City Market vs Walmart: Who is cheaper?
City Market is part of the Kroger Company and currently operates about 38 stores in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Walmart is available in every state for grocery shopping.
We are going to take a grocery list for a full week’s worth of meals and price compare City Market and Walmart to see who is cheaper for groceries. Scroll to the end to see the final verdict!
Is Walmart cheaper than City Market?
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
- Ham and Mushroom Scrambled Eggs
- Biscuits with Sausage Gravy
- Vanilla Yogurt with Blueberries
- Cinnamon Toast with Strawberries
- Cheese Toast
Lunches
- Salad with Ham and Hard Boiled Eggs
- Baked Potato with Sour Cream
- Egg Salad with Saltines
- Grilled Cheese with Corn Chips
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Scalloped Potatoes with Ham and Cheddar Cheese
- Ground Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff (beef broth, green bell pepper, egg noodles, cream of mushroom soup, and sour cream)
- Ground Beef Chili over Brown Rice (canned tomatoes, kidney beans, chili powder, green bell pepper) with Canned Corn
- Grilled Chicken with Brown Rice and Peas
- Leftover Grilled Chicken with Cream Cheese Topping (ranch powder, fresh tomatoes, and cheddar cheese) and Butter Noodles
- Ham, Cheese, and Broccoli Stromboli
Snacks
- Celery sticks with ranch dressing
- Popcorn
- Corn Chips
Sweet Treat
- Saltine “Crack” Brittle
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Rawlins, Wyoming. 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 #6.”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
Item | City Market Price | Walmart Price |
Mushrooms | 8 oz whole= $2.09 *on sale* | 8 oz whole= $1.98 |
Blueberries | 1 pint= $3.99 | 1 pint= $3.48 |
Strawberries | 1 lb= $2.99 | 1 lb= $2.48 |
Potatoes | 5lb bag of Idaho potatoes = $2.59 | 5lb bag of russet potatoes = $2.87 |
Lettuce | 1 head romaine= $1.69 | 1 head green leaf= $1.98 |
Tomato x2 | $2.19 a lb/ beef steak=$2.46 | $1.48 a lb/ slicing= $1.36 |
Cucumber | $0.69 each | $0.68 each |
Green Bell Pepper | $0.79 each | $0.78 each |
Celery | 1 head= $1.49 | 1 head= $2.36 |
Total: (9 items) | $18.78 | $17.97 |
In the produce section, Walmart came out cheaper with a total of $17.97. This was $0.81 cheaper than City Market’s total of $18.78.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
Item | City Market Price | Walmart Price |
Diced Ham | Kroger 8oz pack = $2.49 | Great Value 8oz ham steak = $2.28 |
1lb ground beef | Kroger 73/27 1lb roll = $2.99 *on sale* | All natural 73/27 1lb roll = $4.08 |
Chicken Breasts (4-6) | Heritage Farm $2.99 a lb (4.72lbs) = $14.14 | $3.24 a lb (5.11 lbs)= $16.56 |
Total: (3 items) | $19.62 | $22.92 |
In the meat section, City Market came out cheaper with a total of $19.62. This was $3.30 cheaper than Walmart’s total of $22.92.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
Item | City Market Price | Walmart Price |
Sausage Gravy Mix | Pioneer Brand mix 2.75oz pack = $1.39 | Pioneer Brand mix 2.75oz pack = $1.08 |
Sandwich bread | Kroger 20oz white= $1.50 | Great Value 20oz white= $1.00 |
Saltines | Kroger 16oz box= $1.69 | Great Value 16oz box = $1.12 *on sale* |
Corn Chips | Kroger 9oz bag= $2.19 | Great Value 9.25oz bag= $1.54 |
Beef Broth | Kroger 14oz can= $0.79 | Great Value 14.5oz can = $0.72 |
