Lowe’s Food vs Harris Teeter: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
Price comparing groceries is super important because it’s like playing a fun game of “Save Money Bingo” where you can find the best deals and keep more cash in your wallet for those extra treats or spontaneous dance parties in the grocery aisle.
Today we will do a side-by-side price comparison of Lowe’s Food and Harris Teeter to see who is cheaper for groceries. We will also determine if it is better to shop just one store, or if shopping at both stores and save us even more on our grocery budget!
Is Lowes Food cheaper than Harris Teeter?
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 & Healthy Foods to Buy” 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 Chapel Hill, North Carolina 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 “Healthy Meal Plan Week #1.”
Produce
These are the fresh vegetables and fruits needed in the produce section for my meal plan this week.
| Items | Lowe’s Food Price | Harris Teeter Price |
| 8 Bananas | $0.28 each= $2.24 | $0.33 each= $2.64 |
| Apples | 3lb Red Delicious apples ($1.49 a lb)= $4.47 | 3lb Golden Delicious apples ($1.79 a lb)= $5.37 |
| Lettuce | 1 head Boston Lettuce= $1.99 | 1 head Iceberg= $1.79 |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of Russets= $3.99 *on sale* | 5lb bag of Russets= $4.99 *on sale* |
| Tomatoes x3 | 3 pack tomatoes= $3.99 | 4 pack of tomatoes= $3.00 *on sale* |
| Cucumber | $1.19 each | $0.67 each *on sale* |
| Carrots | 1lb bag= $1.49 | 1lb bag= $1.49 |
| Totals: 7 Items | $19.36 | $19.95 |
In the produce section, Lowe’s Food came out cheaper with a total of $19.36. This was $0.59 cheaper than Harris Teeter’s total of $19.95.
It is worth noting that we were able to get iceberg lettuce and a bigger pack of tomatoes, so Harris Teeter was probably the better value for the money.
Deli/Meats
Here are the items I will need from the deli and meat section of the stores.
| Items | Lowe’s Food Price | Harris Teeter Price |
| Pepperoni | Hormel 6oz pack= $3.29 *on sale* | Hormel 6oz pack= $3.99 *on sale* |
| Whole Chicken | Lowe’s $2.69 a lb (3.31lbs)= $8.88 | Harris Teeter $1.49 a lb (5.14lbs)= $7.67 *on sale* |
| Ground Turkey | Honeysuckle 85% 1lb roll= $1.99 | Harris Teeter 93% 1lb fresh= $4.99 *on sale* |
| Pork Loin | Smithfield 27.2oz pack= $7.49 *on sale* | Smithfield 27.2oz pack= $8.99 |
| Totals: 4 Items | $21.65 | $25.64 |
In the meat section, Lowe’s Food came out cheaper with a total of $21.65. This was $3.99 cheaper than Harris Teeter’s total of $25.64.
Again, it is worth noting that we got almost twice as much chicken at Harris Teeter than we got at Lowe’s Food, so HT was probably the better value.
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 | Lowe’s Food Price | Harris Teeter Price |
| Sandwich Bread | Lowe’s 20oz bread= $2.19 | Harris Teeter 20oz bread= $1.89 |
| Peanut Butter | Lowe’s 16oz jar= $2.00 *on sale* | Harris Teeter 16oz jar= $1.79 *on sale* |
| Quick Oats | Bobs Red Mill 16oz bag= $2.99 | Harris Teeter 42oz container= $3.99 |
| Raisins | Lowe’s 6oz mini boxes= $2.49 | Harris Teeter 6oz mini boxes= $1.99 |
| Canned Tuna Fish (2 cans) | Bumblebee 5oz can ($1.39 each) = $2.78 | Harris Teeter 5oz can ($0.89 each)= $1.78 *on sale* |
| Pasta | Lowe’s 16oz box= $1.29 *on sale* | Harris Teeter 16oz box= $1.18 *on sale* |
| Italian Dressing | That’s Smart 16oz bottle= $1.99 | Harris Teeter 16oz bottle= $2.50 *on sale* |
| Flour Tortillas | Lowe’s 10ct= $2.50 | Mission 10ct= $2.50 *on sale* |
| Microwave Popcorn | Full Circle 3ct box= $2.39 | Harris Teeter 3ct box= $1.99 |
| White Rice | Lowe’s 1lb bag= $1.19 | Harris Teeter 2lb bag= $1.69 |
| Alfredo Sauce | Food Club 16oz jar= $2.79 *on sale* | Ragu 16oz jar= $2.39 *on sale* |
| Canned Corn | That’s Smart 15.25oz can= $0.88 | Harris Teeter 15.25oz can= $1.25 |
| Refried Beans | That’s Smart 16oz can= $0.99 | Harris Teeter 16oz can= $0.99 |
| Salsa | Lowe’s 16oz jar= $2.85 | Vine Ripe 15.5oz jar= $0.99 |
| Canned Pineapple | Lowe’s 20oz can= $2.00 | Harris Teeter 20oz can= $1.99 |
| All Purpose Flour | Food Club 2lb bag= $2.19 | Harris Teeter 5lb bag= $2.59 |
| Dry Active Yeast | Fleishmann’s 3pack= $2.39 | Fleishmann’s 3pack= $1.99 *on sale* |
| Brown Sugar | Domino 1lb box= $2.39 | Domino 1lb box= $2.49 |
| Totals: 18 items | $38.29 | $35.98 |
In the dry goods section, Harris Teeter came out cheaper with a total of $35.98. This was $2.31 cheaper than Lowe’s Food’s total of $38.29.
