Aldi vs Kroger: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
It seems like recently we are all trying to lower our spending on groceries and we get stuck on just how to do this well. One of the best ways to save money at the grocery store is to price compare!
Prices change all the time and grocery stores are no different. By comparing our local stores, we can see if it is worth shopping just one store, or if it is better to shop at multiple stores.
Today we will price compare Kroger and Aldi to see who comes out cheaper. Then we will determine if it is worth shopping at both stores to maximize our weekly grocery budget!
Is Kroger cheaper than Aldi?
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
- Spinach Egg Bites with Cottage Cheese & Bananas
- Cottage Cheese with Pineapple & Blueberries
- Egg & Cheese Biscuits with Apple Slices
- Mini Monkey Bread with Blueberries
- Scrambled Eggs, Pepperoni, and Apple Slices
Lunches
- Chicken Salad with Celery & Saltines
- Black Bean Hummus Quesadillas & Carrots with Ranch
- Leftover Dinners
Dinners
- Herb Chicken Leg Quarters with Sweet Potatoes & California Blend veggies
- Chicken and Rice Soup with Spinach Salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, & ranch dressing)
- Ground Beef and Black Bean Enchiladas with Cilantro Lime Rice & Canned Corn
- Ground Beef Chili with Red Kidney Beans (served with tortillas, sour cream, & cheese) and California Blend veggies
- BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches with coleslaw and baked beans
- Mini Pepperoni Pizzas with Spinach Salad
Snacks
- Apple Slices
- Celery & Carrots with Ranch Dressing
- Saltine Crackers
- Bananas & Blueberries
- Tortilla Chips
Sweet Treat
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Westerville, Ohio. 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 Week #11 (Really Cheap, Easy, and Toddler Friendly) .”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Aldi Price | Kroger Price |
| Bananas x5 | $0.17 each= $0.85 | $0.21 each= $1.05 |
| Blueberries | 1 pint= $3.65 | 1 pint= $2.99 |
| Apples | 3lb bag of Gala apples= $3.55 | 3lb bag of Gala apples= $4.99 |
| Carrots | 1lb baby carrots= $1.35 | 1lb baby carrots= $1.25 |
| Celery | 1 head= $1.89 | 1 head= $1.79 |
| Spinach | 8oz bag= $1.65 | 10oz bag= $2.29 |
| Sweet Potatoes (need 4) | 3lb bag= $3.09 | $0.74 each= $2.96 |
| Tomato | 1lb beefsteak package= $2.75 | Red Tomato $0.90 each |
| Cabbage (small) | Taylor Farms 14oz bag of shredded= $1.65 | 1 head= $1.98 *on sale* |
| Cucumber | $0.79 each | $0.69 each |
| Lime | 1lb bag= $2.75 | $0.69 each |
| Cilantro | 1 bunch= $0.95 | 1 bunch= $0.89 |
| Total: (12 items) | $24.92 | $22.47 |
In the produce section, Kroger came out cheaper with a total of $22.47. This was $2.45 cheaper than Aldi’s total of $24.92.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Aldi Price | Kroger Price |
| Chicken Leg Quarters (need 5lbs) | Kirkwood $1.19 a lb (5lbs)= $5.95 | Kroger $0.99 a lb (5.34lbs)= $5.29 |
| Ground Beef (need 1 pound) | 85/15 1lb roll= $4.09 | 90/10 1lb fresh= $3.99 *on sale* |
| Pepperoni Slices | Mama Cozzi’s 6oz bag= $2.85 | Kroger 6oz bag= $2.99 |
| Total: (3 items) | $12.89 | $12.27 |
In the meat section, Kroger came out cheaper with a total of $12.27. This was $0.62 cheaper than Aldi’s total of $12.89.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Aldi Price | Kroger Price |
| Canned Pineapple | Sweet Harvest 20oz can = $1.45 | Kroger 20oz can= $1.39 |
| Brown Sugar | Baker’s Corner 2lb bag= $1.99 | Kroger 2lb bag= $1.79 |
| Yellow Cake Mix | Baker’s Corner 15.25 box=$0.89 | Pillsbury 15.25oz box= $1.39 |
| Tortillas | Pueblo Lindo 20ct =$2.09 | Kroger 12ct= $1.59 |
