
For this test, I have prepared a meal plan for one week that consists of breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners for a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 young kids). I am using the “25 Cheap food that fills you up when you are broke!” as my guide to pick not only healthy foods but also ones that should be fairly cheap.
Here is the meal plan for this grocery trip:
Breakfasts
- Peanut Butter Toast with Bananas x2
- Overnight Oats with Apples and Raisins x3
- Scrambled Eggs with Cheese on top and Toast x2
Lunches
- Tuna Salad Sandwiches x 2
- Veggie & Pepperoni Pasta Salad with Zesty Italian Dressing
- Salad Wraps with tomato, cucumber, and cheese
- Leftovers
Snacks
- Carrots
- Apples
- Popcorn
Dinners
- Baked Whole Chicken with rice and sautéed carrots
- Leftover Chicken in a Pasta with Alfredo Sauce, Broccoli, and side salad
- Ground Turkey Tacos with Corn and Refried Beans
- Leftover Taco Meat in a Mexican Baked Potato Bar with Side Salads
- Pork Loin with Mashed Potatoes and Corn
- Hawaiin Pizza with Leftover Pork, Pepperoni, and Pineapple (using a little Alfredo Sauce as the Base)
Sweet Treat
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
For this meal plan, I am going to shop at both stores and look for the best deals on price. We will be using prices in Napierville, Illinois for this store comparison.
Most items will be the generic store brand, and I will be aiming to get my groceries needed for the cheapest price available.
Even though my pantry is very well stocked, for this experiment I will shop as if I only have the bare basics at home like seasonings, salt, sugar, and cooking oil. For a full breakdown of this meal plan, and how I would make it work, check out “Family Meal Plan on a Budget #1.”
Produce
These are the fresh vegetables and fruits needed in the produce section for my meal plan this week.
| Items | Jewel Osco Price | Mariano’s Price |
| 8 Bananas | $0.28 each= $2.24 | $0.29 each= $2.32 |
| Apples | 3lbs Fuji Apples= $2.97 | 3lbs McIntosh apples= $3.49 |
| Lettuce | 1 head Iceberg= $1.99 | 1 head Iceberg= $1.99 |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of Butter Russets= $2.99 | 5lb bag of Russets= $2.99 |
| Tomatoes x3 | Roma ($0.79 a lb)= $1.02 | On the Vine ($0.99 a lb)= $1.33 *on sale* |
| Cucumber | $0.99 each | $0.69 each |
| Carrots | 1lb bag= $1.29 | 1lb bag= $0.59 |
| Totals: 7 Items | $13.49 | $13.40 |
In the produce section, Mariano’s came out cheaper with a total of $13.40. This was $0.09 cheaper than Jewel Osco’s total of $13.49.
Deli/Meats
Here are the items I will need from the deli and meat section of the stores.
| Items | Jewel Osco Price | Mariano’s Price |
| Pepperoni | Signature Select 6oz bag= $3.00 *on sale* | Kroger 6oz pack= $2.50 *on sale* |
| Whole Chicken | Signature Farms $1.49 a lb (5.5lbs)= $8.20 | Miller Amish Whole Cut up Chicken $2.49 a lb (3.55lbs)= $8.84 *on sale* |
| Ground Turkey | Butterball 85% fresh= $4.99 | Kroger 85% fresh= $4.49 |
| Pork Loin | Smithfield 27.2oz pack= $6.99 *on sale* | Smithfield 27.2oz pack= $5.99 *on sale* |
| Totals: 4 Items | $23.18 | $21.82 |
In the meat section, Mariano’s came out cheaper with a total of $21.82. This was $1.36 cheaper than Jewel Osco’s total of $23.18.
Dry Goods
This is the center area of most grocery stores, and I call this area dry goods. It is all items that are considered shelf stable and are typically stored in a cabinet or on a pantry shelf.