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 | Lowe’s Food Price | Harris Teeter Price |
| Frozen Mixed Vegetables | Bird’s Eye 10oz bag= $1.25 *on sale* | Harris Teeter 12oz bag= $1.25 *on sale* |
| Frozen Broccoli | Bird’s Eye 10.8oz bag= $1.25 *on sale* | Harris Teeter 12oz bag= $1.67 *on sale* |
| Totals: 2 items | $2.50 | $2.92 |
In the frozen foods section, Lowe’s Food came out cheaper with a total of $2.50. This was $0.42 cheaper than Harris Teeter’s total of $2.92.
Worth noting that we did get more veggies at Harris Teeter and the total price per ounce came out the same as Lowe’s, so HT was probably the better value.
Dairy
This is the final section of the store and will cover all dairy needs like cheeses and milk.
| Item: | Lowe’s Food Price | Harris Teeter Price |
| Eggs | Lowe’s 12ct white large eggs= $1.49 | Harris Teeter 12ct large white eggs= $1.49 |
| Milk (gallon) | That’s Smart gallon= $2.99 | Highland gallon= $2.99 |
| Cheddar cheese (16oz) | Kraft 8oz shredded ($2.50 each)= $5.00 *on sale* | Kraft 16oz shredded= $4.99 *on sale* |
| Mozzarella cheese (8oz) | Kraft 8oz shredded =$2.50 *on sale* | Harris Teeter 8oz shredded= $2.99 |
| Sour Cream | Lowe’s 8oz container= $1.59 | Breakstone’s 8oz container= $1.50 *on sale* |
| Totals: 5 items | $13.57 | $13.96 |
In the dairy section, Lowe’s Food came out cheaper with a total of $13.57. This was $0.39 cheaper than Harris Teeter’s total of $13.96.
Is Harris Teeter more expensive than Lowe’s Food?
Lowe’s Food came out cheaper in most of the sections of the grocery store, but let’s look at overall totals!
| Section | Lowe’s Food Price | Harris Teeter Price |
| Produce | $19.36 | $19.95 |
| Deli/Meats | $21.65 | $25.64 |
| Dry Goods | $38.29 | $35.98 |
| Frozen Foods | $2.50 | $2.92 |
| Dairy | $13.57 | $13.96 |
| Overall Total | $95.37 | $98.45 |
Overall, Lowe’s Foods was cheaper than Harris Teeter with a total of $95.37. This was $3.08 (about 3%) cheaper than Harris Teeter’s total of $98.45.
I am always super happy when my total is under $100 for a weekly grocery store and both stores were able to accomplish this. If I could only pick one store to shop at, I would honestly go with whichever store had more items on sale in their weekly sales flyer since their totals were so close.
If I had the time to go to both store or place a pick up order, then I could just buy what was cheapest at each store. By doing this, my total would have been $87.36. That is an additional $8.01 (about 8%) savings.
$8.01 does not seem like much, but if our weekly budget is only $100, than that would give us a total of $12.64 that we could use to stock up on meat and pantry items or apply that to our savings goals!