| Black Beans (can) | Dakota’s Pride 5oz can= $0.85 | Kroger 15.5oz can= $0.79 |
| Ranch Dressing | Tuscan Garden 16oz bottle= $2.15 | Smart Way 16oz bottle= $1.99 |
| Hamburger Buns | L’Oven 8ct= $1.45 | Kroger 8ct= $1.79 *on sale* |
| Baked Beans | Dakota’s pride 28oz can= $1.99 | Kroger 28oz can= $2.19 |
| Tomato Sauce | Happy Harvest 8oz can= $0.49 | Kroger 8oz can= $0.59 *on sale* |
| Diced Tomatoes (can) | Happy Harvest 14.5ox can= $0.95 | Kroger 14.5oz can= $1.00 |
| Chili Powder | Stonemill 2.5oz jar= $1.09 | Smidge & Spoon 2.19oz jar= $1.25 |
| Corn (can) | Happy Harvest 15.25oz can= $0.55 | Kroger 15.25oz can= $0.89 |
| White Rice | Earthly Grains 3lb bag= $2.65 | Kroger 2lb bag= $1.89 |
| Taco Seasoning | Casa Mamita oz pack= $0.49 | Kroger 1oz pack= $0.49 |
| Kidney Beans (can) | Dakota’s Pride 15.5oz can= $0.85 | Kroger 15.5oz can= $0.89 |
| Tortilla Chips | Clancy’s 13oz bag= $2.09 | Kroger 0oz bag= $1.99 |
| Cornbread Mix | Martha White 7oz bag= $1.09 | Jiffy 8.5oz box= $0.65 |
| Garlic Herb Seasoning Blend | Stonemill 2.5oz jar= $3.05 | Kroger 2.5oz jar= $2.99 |
| Barbeque Sauce | Burman’s 18oz bottle= $1.65 | Kroger 18oz bottle= $1.49 |
| Total: (18 items) | $27.81 | $27.04 |
In the dry goods section, Kroger came out cheaper with a total of $27.04. This was $0.77 cheaper than Aldi’s total of $27.81.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Aldi Price | Kroger Price |
| California Blend Veggies | Season’s Choice 12oz bag= $1.25 | Kroger 12oz bag= $1.69 |
| Garlic Bread | Mama Cozzi’s 11.25oz box= $2.45 | Kroger 14oz box= $2.29 |
| Total: (2 items) | $3.70 | $3.98 |
In the frozen section, Aldi came out cheaper with a total of $3.70. This was $0.28 cheaper than Kroger’s total of $3.98.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Aldi Price | Kroger Price |
| Eggs | Goldhen 12ct large eggs= $2.45 | Kroger 12ct large eggs= $2.19 |
| Cottage Cheese | Friendly Farms 24oz container= $2.75 | Kroger 24oz container= $2.79 *on sale* |
| Milk (1/2 gallon) | Friendly Farms 1/2 gallon= $1.85 | Kroger 1/2 gallon= $1.99 |
| Biscuits (can) | Bake House 8ct= $1.85 | Kroger 8ct= $1.79 |
| Butter | Countryside Creamery 1lb= $2.75 | Land O Lakes 1lb= $3.99 *on sale* |
| Cheddar Cheese | Happy Farms 16oz shredded bag= $4.19 | Kroger 16oz block= $4.29 |
| Mozzarella Cheese | Happy Farms 16oz shredded bag= $4.19 | Kroger 16oz shredded bag= $4.29 |
| Total: (7 items) | $20.03 | $21.33 |
In the dairy section, Aldi came out cheaper with a total of $20.03. This was $1.30 cheaper than Kroger’s total of $21.33.
Is Aldi more expensive than Kroger?
There was some back and forth on who was cheaper in each section, so let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Aldi Price | Kroger Price |
| Produce | $24.92 | $22.47 |
| Deli/Meats | $12.89 | $12.27 |
| Dry Goods | $27.81 | $27.04 |
| Frozen Foods | $3.70 | $3.98 |
| Dairy | $20.03 | $21.33 |
| Overall Total: (42 items) | $89.35 | $87.09 |
Overall, Kroger was cheaper than Aldi with a total of $87.09. This was $2.26 (about 3%) cheaper than Aldi’s total of $89.35.
I am very excited to see that both stores came out under $100! If I had to choose one store to shop at I would probably pick Kroger.
On the other hand, if I had the time to shop at both locations and just buy what was cheaper at each store, I could have saved even more. The total would have been $80.61 which would have been another 7% off of Kroger’s total.
If we had based our meal plan off what was in season and on sale at each store, I am sure we could have spent even less. Aldi does not really offer coupons, but Kroger does have a pretty sizeable selection of digital coupons on their website.
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Kroger vs SaveALot” and “Aldi vs PriceRite.”
