Aldi vs Albertsons: Who is Cheaper?
Aldi currently has 1600 stores located in the US and is known for having low prices. Albertsons is part of the 2nd largest grocery store corporation in the US and has over 2200 locations.
To determine if Aldi or Albertsons is cheaper for groceries, we will do a side-by-side comparison of a week’s worth of groceries. Scroll to the end to see the final verdict!
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Is Aldi cheaper than Albertsons?
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
- Mini Muffins with Extra Banana
- Cottage Cheese with Canned Peaches
- Eggies in a Basket with strawberries
- Rice Krispie Cereal with milk and Bananas
Lunches
- Bacon Turkey Sandwiches with Tortilla Chips
- Caesar Pasta Salad with leftover Parmesan Chicken
- Ham and Egg Salad sandwiches with Carrot Sticks
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Potato Soup with Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, and Broccoli
- Smothered Chicken and Rice with Side Salad
- Ham, Cheese & Spinach Pasta with Garlic Bread
- Garlic Butter Shrimp over Rice with Sauteed Carrots
- Chicken Fajita Bake with Corn & Black Beans
- Caesar Chicken with Potato Wedges and Green Beans
Snacks
- Carrot and Caesar Dressing
- Hard Boiled Eggs or Deviled Eggs
- Chips and Salsa
- Turkey and Cheese Rollups
Sweet Treat
- Rice Krispie Treats
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Bedford, Texas. 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 #9.”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Aldi Price | Albertsons Price |
| Banana x 5 | $0.21 each= $1.05 | $0.23 each= $1.15 |
| Strawberries | 1lb package= $2.99 | 1lb package= $3.99 |
| Tomato (x1) | 1lb beefsteak tomatoes= $2.09 | On the Vine= $0.66 each |
| Lettuce | Iceberg Head= $1.55 | Iceberg Head= $1.59 |
| Lemon (x1) | *substitution* lime= $0.19 each | $0.89 each |
| Potatoes | 5lb baking potatoes= $4.39 | 5lb Idaho potatoes= $5.99 |
| Fresh Garlic | 3ct bag= $1.55 | $0.50 each |
| Carrots | 16oz bag of baby carrots= $0.99 | 1lb bag= $0.89 |
| Bell Pepper x1 | 3 count bag of green= $1.89 | Red bell pepper= $0.97 each *on sale* |
| Total: (9 items) | $16.69 | $16.63 |
In the produce section, Albertson came out cheaper with a total of $16.63. This was 0.06 cheaper than Aldi’s total of $16.69.
Even though Aldi was not cheaper, they were the better value. Most of their produce is prepackaged and it is difficult to only buy one of something.
So, we were able to get 3 heads of garlic, 3 bell peppers, and a whole pound of tomatoes. At Albertsons, we only purchased one of each item.
This means we definitely got more for our money at Aldi in the produce section!
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Aldi Price | Albertsons Price |
| Bacon | Appleton Farms 16oz pack= $4.39 | Jimmy Dean 12oz pack= $5.49 *on sale* |
| Turkey Lunchmeat | Lunch Mate 14oz pack= $3.85 | Oscar Mayer 9oz pack= $5.49 |
| Chicken Breasts (need 6) | Chicken Breasts $2.49 a lb (4.8lbs) = $11.95 | Split Breasts $2.49 a lb (5lbs) =12.45 |
| Ham Steaks | Appleton Farms 12oz pack= $3.85 | Smithfield 8oz pack= $4.99 |
| Shrimp | Freemont Fish Market 12oz bag medium EZ peel shrimp (frozen)= $6.05 | Seafood Counter 1lb 41-50 count EZ peel shrimp (fresh)= $5.99 *on sale* |
| Total: (5 items) | $30.09 | $34.41 |
In th emeat section, Aldi came out cheaper with a total of $30.09. This was $4.32 cheaper than Albertson’s total of $34.41.
