Grocery Price Showdown: Food City vs Kroger
Our next grocery price battle in Lenoir City, TN is between Food City and Kroger. Food City is a smaller regional chain with about 150 stores versus Kroger being a huge chain with over 2,700 stores.
IT is always good to price compare multiple stores because it isn’t always the biggest stores that have the best prices. Sometimes the smaller stores can be very competitive in their sales as well as pricing.
We like to compare real grocery lists so that it shows a more accurate representation of a what a normal family might see when they shop!
Key Takeaways
- Prices were pretty close except for on items like Chicken Breasts, French Bread, and Corn on the Cobb
- Kroger did come out cheaper but was still more expensive than Walmart by 14%
- Both stores had items on sale, but Kroger did have more.
Meal Plan and Grocery List
This week’s meal plan is 6 Dinners for $60. This plan could easily work for a smaller family to have leftovers for lunch or a larger family for just dinners.
Here is the grocery list for this meal plan.
We were able to get everything we needed at the local Super Walmart in Lenoir City, TN for $58.36. I wonder if Food City or Kroger can make it happen for less than $60!!!
Is Kroger Cheaper than Food City?
I’m going to predict that Kroger will be cheaper since they should have a bigger selection.
| Ingredient | Food City Price | Kroger Price |
| Carrots (1lb) | $1.99 | $2.49 (2lb) |
| Yellow Squash (x1) | $0.50 | $0.85 |
| Zucchini (x1) | $0.42 | $0.75 |
| Avocado (x1) | $0.99 | $0.99 |
| Potatoes (5lb) | $4.95 | $3.49 *on sale* |
| Bacon Pieces (2.5oz) | $1.59 *digital coupon* | $2.69 |
| Turkey Sausage (13oz) | $3.99 | $3.00 *on sale* |
| Chicken Breasts (5lbs) | $14.95 | $12.45 *on sale* |
| Corned Beef Lunchmeat (6oz) | $6.49 (jar) | $2.97 |
| Chicken Broth (14.5oz can) | $0.99 | $0.79 |
| Green Beans (14.5oz can) | $0.89 | $0.89 |
| White Rice (1lb) | $0.99 | $1.52 (2lb) |
| Salsa Verde (16oz) | $2.99 | $2.89 |
| Elbow Noodles (16oz) | $1.39 | $1.25 *on sale* |
| Bread crumbs | $1.79 | $1.49 |
| Ranch Dressing | $1.99 | $2.49 |
| Flour (2lb) | $1.79 | $1.69 |
| French Bread | $3.99 | $2.00 *on sale* |
| Frozen Cauliflower (12oz) | $2.49 | $1.79 |
| Frozen Peas (12oz) | $1.69 | $1.25 *on sale* |
| Frozen Corn on the Cobb (6ct) | $2.97 (fresh) | $1.80 (fresh) |
| Frozen Broccoli (12oz) | $1.19 | $1.59 |
| Cheddar Cheese (16oz) | $3.99 *on sale* | $4.00 *on sale* |
| Monterey Jack (8oz) | $1.99 *on sale* | $2.00 *on sale* |
| Sour Cream (8oz) | $1.29 | $1.25 |
| Crescent Rolls | $2.29 | $2.00 *on sale* |
| Eggs (6ct) | $1.79 | $1.59 |
| Butter (16oz) | $4.99 | $4.29 |
| Milk (half gallon) | $1.99 | $1.99 |
| Total: | $79.35 | $68.24 |
Kroger did come out cheaper than Food City by $11.11 (about 14%) and this was pretty much what I expected.
Food City did have some good prices but they tended to be 10-20 cents higher on basic items and that does add up over a whole list.
Food for Thought
I always like to see if shopping both locations can save us some additional money. So if we only bought the lowest priced items at each store, our total would have been $64.51.
This is an additional savings of $3.73 (about 5%) which does not seem like that much to me. It can add up week after week, so you will have to determine for yourself if stopping by both stores could benefit you.
I would take into account the location of each, and the time needed. It may be helpful to place a pick-up order for more convenient shopping.
