Fareway vs Family Fare: Who is Cheaper?
Fareway is a grocery store chain with about 131 stores in seven US states (Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, and Missouri). Family Fare is a smaller supermarket chain with about 83 stores in seven US states (Michigan, North Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin).
To find out if Fareway or Family Fare is cheaper, we will do a price comparison for both stores with a week-long grocery list. Scroll to the end to see the final verdict!
Is Fareway cheaper than Family Fare grocery store?
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 Cheese & Toast
- Vanilla Yogurt with Strawberries and Leftover Pineapple
- French Toast with Syrup & Bananas
- Peanut Butter Toast with Bananas
Lunches
- Salad with Leftover Parmesan Chicken
- Pasta Salad with Hard Boiled Eggs and Tomato, Cucumber, and Parmesan Cheese
- Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
- BLT Sandwiches with Side Salad
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Orange Chicken with Pineapple over Brown Rice
- Sloppy Joe on French Bread with Cheese and Canned Corn
- Kielbasa, Potatoes and Green Beans in the Crockpot
- Tex Mex Pizza with Taco meat, Refried Beans, Salsa, and Cheese
- Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Butter Pasta, and Broccoli
- Breakfast for Dinner: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Bacon, Fried Potatoes, and Sauteed Apples
Snacks
- Chips and Salsa
- Peanut Butter and Apples
- Yogurt Bites
Sweet Treat
- Homemade Orange Popsicles
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Omaha, Nebraska. 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 #7“
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Family Fare Price | Fareway Price |
| Strawberries | 1lb= $3.99 | 1lb= $4.99 |
| 6 Bananas | $0.21 each= $1.26 | $0.28 each= $1.68 |
| Lettuce | Green leaf 1 head= $1.87 | Living Green Leaf Head= $2.49 |
| Tomato x2 | Hydroponic Tomatoes $1.16each= $2.32 | Vine Ripe $1.87 each= $3.74 |
| Cucumber | $0.79 each | $1.25 each |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of Russets= $3.49 | 5lb bag of Russets= $3.99 |
| Apples | 3lb red delicious apples= $4.99 | Braeburn Apples $0.50 each= $3.00 |
| Total: (7 items) | $18.71 | $21.14 |
In the produce section, Family Fare came out cheaper with a total of $18.71. This was $2.43 cheaper than Fareway with a total of $21.14.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Family Fare Price | Fareway Price |
| Bacon | Our Family 12oz pack= $4.49 | Fareway 16oz pack= $5.88 *on sale* |
| 4-6 Chicken Breasts | $3.29 a lb (5lbs) = $16.48 | $5.99 a lb (5lbs)=$29.95 |
| Kielbasa Sausage | Our Family 14oz = $4.29 | Johnsonville 13.5 oz = $4.99 |
| 1 lb ground turkey | Honeysuckle 1lb fresh= $4.99 | Fareway 1lb roll= $3.99 |
| Total: (4 items) | $30.25 | $44.81 |
In the meat section, Family Fare came in cheaper with a total of $30.25. This was $14.56 cheaper than Fareway’s total of $44.81.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Family Fare Price | Fareway Price |
| Sandwich Bread | That’s Smart 16oz white= $1.39 | Fareway 20oz white= $1.59 |
| Canned Pineapple | Our Family 20oz can= $1.79 | Dole 20oz can= $1.97 |
| Pancake Syrup | Our Family 12oz bottle= $1.99 | Fareway 24oz bottle= $2.94 |
| French Bread Loaf | $2.79 each | $1.99 each |
| Cinnamon | Our Family 2.37 oz jar= $2.49 | McCormick 2.37 oz jar= $3.29 |
| Peanut Butter | Our Family 16oz jar= $1.59 | Fareway 16oz jar= $2.49 *on sale* |
| Italian Dressing | Our Family 16oz bottle= $1.99 | Fareway 16oz bottle= $2.25 *on sale* |
| Pasta | Our Family 16oz elbows= $1.39 | Fareway 16oz rotini = $1.33 |