Egg Noodles | Manischewitz 12oz bag= $2.49 | Great Value 16oz bag= $1.43 |
Cream of Mushroom Soup | Kroger 10.5oz can= $1.19 | Great Value 10.5oz can = $0.68 |
Canned Tomatoes | Kroger 14.5oz can = $0.69 *on sale* | Great Value 14.5oz can = $0.88 |
Chili Powder | Smidge and Spoon 2.19 oz jar= $1.25 | Great Value 3oz jar = $1.00 |
Kidney Beans | Kroger 15.5oz can = $0.79 | Great Value 15.5oz can = $0.78 |
Brown Rice | Kroger 1lb bag= $0.99 | Great Value 1lb bag= $0.78 |
Ranch Seasoning | Kroger 1oz pack = $1.00 | Hidden Valley 1pack= $1.74 |
Ranch Dressing | Kroger 16oz bottle = $1.99 | Great Value 16oz bottle = $1.97 |
Microwave Popcorn | Kroger 6c bag/3oz= $1.98 | Great Value 3bag/7.67oz = $1.36 |
Brown Sugar | Kroger 2lb bag= $1.99 | Great Value 2lb bag= $1.70 |
Cinnamon | Smidge and Spoon 2.25oz jar = $1.25 | Great Value 2.5oz jar= $1.18 |
Chocolate Chips | Nestle 12oz bag= $3.59 | Great Value 12oz bag= $2.32 |
Canned Corn | Kroger 15.25oz can = $0.89 | Great Value 14.5oz can = $0.58 |
Total: (18 items) | $27.65 | $21.86 |
In the dry goods section, Walmart came out cheaper with a total of $21.86. This was $5.79 cheaper than City market’s total of $27.65.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
Item | City Market Price | Walmart Price |
Frozen Peas | Kroger 12oz bag= $1.25 | Great Value 12oz bag= $0.84 |
Frozen Broccoli | Kroger 12oz bag= $1.69 | Great Value 12oz bag= $0.98 |
Total: (2 items) | $2.94 | $1.82 |
In the frozen section, Walmart came out cheaper with a total of $1.82. This was $1.12 cheaper than City Market’s total of $2.94.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
Item | City Market Price | Walmart Price |
Eggs | Simple Truth 12ct brown = $3.49 | Eggland’s Best 12ct white= $2.92 |
2% milk | Kroger gallon= $3.49 | Great Value gallon = $3.26 |
American Cheese | Kroger 16ct = $2.29 | Great Value 16ct = $1.98 |
Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Kroger 16oz bag= $3.99 | Great Value 16oz bag= $3.98 |
Vanilla Yogurt | Kroger 32oz tub= $2.00 *on sale* | Great Value 32oz tub= $2.36 |
Sour Cream | Kroger 8oz tub= $1.25 | Great Value 8oz tub= $1.16 |
Cream Cheese Block | Kroger 8oz block = $2.19 | Great Value 8oz block = $1.68 |
Biscuits | Kroger 8ct= $1.79 | Great Value 8ct= $1.52 |
Total: (7 items) | $20.49 | $18.86 |
In the dairy section, Walmart came out cheaper with a total of $18.86. This was $1.63 cheaper than City Market’s total of $20.49.
Is City Market more expensive than Walmart?
Walmart came in cheaper in almost every section except for the meat section. Let’s look at the overall totals.
Section | City Market Price | Walmart Price |
Produce | $18.78 | $17.97 |
Deli/Meats | $19.62 | $22.92 |
Dry Goods | $27.65 | $21.86 |
Frozen Foods | $2.94 | $1.82 |
Dairy | $20.49 | $18.86 |
Overall Total: (40 items) | $89.48 | $83.43 |
Overall, Walmart came out cheaper than City Market with a total of $83.43. This was $6.05 (about 7%) cheaper than City Market’s total of $89.48.
Both places easily came in under $100 and that is a great place to be in. In order to maximize savings, I would really look at City Market’s sales flyer every week.
City Market seemed to have better deals in their meat section, so I would probably focus on them for meat. Then I would pick up the basics at Walmart.
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Shaw’s vs Hannaford: Who is Cheaper?” and “Vons vs Smart & Final: Who is Cheaper?”