Albertsons vs Ralphs: Who is Cheaper?
Albertsons is part of a huge grocery store chain, and currently operates 2,200 stores all over the US. Ralph’s is a small grocery store chain that is part of the Kroger Co, and currently operates 189 stores in Southern California.
We are going to take a weeklong meal plan with grocery list, and price compare Albertsons and Ralphs to determine who has cheaper prices for groceries. Scroll to the end to see the final results!
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Is Albertsons cheaper than Ralphs?
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
- Scrambled Eggs with Homestyle Potatoes (chunky hash browns using leftover baked potatoes)
- French Toast with Pancake Syrup
- Apple Pie Overnight Oats (sauteed apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, pancake syrup, and quick oats)
Lunches
- Baked Potato with leftover taco seasoned ground turkey
- Grilled Cheese with Carrot Sticks & Tortilla Chips
- White Bean Hummus with Carrots
- Salads with Tomato, Cucumber, and Cheese
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Teriyaki Chicken with broccoli and rice (sauce made with brown sugar and soy sauce)
- Creamy Spinach Chicken and Pasta (leftover chicken, creamed spinach, tomatoes, and pasta) served with side salad
- Chicken and Rice Soup (leftover chicken, rice, chicken bouillon, and mixed vegetables) with Toasted Butter Bread
- Turkey Hamburgers with Homemade Potato Wedges
- Cheesy Tuna Melts on Hamburger Buns (tuna, ranch dressing, and cheese) with side salads and sauteed apples
- Taco Pasta (ground turkey, black beans, canned rotel style tomatoes, taco seasoning, and tortilla chips)
Snacks
- Apples
- Carrot sticks with ranch dressing
- Tortilla Chips
Sweet Treat
- Vanilla Ice Cream with Pancake Syrup
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Los Angeles, California. 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 #5“
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Albertsons Price | Ralphs Price |
| Potatoes | Signature Farms 5lb bag of Russets= $2.99 *on sale* | 5lb bag of Russets= $3.49 |
| Apples | 3lb bag of Pink Lady apples= $3.99 | 3lb bag of Fuji apples= $4.99 |
| Carrots | 1lb bag= $0.99 | 1 lb bag= $0.99 |
| Lettuce | 1 head Romaine= $1.99 | 1 head Iceberg= $1.99 |
| Tomato | On the Vine= $0.99 each | Organic Red Tomatoes= $1.00 each |
| Cucumber | $0.99 each | $0.99 each |
| Total: (6 items) | $11.94 | $13.45 |
In the produce section, Albertsons came out cheaper with a total of $11.94. This was $1.51 cheaper Ralph’s total of $13.45.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Albertsons Price | Ralphs Price |
| Chicken Breasts (4-6 needed) | $2.99 a lb (3.5lbs) = $10.47 *on sale* | $3.99 a lb (3.15lbs) = $12.57 *on sale* |
| 2lbs ground turkey | Signature Farms 85% 1 lb fresh ($4.99 each x2) =$9.98 | Jennie-O 1lb roll ($4.49 each x2)= $8.98 |
| Total: (2 items) | $20.45 | $21.55 |
In the meat section, Albertsons came out cheaper with a total of $20.45. This was $1.10 cheaper than Ralph’s total of $21.55.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Albertsons Price | Ralphs Price |
| Loaf of Bread | Value Corner 16oz white bread= $1.49 | Kroger 20oz white bread= $1.49 *on sale* |
| Pancake Syrup | Mrs Butterworth’s 24oz bottle= $4.99 *on sale* | Kroger 24oz bottle= $2.49 |
| Quick Oats | Malt O Meal 16oz container= $2.49 | Mom’s Best Oats 16oz container= $2.49 |
| Tortilla Chips | Mission Tortillas 18oz bag= $2.99 | Calidad 11oz bag= $1.99 *on sale* |
| White Beans (canned) | Signature Select 5.5oz can= $0.99 *on sale* | Bush’s 15.5 oz can= $1.25 *on sale* |
