Albertsons vs Vons: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
One of the easiest ways to save money every week on our grocery budget, is to really pay attention to prices and looking at different local grocery stores. Over the years, I have become less loyal to only one store and have started going to the stores with the cheapest prices.
Today we will do a side-by-side price comparison of Albertsons and Vons to determine which store is cheaper for groceries. We will also see if it is better to shop just one store or if shopping both stores would save us even more money!
Is Vons cheaper than Albertsons?
For this price comparison, I have made a meal plan for a family of 4 using 25 Low Cost Healthy Foods List as a guide. Our plan is to get groceries for a week that are healthy and cheap!
Here is our meal plan:
Breakfasts
- Egg, Cheese, and Bacon Burritos x2
- Toast with Peanut Butter and Bananas x2
- Baked Apple Oatmeal Bars x3
Lunches
- Spinach Salads with Hard Boiled Eggs and Leftover Ham & Ranch Dressing (and tomato & cucumber)
- Homemade Hummus with Carrots and Celery
- Egg Salad Sandwiches
- Leftovers
Dinners
- Meatloaf with Mashed potatoes and Sauteed Carrots
- Chicken Lo Mein with Broccoli (sauce is made with soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and sesame oil)
- Leftover Chicken and Dumplings using frozen mixed vegetables and 1 can of cream of chicken soup)
- Ham and Cheese Quiche with Homemade Rice a Roni
- 3 Meat Pizza using leftover Ham, leftover Bacon, and Pepperoni with a Spinach Side Salad
- Leftover Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas with Rice and Black Beans
Snacks
- Bananas
- Carrots & Celery with Ranch
- Peanut Butter and Apples
Sweet Treat
- Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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 Family Meal Plan #2.
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Albertsons Price | Vons Price |
| 6 Bananas | $0.33 each= $1.98 | $0.33 each= $1.98 |
| Apples | 3lb bag of Jonagold apples ($0.99 a lb)= $2.97 | 3lb bag of Jonagold apples ($0.99 a lb)= $2.97 |
| Spinach | Signature Farms 8oz bag= $2.50 | Signature Farms 8oz bag= $2.50 |
| Carrots | 1lb bag=$0.99 | 1lb bag=$1.49 |
| Celery | 1 bunch= $1.99 | 1 bunch= $1.99 |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of Russets= $3.99 | 5lb bag of Russets= $3.99 |
| Tomato | On the Vine tomato= $0.66 | On the Vine tomato= $0.66 |
| Cucumber | $0.59 each | $0.59 each |
| Total: (8 items) | $15.67 | $16.17 |
In the produce section, Albertsons came out cheaper with a total of $15.67. This was $0.50 cheaper than Von’s total of $16.17.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Albertsons Price | Vons Price |
| Bacon | Farmland 16oz pack= $2.99 *on sale* | Farmland 16oz pack= $2.99 *on sale* |
| Ground Beef (1lb) | Meat Counter 73% 1lb fresh= $4.39 | Meat Counter 80% 1lb fresh= $4.99 |
| Chicken Breasts (4-6 needed) | Sanderson Farms $2.99 a lb (4.5lbs)= $13.46 | Sanderson Farms $2.99 a lb (4.5lbs)= $13.46 |
| Diced Ham | Smithfield 8oz pack= $3.00 *on sale* | Smithfield 8oz pack= $3.00 *on sale* |
| Pepperoni | Signature Select 6oz pack= $3.99 | Signature Select 6oz pack= $3.99 |
| Total: (5 items) | $27.83 | $28.43 |
In the meat section, Albertsons came out cheaper with a total of $27.83. This was $0.60 cheaper than Von’s total of $28.43.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Albertsons Price | Vons Price |
| Flour Tortillas | Mission 8ct= $1.99 | Calidad 10ct= $1.99 |
| Sandwich Bread | Signature Select 20oz bread= $2.49 | Signature Select 20oz bread= $2.49 |
| Peanut Butter | Signature Select 16oz jar= $2.79 *on sale* | Signature Select 16oz jar= $2.79 *on sale* |
