Cub Foods vs Target: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
If you live in Minnesota or Illinois, you will probably be very familiar with Cub Foods grocery store. Most people are familiar with Target, but not for groceries.
In recent years, Target has expanded their stores to include a true grocery section with produce and meat. Let’s see if it is cheaper to buy groceries at Cub Foods or Target. Jump to the end to see the verdict!
Is Cub Foods cheaper than Target?
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 Bacon and Toast
- Banana Pancakes with Maple Syrup
- Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars
Lunches
- Leftover Chicken Salad with Raisins Sandwiches
- Black Bean Hummus (using leftover black beans) with Homemade Potato Chips and Carrots
- Taco Salads (leftover taco meat)
- Baked Potatoes with Sour Cream, Cheese, and Bacon
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Lentil Veggie Soup (using dry lentils, canned tomatoes, chicken broth, and frozen mixed vegetables)
- Baked BBQ Pork Chops with Carrot Raisin Salad (mayo, lemon juice, & maple syrup), and Baked Potato Wedges
- Chicken Carbonara-ish Pasta with Bacon and Frozen Peas (alfredo sauce with Italian seasoning) *using leftover chicken*
- Whole Baked Chicken with Brown Rice and Baked Carrots
- 1/2lb Ground Turkey and Black Bean Tacos (with lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream) and Brown Rice
- 1/2lb Ground Turkey Chili with Cornbread and Side Salad with lemon juice & oil dressing
Snacks
- Bananas
- Carrots
- Popcorn
Sweet Treat
- Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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 #3.”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Cub Foods Price | Target Price |
| 8 bananas | Organic bananas $0.59 a lb *on sale*= $1.44 | $0.25 each =$2.00 |
| Potatoes | Russet 5lb bag= $4.99 | Russet 5lb bag- $2.59 |
| Carrots | Green Giant 1lb bag- $1.49 | 1lb baby carrots – $0.99 |
| Leafy Green Lettuce | 1 head- $2.99 | 3 ct romaine hearts -$2.99 |
| 1 Tomato | $3.79 a lb = $1.40 | 16oz Roma tomatoes – $1.39 |
| 1 Cucumber | $0.88 each | $0.65 each |
| 2 lemons | $1.25 each x2 = $2.50 | $0.65 each x2= $1.30 |
| Total: (7 items) | $15.69 | $11.91 |
Target has started off strong with a total of $11.91. This was $3.78 cheaper than Cub Foods at $15.69.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Cub Foods Price | Target Price |
| Pork Chops | Center Cut Pork Chops 2.3lbs @ $2.49 a lb = $5.73 *on sale* | Thin Boneless Porkchops 15oz = $5.79 |
| Chicken Breasts | Boneless Breasts @3.49 a lb (3.25lb) = $11.34 *on sale* | Tyson 2.5lbs frozen breasts = $8.99 |
| Precooked Bacon | Hormel 2.5oz box = $5.99 | Market Pantry 2.1 oz box – $3.49 |
| 1lb ground turkey | Jennie-O 1lb roll = $3.99 | Jennie-O 1lb roll = $3.79 |
| Total: (4 items) | $27.05 | $22.06 |
Target did not offer whole chickens which is what I had originally planned for this meal plan. I changed over to chicken breasts to make this more comparable.