| Items | Jewel Osco Price | Mariano’s Price |
| Sandwich Bread | Jewel 16oz bread= $2.19 *on sale* | Kroger 20oz bread= $1.99 *on sale* |
| Peanut Butter | Peter Pan 16.3oz jar=$2.99 *on sale* | Kroger 16oz jar= $2.29 *on sale* |
| Quick Oats | Open Nature 25oz container= $4.49 *on sale* | Kroger 18oz container= $2.49 |
| Raisins | Signature Farms 12oz box= $2.49 | Kroger 6oz mini boxes= $2.29 |
| Canned Tuna Fish (2 cans) | Signature Select 5oz can ($0.99 each= $1.98 | Kroger 5oz can ($0.89 each)= $1.78 |
| Pasta | Signature Select 16oz box= $1.79 *on sale* | Kroger 16oz box= $1.25 *on sale* |
| Italian Dressing | Signature Select 16oz bottle= $2.79 *on sale* | Smart Way 16oz bottle= $1.49 |
| Flour Tortillas | Azteca 10ct= $1.50 *on sale* | Mission Street 12ct= $1.99 *on sale* |
| Microwave Popcorn | Signature Select 3ct box= $2.49 *on sale* | Cousin Willie’s 3ct box= $2.79 |
| White Rice | Signature Select 2lb bag= $1.99 *on sale* | Kroger 2ob bag= $1.50 *on sale* |
| Alfredo Sauce | Ragu 16oz jar= $2.50 *on sale* | Kroger 16oz jar= $2.29 |
| Canned Corn | Signature Select 15.25oz can= $1.00 *on sale* | Kroger 15.25oz can= $0.99 |
| Refried Beans | Signature Select 16oz can= $1.49 *on sale* | Rosarita 16oz can= $1.25 *on sale* |
| Salsa | Signature Select 16oz jar= $2.49 *on sale* | Red Gold 15.5oz jar= $2.99 *on sale* |
| Canned Pineapple | Signature Select 20oz can= $1.89 *on sale* | Kroger 20oz can= $1.99 |
| All Purpose Flour | Signature Select 2lb bag= $2.49 | Gold Medal 2lb bag= $2.99 |
| Dry Active Yeast | Signature Select 3 pack= $1.79 | Kroger 3 pack= $0.99 |
| Brown Sugar | Signature Select 1lb bag= $1.99 | Kroger 2lb bag= $2.49 |
| Totals: 18 items | $40.34 | $35.84 |
In the dry goods section, Mariano’s came out cheaper with a total of $35.84. This was $4.50 cheaper than Jewel Osco’s total of $40.34.
Frozen Foods
This is the area in the store that typically has frozen meats, vegetables, fruits, and ice cream. We will mainly stick to the frozen veggie section.
| Items | Jewel Osco Price | Mariano’s Price |
| Frozen Mixed Vegetables | Signature Select 16oz bag= $1.79 | Kroger 12oz bag= $1.79 |
| Frozen Broccoli | Signature Select 16oz bag= $1.79 *on sale* | Kroger 12oz bag= $1.79 |
| Totals: 2 items | $3.58 | $3.58 |
In the frozen foods section, technically both stores came out to a total of $3.58. The big difference is that we actually got more frozen vegetables for the price at Jewel Osco with 32oz versus only 24oz at Mariano’s.
Dairy
This is the final section of the store and will cover all dairy needs like cheeses and milk.
| Item: | Jewel Osco Price | Mariano’s Price |
| Eggs | Jewel 12ct large white eggs= $1.99 *on sale* | Roundy’s 12ct large white eggs= $1.49 *on sale* |
| Milk (gallon) | Jewel gallon= $2.99 | Kroger gallon= $2.99 |
| Cheddar cheese (16oz) | Lucerne 8oz shredded ($2.50 each)= $5.00 *on sale* | Roundy’s 16oz shredded= $4.29 *on sale* |
| Mozzarella cheese (8oz) | Lucerne 8oz shredded= $2.50 *on sale* | Roundy’s 8oz shredded= $2.99 |
| Sour Cream | Lucerne 8oz container= $1.49 | Kroger 8oz container= $1.49 |
| Totals: 5 items | $13.97 | $13.25 |
In the dairy section, Mariano’s came out cheaper with a total of $13.25. This was $0.72 cheaper than Jewel Osco’s total of $13.97.
Is Mariano’s more expensive than Jewel Osco?
Mariano was cheaper in most sections, but let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Jewel Osco Price | Mariano’s Price |
| Produce | $13.49 | $13.40 |
| Deli/Meats | $23.18 | $21.82 |
| Dry Goods | $40.34 | $35.84 |
| Frozen Foods | $3.58 | $3.58 |
| Dairy | $13.97 | $13.25 |
| Overall Total | $94.56 | $87.89 |
Overall, Mariano’s came out cheaper than Jewel Osco with a total of $87.89. This was $6.67 (about 7%) cheaper than Jewel Osco’s total of $94.56.
I am always happy when my weekly total comes out under $100 and both stores were able to accomplish that! If I could only go to one store, then I would probably pick Mariano’s.
If I had the time to go to both or place pick-up orders, and I only bought the cheapest at each store, my total would have been $79.88. That is an additional saving of $8.01 (about 9%).
To me, a savings of another $8.01 may be worth it if I am really trying to trim my grocery budget each week and I had the time to do it.
Even if we only go to one store and spent $87.89, that still would leave us $12.11 (if our budget is $100) to stock up on meats or pantry items. I think that is pretty dang good!