| Quick Oats | Open Nature 25oz container= $3.49 | Open Nature 25oz container= $3.49 |
| Brown Sugar | C & H 1lb box= $2.49 | C & H 1lb box= $2.49 |
| Garbanzo beans (canned) | Signature Select 15oz can= $1.29 | Signature Select 15oz can= $1.29 |
| Mayonnaise | Signature Select 15oz jar= $3.99 *on sale* | Signature Select 15oz jar= $3.99 *on sale* |
| Soy Sauce | Kikkoman 5oz bottle= $2.99 | Kikkoman 5oz bottle= $2.99 |
| Hoisin Sauce | Lee Kum Kee 8.5oz jar= $4.49 | Lee Kum Kee 8.5oz jar= $4.49 |
| Sesame Oil | Signature Select 5oz bottle= $4.49 | Signature Select 5oz bottle= $4.49 |
| Spaghetti Noodles | Signature Select 16oz box= $1.50 | Signature Select 16oz box= $1.50 |
| All Purpose Flour | Signature Select 2lb bag= $2.79 | Signature Select 2lb bag= $2.79 |
| Cream of Chicken Soup | Campbell’s 10.5 oz can= $1.99 | Signature Select 10.5oz can= $1.79 *on sale* |
| Chicken Bouillon Cubes | Knorr 6ct= $1.99 | Knorr 6ct= $1.99 |
| Dry Active Yeast (need 2) | Signature Select 3 pack= $1.79 | Signature Select 3 pack= $1.79 |
| White Rice | Signature Select 2lb bag= $2.29 | Signature Select 2lb bag= $2.29 |
| Black Beans (canned) | Signature Select 15oz can= $1.29 | Signature Select 15oz can= $1.29 |
| Powdered Sugar | C&H 1lb box= $2.49 | C&H 1lb box= $2.49 |
| Total: (19 items) | $46.63 | $46.43 |
In the dry goods section, Von’s came out cheaper with a total of $46.43. This was $0.20 cheaper than Albertson’s total of $46.63.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Albertsons Price | Vons Price |
| Frozen Broccoli | Pictsweet 10oz box= $2.00 *on sale* | Pictsweet 10oz box= $2.00 *on sale* |
| Frozen Mixed Vegetables | Pictsweet 12oz bag= $2.00 *on sale* | Pictsweet 12oz bag= $2.00 *on sale* |
| Pie Crust | Signature Select 2 pack= $3.99 | Signature Select 2 pack= $3.99 |
| Total: (3 items) | $7.99 | $7.99 |
In the frozen section, both stores came out with a total of $7.99.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Albertsons Price | Vons Price |
| Eggs | Hickman’s 12ct medium white eggs= $1.99 | Lucerne 12ct large white eggs= $2.99 *on sale* |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Lucerne 8oz bag= $2.99 *on sale* | Lucerne 8oz bag= $2.99 *on sale* |
| Shredded Mozzarella Cheese | Lucerne 8oz bag= $2.99 *on sale* | Lucerne 8oz bag= $2.99 *on sale* |
| Milk | Lucerne gallon= $3.49 | Lucerne gallon= $3.59 |
| Total: (4 items) | $11.46 | $12.56 |
In the dairy section, Albertsons came out cheaper with a total of $11.46. This was $1.10 cheaper than Von’s total of $12.56.
Is Albertsons more expensive than Vons?
Both Albertsons and Vons were pretty close in pricing in all sections, so let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Albertsons Price | Vons Price |
| Produce | $15.67 | $16.17 |
| Deli/Meats | $27.83 | $28.43 |
| Dry Goods | $46.63 | $46.43 |
| Frozen Foods | $7.99 | $7.99 |
| Dairy | $11.46 | $12.56 |
| Overall Total: (38 items) | $109.58 | $111.58 |
Overall, Albertsons was the tiniest bit cheaper than Vons with a total of $109.58. This was $2.00 cheaper than Von’s total of $111.58.
You may be wondering why both stores sell the same store brand and have mostly the same prices, and this is because Vons is actually owned by Albertsons. So, both stores typically stock the same items and mostly have the same prices.
There were a few instances where the prices were slightly different for the same product, and sometimes that Albertsons carried a brand that Vons did not carry.
Neither store came out under $100, but if we reworked our meal plan to take advantage of what was on sale this week, we may have gotten under our goal.
There is no clear winner between Albertsons and Vons, so personally I would shop at which ever store was closer or more convenient.