Target did come in cheaper at $22.06, but we got a whole lot more pork chops and chicken breasts at Cub Foods. Cub Foods was $27.05 which was $4.99 more expensive.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Cub Foods Price | Target Price |
| Peanut Butter | Essential Everyday 16oz – $2.99 | Good & Gather 16oz – $1.69 |
| Sandwich Bread | Cub White Bread 16oz – $1.39 | Market Pantry White bread 20oz – $1.19 |
| Maple Syrup | Essential Everyday 24oz bottle – $1.99 | Market Pantry 24oz bottle- $2.29 |
| Oatmeal | Mom’s Best Oats 16oz container – $2.99 | Good & Gather 18oz container = $1.89 |
| Brown Sugar | Essential Everyday 32oz bag- $2.49 | Good & Gather 32oz bag- $1.79 |
| Mayonnaise | Essential Everyday 15oz jar – $2.99 | Market Pantry 30oz jar- $2.69 |
| Raisins | Everyday Essentials mini boxes (6oz) = $2.19 | Good & Gather mini boxes (6oz) = $1.59 |
| Black Beans canned | Everyday Essentials 15oz can – $0.99 | Good & Gather 15oz can – $0.85 |
| Lentils (dry) | Everyday Essentials 16oz bag *on sale* = $1.99 | Iberia 12oz bag- $1.29 |
| Chicken Broth | Everyday Essentials 32oz carton – $1.99 | Good & Gather 32oz carton – $1.49 |
| Canned tomatoes x 2 | Everyday Essentials 14.5 oz cans $0.99 each= $1.98 | Good & Gather 14.5 oz can $0.99 each x2= $1.98 |
| BBQ sauce | Kraft 17.5 oz = $2.29 | KC Masterpiece 18oz = $1.89 |
| Alfredo Sauce | Everyday Essentials 16oz jar = $2.49 | Good & Gather 15oz jar – $1.89 |
| Brown Rice | Everyday Essentials 16oz bag- $0.99 | Good & Gather 1lb bag – $0.89 |
| Taco Seasoning | Everyday Essentials 1.25 oz pack – $0.99 | Old El Paso 1oz = $0.95 |
| Flour Tortillas | Frescados 10ct – $1.49 *on sale* | Market Pantry 10 ct = $1.99 |
| Kidney Beans | Everyday Essentials 15oz can = $0.99 | Bush’s 16 oz can – $0.99 |
| Chili Powder | Everyday Essentials 2.5 oz jar- $1.99 | Good & Gather 2.5oz jar- $1.19 |
| Cornbread Mix | Krusteaz Mix 15oz box – $2.69 * on sale* | Jiffy 8.5 oz box – $0.65 |
| Popcorn | Act II 3 bag 8.25 oz = $2.29 * on sale* | Market Pantry 17.4oz 6 ct- $2.99 |
| Total: (19 items) | $37.21 | $29.09 |
Target definitely came out cheaper with $29.09 which was surprising because so many items were on sale at Cub Foods. Cub Foods came in at $37.21, which was $8.12 more expensive.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Cub Foods Price | Target Price |
| Frozen Mixed Vegetables | Bird’s Eye 10oz bag – $1.59 * on sale* | Good & Gather 12oz bag – $0.89 |
| Frozen Peas | Bird’s Eye 10oz bag – $1.59 * on sale* | Good & Gather 12oz bag – $0.89 |
| Total: (2 items) | $3.18 | $1.78 |
Target came out with a total of $1.78, which was $1.40 cheaper than Cub Foods at $3.18.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Cub Foods Price | Target Price |
| Eggs | Eggland’s Best large 12ct = $3.79 | Good & Gather large eggs 12ct = $2.89 |
| Sour Cream | Everyday Essentials 16oz tub- $2.39 | Good & Gather 8oz tub- $1.59 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Crystal Farms 8oz bag = $3.00 * on sale* | Good & Gather 8oz bag – $2.49 |
| Shredded Mozzarella Cheese | Crystal Farms 8oz bag = $3.00 * on sale* | Good & Gather 8oz bag – $2.49 |
| Butter (sticks) | Everyday Essentials 1lb – $4.69 | Good & Gather 1lb – $3.69 |
| Milk | Cub 2% Gallon = $3.79 | Good & Gather 2% gallon- $3.19 |
| Total: (6 items) | $20.66 | $16.34 |
Target came to a total of $16.34, which was $4.32 cheaper than Cub Foods at $20.66.
Is Target more expensive than Cub Foods?
We could tell early on that Target was cheaper at each section, so let’s see the overall totals.
| Section | Cub Foods Price | Target Price |
| Produce | $15.69 | $11.91 |
| Deli/Meats | $27.05 | $22.06 |
| Dry Goods | $37.21 | $29.09 |
| Frozen Foods | $3.18 | $1.78 |
| Dairy | $20.66 | $16.34 |
| Overall Total: (38 items) | $103.79 | $81.18 |
Target was definitely cheaper than Cub Foods with a total of $81.18. That was $22.61 cheaper than Cub Foods total of $103.79.
This means by shopping at Target, you potentially saved about 21%. If you are an avid Cub Foods shopper, you may want to try Target a couple times a month to lower your grocery budget!
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Target vs Publix: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?“
For common expired foods in your pantry, check out “Does Nesquik expire? (Milk, Powder, & Syrup)“
