Albertsons vs Kroger: Who has cheaper groceries?
Albertsons and Kroger are the two biggest names in grocery stores. They each own lots of smaller named stores under their company, but also operate their original stores.
We made a meal plan, a grocery list, and we will price compare Albertsons and Kroger to find out who is cheaper for groceries. Scroll to the end to see the final verdict!
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Is Albertsons cheaper than Kroger?
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
- Chocolate Banana Overnight Oats
- Easy Sausage Muffins (1cup of Biscuit Mix, 1 lb of sausage, 4 eggs, 1 cup of cheese)
- Scrambled Eggs with Biscuits and applesauce
Lunches
- Pepperoni Pizza Quesadillas
- Salad with Hard Boiled Eggs x2
- Leftover Chicken & Salad Wraps
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Eggroll in a Bowl (1 lb ground turkey, 1/2 bag of coleslaw mix, soy sauce)
- Kielbasa Sausage, Potato, Squash Sheet Pan Bake
- Baked Chicken Thighs, Soy Sauce Rice, and California Blend Vegetables
- Chicken Parmesan Pasta (chicken breasts, pasta, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, breadcrumbs) with side salad
- BBQ Chicken Wraps with Coleslaw (1/2 bag of coleslaw mix)
- Cheesy Shepherd’s Pie (ground turkey, mash potatoes, tomato sauce, frozen peas and cheese) with Biscuits
Snacks
- Bananas
- Celery with Ranch or Peanut Butter
- Homemade Granola Bars (peanut butter, quick oats, and chocolate chips)
- Applesauce
Sweet Treat
- Peach Cobbler (using biscuit mix and canned peaches)
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Shreveport, LA. 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 #4.”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Albertsons Price | Kroger Price |
| 6 bananas | $0.59 a lb= $1.44 | $0.59 alb= $1.44 |
| Celery | 1 stalk= $2.29 | 1 stalk= $1.79 |
| Coleslaw Mix | 14oz bag= $1.99 | 16oz bag= $1.79 |
| Potatoes | Russet 5lb bag= $3.79 | Petite Gold 1.5lb bag= $3.49 |
| Yellow Squash | $1.13 each | $0.60 each |
| Cucumber | $0.79 each | $0.50 each *on sale* |
| Roma Tomato x4 | $0.87 a lb= $0.88 | $0.99 a lb= $1.20 |
| Total: (7 items) | $12.31 | $10.81 |
I love it when the race starts as a close one. Kroger did come in cheaper at $10.81 but it is worth noting that we only got 1.5lb of potatoes because that was the smallest price bag they offered. Albertsons came in at $12.31 which was $1.50 higher but we did get a full 5lb bag of potatoes so that was a better value to me.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Albertsons Price | Kroger Price |
| 1lb sausage | Syracuse Sausage 16oz pack= $4.49 | Kroger 1lb sausage roll = $2.49 |
| Pepperoni | Signature Select 6oz = $2.99 | Armour 5 oz = $2.50 * on sale* |
| 2lb ground turkey | Signature Farms 1lb fresh $3.99 x2=$7.98 | Jennie-O 1lb roll $3.39 x2=$6.78 |
| Kielbasa Style Sausage | Hillshire Farms 14oz = $5.49 | Hillshire Farms 14oz = $3.50 * on sale* |
| Chicken Thighs | $2.49 a lb (2lbs) = $4.98 | $2.49 a lb (2lbs) = $4.98 |
| Chicken Breasts | $5.99 a lb (1.5lb) = $8.99 | $3.99 a lb (1.9lb) = $7.58 |
| Total: (6 items) | $34.92 | $27.83 |
Kroger easily came in cheaper with a total of $27.83. This was $7.09 cheaper than Albertsons at $34.92.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Albertsons Price | Kroger Price |
| Quick Oats | Signature Select 18oz container= $2.29 | Kroger 18oz container = $1.99 |