It is worth noting that for most items we did get more for our money at Aldi, except for the shrimp that was a whole pound at Albertsons.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Aldi Price | Albertsons Price |
| Muffin Mix | Baker’s Corner banana 14oz box= $2.19 | Jiffy blueberry 7oz box= $0.69 |
| Canned peaches | Sweet harvest 15oz can= $1.39 | Signature Select 15oz can= $1.49 |
| Sandwich bread | L’oven 20oz white= $1.09 | Value Corner 20oz white= $1.39 |
| Rice Krispie Cereal | Millville Crispy Rice 12 oz box= $1.85 | Signature Select 12oz box= $2.59 |
| Marshmallows | Baker’s Corner 10oz bag= $1.09 | Signature Select 10oz bag= $1.29 |
| Caesar Dressing | Tuscan Garden 16oz bottle= $2.15 | Signature Select 16oz bottle= $2.29 |
| French Bread Loaf | 9.5oz loaf= $1.89 | 16oz loaf= $2.29 |
| Mayonnaise | Burman’s 30oz jar= $3.65 | Signature Select 22oz bottle= $3.49 |
| Canned green beans | Happy Harvest 14.5oz can= $0.65 | Signature Select 14.5oz can= $0.89 |
| White Rice | Earthly Grains 3lb bag= $2.45 | Signature Select 2lb bag= $1.99 |
| Cream of Chicken Soup | Chef’s Cupboard 10.5oz can= $0.75 | Signature Select 10.5oz can= $0.99 |
| Canned Corn | Happy Harvest 15.25 oz can= $0.65 | Signature Select 15.25 oz can= $0.89 |
| Canned Black Beans | Dakota’s Pride 15oz can= $0.79 | Signature Select 15 oz can= $0.99 |
| Salsa | Casa Mamita 24oz jar= $2.15 | Signature Select 16 oz jar= $2.29 |
| Taco Seasoning | Casa Mamita 1oz pack= $0.45 | Signature Select 1oz pack= $0.79 |
| Tortilla Chips | Clancy’s 13oz bag= $1.99 | Santita’s 11oz bag= $2.29 |
| Pasta | Reggano’s 16oz penne= $1.05 | Signature Select 16oz Rotini= $1.29 |
| Total: (17 items) | $26.23 | $27.93 |
In the dry goods section, Aldi came out cheaper with a total of $26.23. This was $1.70 cheaper than Albertson’s total of $27.93.
Prices at both stores were very comparable but we did end up with more rice, salsa, and mayonnaise at Aldi.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Aldi Price | Albertsons Price |
| Frozen Broccoli | Season’s Choice 12oz bag= $1.05 | Signature Select 12oz bag= $1.79 |
| Frozen Spinach | Simply Nature 10oz bag= $2.15 | Signature Select 16oz bag= $1.79 |
| Total: (2 items) | $3.20 | $3.58 |
In the frozen food section, Aldi came out cheaper with a total of $3.20. This was $0.38 cheaper than Albertson’s price of $3.58.
Even though we did get 6oz more of frozen spinach at Albertsons, it did not make up for the $1.41 difference.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Aldi Price | Albertsons Price |
| Cottage Cheese | Friendly Farms 24oz container= $2.75 | Lucerne 16oz container= $1.99 |
| Eggs | Goldhen 12ct white= $2.59 | Eggland’s Best 12ct white= $3.49 |
| Milk | Friendly Farms gallon= $3.35 | Lucerne gallon= $3.79 |
| Butter | Countryside Creamery 16oz= $4.25 | Lucerne 16oz = $4.19 |
| Parmesan cheese | Emporium 5oz bag= $2.75 | Lucerne 6oz bag= $2.49 |
| Cheddar Cheese (16oz) | Happy Farms 16oz bag= $3.29 | Lucerne 16oz bag= $3.99 *on sale* |
| Cream Cheese | Happy Farms 8oz= $1.75 | Lucerne 8oz= $1.99 |
| Total: (7 items) | $20.73 | $21.93 |
In the dairy section, Aldi came out cheaper with a total of $20.73. This was $1.20 cheaper than Albertson’s total of $21.93.
Is Albertsons more expensive than Aldi?
Both stores were pretty close in prices for each section. Let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Aldi Price | Albertsons Price |
| Produce | $16.69 | $16.63 |
| Deli/Meats | $30.09 | $34.41 |
| Dry Goods | $26.23 | $27.93 |
| Frozen Foods | $3.20 | $3.58 |
| Dairy | $20.73 | $21.93 |
| Overall Total: (40 items) | $96.94 | $104.48 |
Overall, Aldi was cheaper than Albertsons with a total of $96.64. That was $7.54 (about 7%) lower than Albertsons’ total of $104.48.
The prices for both stores were actually very close until you looked at the amounts of the items you were buying. This was especially true for produce, white rice, and even mayonnaise.
At Aldi you don’t always get the option of just buying one piece of produce and a lot of their dry goods only come in 1-2 sizes. You will need to weigh these options carefully.
If you can’t use 3 bell peppers in one week, you can chop it up and freeze it for next time. If you let them rot and throw them away, then you didn’t save any money.
If you won’t use 30oz of mayonnaise before it goes bad, then you didn’t save any money by having to buy a larger container.
I would focus on sales really look at the quantities that you are purchasing to make your grocery budget stretch as far as possible.
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Albertsons vs Target” and “Kroger vs SaveALot.”
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Target vs Safeway: Who is Cheaper?” and “Albertsons vs Walmart: Who has cheaper groceries?“