| Large can Tomato Soup | That’s Smart 10.75oz can x2= $1.58 | Corner Store 10.75oz can x2= $1.18 |
| Canned Tomatoes | That’s Smart 14.5oz can = $0.59 | Fareway 14.5oz can= $0.98 *on sale* |
| Orange Marmalade | Our Family 18oz jar= $3.39 | Fareway 18oz jar= $2.69 |
| BBQ Sauce | Our Family 18oz bottle= $1.49 | Stubb’s 18oz bottle= $1.69 *on sale* |
| Soy Sauce | Our Family 10oz bottle= $1.69 | Fareway 10oz bottle= $2.19 |
| Brown Rice | Our Family 1lb bag= $1.19 | Mahatma 1lb bag= $1.99 |
| Canned Green Beans | That’s Smart 14.5oz can = $0.69 | Butter Kernel 14.5oz can = $1.14 |
| Taco Seasoning | Our Family 1.25oz pack = $0.39 | Fareway 1oz pack= $0.75 *on sale* |
| Refried Beans | Our Family 16oz can= $0.99 | Fareway 16oz can = $0.88 *on sale* |
| Salsa | That’s Smart 15.5oz jar= $1.69 | Fareway 15.5oz jar= $2.50 |
| Worcestershire Sauce | Our Family 5oz bottle= $1.59 | Fareway 10oz bottle= $1.79 |
| Mustard | Our Family 14oz bottle= $1.19 | Fareway 8oz bottle= $1.19 |
| Canned Corn | Our Family 15.25 oz can = $0.85 | Butter Kernel 15oz can = $1.14 |
| Mayonnaise | Miracle Whip 30oz jar= $3.19 *on sale* | Kraft 15oz jar= $2.50 *on sale* |
| All Purpose Flour | Our Family 5lb bag= $2.29 | Fareway 5lb bag= $2.74 *on sale* |
| Dry Active Yeast | Our Family 3 pack= $1.69 | Red Star 3 pack= $1.99 |
| Total: (24 items) | $39.91 | $45.19 |
In the dry goods section, Family Fare came out cheaper with a total of $39.91. This was $5.28 cheaper than Fareway with a total of $45.19.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Family Fare Price | Fareway Price |
| Frozen Broccoli | Our Family 12oz bag= $1.09 | Fareway 12oz bag= $1.50 |
| Total: (1 items) | $1.09 | $1.50 |
In the frozen section, Family Fare came out cheaper with a total of $1.09. This was $0.41 cheaper than Fareway with a total of $1.50.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Family Fare Price | Fareway Price |
| Eggs | Our Family 12ct white= $2.49 | Country Daybreak 12ct white= $2.79 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Our Family 8oz bag= $2.99 | Fareway 8oz bag= $2.47 *on sale* |
| Vanilla Yogurt | Yoplait 32oz tub= $1.47 *on sale* | Fareway 32oz tub= $4.48 *on sale* |
| American Cheese | Our Family 16ct = $2.39 | Fareway 16ct = $2.98 *on sale* |
| Parmesan Cheese | Culinary Tours 5oz tub= $2.99 *on sale* | Fareway 6oz bag= $2.47 *on sale* |
| 2% milk | That’s Smart gallon = $1.89 | Fareway gallon= $4.99 |
| Butter | Our Family 1lb = $3.50 *on sale* | Fareway 1lb = $4.48 *on sale* |
| Total: (7 items) | $17.72 | $24.66 |
In the dairy section, Family Fare came out cheaper with a total of $17.72. This was $6.94 cheaper than Fareway with a total of $24.66.
Is Family Fare more expensive than Fareway?
Family Fare dominated each section so let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Family Fare Price | Fareway Price |
| Produce | $18.71 | $21.14 |
| Deli/Meats | $30.25 | $44.81 |
| Dry Goods | $39.91 | $45.19 |
| Frozen Foods | $1.09 | $1.50 |
| Dairy | $17.72 | $24.66 |
| Overall Total: (43 items) | $107.68 | $137.30 |
Overall, Family Fare came out cheaper than Fareway with a total of $107.68. This was $29.62 (about 22%) cheaper than Fareway’s total of $137.30.
Even though Fareway had a good number of items on sale, their prices were still generally higher than Family Fare. I would only shop at Fareway for exception deals and only shop the sales.
For my weekly shopping trip, I would use Family Fare and potentially lower my grocery budget by 22%.
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Albertsons vs Smith’s: Who is Cheaper?” and “Save-A-Lot vs Walmart: Who is Cheaper?”