| Chocolate Chips | Signature Select 12oz bag = $2.49 | Nestle 11.5oz bag = $3.69 |
| Biscuit Mix | Bisquick 28oz box = $4.69 | Kroger Baking Mix 40oz = $2.89 |
| Flour Tortillas | De Harina 10ct = $1.67 * on sale* | La Banderita 10ct = $1.00 |
| Tomato Pasta Sauce | Signature Select 25oz jar= $1.69 | Kroger 24oz jar = $1.79 |
| Ranch Dressing | Wish Bone 8oz jar = $1.99 | Kroger 16oz bottle = $1.67 * on sale* |
| Peanut Butter | Signature Select 16oz jar = $1.79 * on sale* | Kroger 16oz jar = $1.59 |
| Soy sauce | Signature Select 10oz bottle = $1.99 | Kroger 10oz bottle = $1.59 |
| White Rice | Mahatma 1lb bag= $1.39 | Kroger 2lb bag= $1.59 |
| Pasta | Signature Select Rotini 16oz = $1.29 | Kroger Rotini 16oz box = $1.33 |
| Breadcrumbs | Signature Select 15oz = $1.79 | Kikkoman Panko 8oz box = $1.99 |
| BBQ sauce | Kraft 18oz bottle = $1.50 * on sale* | Kraft 18oz bottle = $1.25 * on sale* |
| salad dressing for coleslaw | Kraft 16oz bottle = $2.69 | Kraft 16oz bottle = $3.19 |
| Canned peaches | Signature Select 15oz can = $1.49 | Kroger 15oz can = $1.50 |
| Applesauce | Motts 6 cups of 4oz (24oz total)= $2.50 * on sale* | Kroger 48oz jar = $2.79 |
| Total: (15 items) | $31.25 | $29.85 |
This one was very close with only a separation of $1.40. Kroger came in at $29.85 and Albertsons came out to $31.25.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Albertsons Price | Kroger Price |
| California Blend Vegetables | Signature Select 16oz bag = $1.67 * on sale* | Kroger 12oz bag = $1.50 |
| Frozen Peas | Signature Select 16oz bag = $1.67 * on sale* | Kroger 12oz bag = $1.00 |
| Total: (2 items) | $3.34 | $2.50 |
Even though Kroger came out cheaper at $2.50, we got almost 12 more ounces of vegetables at Albertsons. This means even though Albertsons was more expensive by $0.84 with a total of $3.34, it was a better value to me.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Albertsons Price | Kroger Price |
| Eggs | Lucerne 12ct white = $3.19 | Kroger 12ct white = $1.99 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Lucerne 8oz bag= $2.49 | Kroger 8oz bag= $2.49 |
| Shredded Mozzarella Cheese | Lucerne 8oz bag= $2.49 | Kroger 8oz bag= $2.49 |
| 2% milk | Value Corner gallon = $4.39 | Springdale gallon= $3.99 |
| Total: (4 items) | $12.56 | $10.96 |
Kroger came in cheaper at $10.96. This was $1.60 cheaper than Albertsons at $12.56.
Is Kroger or Albertsons cheaper?
The produce, dry goods, and frozen foods sections were very close, so I can’t wait to see the overall totals!
| Section | Albertsons Price | Kroger Price |
| Produce | $12.31 | $10.81 |
| Deli/Meats | $34.92 | $27.83 |
| Dry Goods | $31.25 | $29.85 |
| Frozen Foods | $3.34 | $2.50 |
| Dairy | $12.56 | $10.96 |
| Overall Total: (34 items) | $94.38 | $81.93 |
Kroger came out as the cheaper option at $81.93. This was $12.45 or almost 13% cheaper than Albertson as $94.38.
If Kroger and Albertsons are relatively close, I would probably split my grocery shopping up between the two places. I would utilize their sales flyer every week to help make my meal plan and really focus in on their sales!
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Albertsons vs Target” and “Kroger vs SaveALot.”
For more grocery store comparisons, check out “Sprouts vs Target: Who is Cheaper?” and “Sprouts vs Walmart: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?“