| Canned Tuna | Chicken of the sea 5oz can= $1.00 *on sale* | Kroger 5oz can= $0.99 |
| White Rice | Signature Select 2lb bag= $1.79 | Kroger 2lb bag= $1.69 |
| Soy Sauce | Lee Kum Kee 5.1oz bottle= $1.49 | Kroger 10oz bottle= $1.69 |
| Brown Sugar | Signature Select 1lb bag= $1.29 *on sale* | C&H 1lb box= $2.49 |
| Ranch Dressing | Signature Select 16oz bottle= $2.59 | Smart Way 16oz bottle= $1.99 |
| Chicken Boullion | Knorr 8ct= $1.29 | Knorr 8ct= $1.19 |
| Pasta | Signature Select 1lb rotini= $1.49 | Kroger 1lb penne= $1.39 |
| Hamburger Buns | Signature Select 8ct= $1.49 | Rich N Honey 8ct= $1.59 |
| Black beans (canned) | Signature Select 15oz can= $0.99 *on sale* | Kroger 15.25oz can= $0.99 |
| Taco seasoning | Signature Select 1oz pack= $0.99 | Kroger 1.25oz pack= $0.69 |
| Canned tomatoes (rotel style with chiles or peppers) | Signature Select 14.5oz can= $0.99 | Krofer 14.5oz can= $1.00 *on sale* |
| Total: (16 items) | $28.35 | $25.41 |
In the dry goods section, Ralph’s came out cheaper with a total of $25.41. This was $2.94 cheaper than Albertsons’ total of $28.35.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Albertsons Price | Ralphs Price |
| Frozen Broccoli | Signature Select 12oz bag= $1.69 | Kroger 12oz bag-=$1.25 |
| Creamed Spinach | Green Giant 10oz box= $1.99 *on sale* | Birds eye 10.8oz bag= $3.49 |
| Frozen Mixed vegetables | Signature Select 16oz bag= $1.99 | Kroger 12oz bag= $1.25 |
| Vanilla Ice Cream | Signature Select 1.5QT= $3.99 | Kroger 28oz container= $2.99 |
| Total: (4 items) | $9.66 | $8.98 |
In the frozen section, Ralph’s came out cheaper with a total of $8.98. This was $0.68 cheaper than Albertson’s total of $9.66.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Albertsons Price | Ralphs Price |
| Eggs | Lucerne 12ct white eggs= $4.49 | Kroger 12ct white eggs= $3.79 *on sale* |
| 2% milk | Value Corner gallon= $3.99 | Ralphs gallon= $3.99 *on sale* |
| Cheddar Cheese Slices | Lucerne 8oz= $3.49 *on sale* | Kroger 8oz= $3.49 *on sale* |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Lucerne 8oz bag= $3.49 *on sale* | Kroger 8oz bag= $3.49 *on sale* |
| Shredded Mozzarella Cheese | Lucerne 8oz bag= $3.49 *on sale* | Kroger 8oz bag= $3.49 *on sale* |
| Total: (5 items) | $18.95 | $18.25 |
In the dairy section, Ralph’s came out cheaper with a total of $18.25. This was $0.70 cheaper than Albertson’s total of $18.95.
Is Albertsons more expensive than Ralphs?
Neither Albertsons nor Ralphs was cheaper across the board, so let’s look at overall totals.
| Section | Albertsons Price | Ralphs Price |
| Produce | $11.94 | $13.45 |
| Deli/Meats | $20.45 | $21.55 |
| Dry Goods | $28.35 | $25.41 |
| Frozen Foods | $9.66 | $8.98 |
| Dairy | $18.95 | $18.25 |
| Overall Total: (32 items) | $89.35 | $87.64 |
Overall, Ralphs was cheaper than Albertsons with a total of $87.64. This was $1.71 (about 2%) cheaper than Albertsons total of $89.35.
Both stores had some great sales prices and regular prices, so I would take advantage of their weekly sales flyer. By making your meal plan every week with items on sale, you can potentially save a lot every month on your grocery budget.
When you see a super great deal, you will still have some wiggle room to stock up! This will save you money on weeks that those items are not on sale.
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Albertsons vs Target” and “Kroger vs SaveALot.”
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Food City vs Kroger: Who is Cheaper?” and “Harris Teeter vs Food Lion: Who is Cheaper?“
