Food Lion vs Target: Who is Cheaper?
Since Target has been expanding into the Grocery market in more cities. It makes me wonder if Target is actually cheaper to buy grocery than a regular Supermarket.
For this price comparison we are going to make a weeklong meal plan for a family of 4, and then compare prices at Target and Food Lion. To find out which came out cheaper, scroll to the end!
Any links to products or services, may be affiliate links. When you click on a link, we may receive compensation at no additional cost to you. This helps to run and maintain the site, as well as getting more information available to you at no cost.
Is Food Lion 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
- Egg, Cheese, and Bacon Burritos x2
- Toast with Peanut Butter and Bananas x2
- Baked Apple Oatmeal Bars x3 (easy recipe here)
Lunches
- Spinach Salads with Hard Boiled Eggs and Leftover Ham & Ranch Dressing (and tomato & cucumber)
- Homemade Hummus with Carrots and Celery
- Egg Salad Sandwiches
- Leftovers
Dinners
- Meatloaf with Mashed potatoes and Sauteed Carrots
- Chicken Lo Mein with Broccoli (sauce is made with soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and sesame oil)
- Leftover Chicken and Dumplings (easy dumpling recipe here) using frozen mixed vegetables and 1 can of cream of chicken soup)
- Ham and Cheese Quiche with Homemade Rice a Roni (rice a roni recipe here)
- 3 Meat Pizza using leftover Ham, leftover Bacon, and Pepperoni with a Spinach Side Salad (easy pizza dough recipe here)
- Leftover Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas with Rice and Black Beans
Snacks
- Bananas
- Carrots & Celery with Ranch
- Peanut Butter and Apples
Sweet Treat
- Homemade Cinnamon Rolls (see recipe here)
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Charlotte, North Carolina. 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 #2.”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Food Lion Price | Target Price |
| 6 Bananas | $0.59 a lb = $2.10 | $0.19 each = $1.14 |
| Gala Apples | 3 lb bag= $4.49 | 3 lb bag= $4.69 |
| Spinach | Fresh Express 8oz bag- $3.29 | Good & Gather 9oz bag= $1.99 |
| Whole Carrots | $0.69 a lb = $0.69 | Baby Cut Carrots 1lb = $0.99 |
| Celery | 1 stalk= 1.29 *on sale* | 1 stalk = $2.29 |
| Potatoes | Russet 5lb bag- $3.69 | Russet 5lb bag- $3.29 |
| Tomato | $1.79 a lb=$0.82 *on sale* | Roma Tomatoes 16oz bag = $1.19 |
| Cucumber | $0.79 each | English Cucumber $1.49 |
| Total: (8 items) | $17.16 | $17.07 |
I love a close race and this one is only separated by $0.09. Target squeaked in with $17.07 compared to Food Lion at $17.16.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Food Lion Price | Target Price |
| Bacon | Food Lion 16oz $4.48 | Market Pantry 16oz = $4.69 |
| Ground Beef (1lb) | Food Lion 85% 16oz $3.99 *on sale* | Good & Gather 80% 1lb = $5.89 |
| Chicken Breasts (4-6 needed) | Food Lion $2.49 a lb, 3.25lbs – $8.09 | $2.99a lb/ 3.25lb = $9.72 |
| Diced Ham | John Morrell 8oz = $3.29 | Good & Gather 8oz = $3.49 |
| Pepperoni | Food Lion 6oz – $2.48 | Market Pantry 6oz = $2.79 |
| Total: (5 items) | $22.33 | $26.58 |
Food Lion pulled ahead with a total of $22.33. This was 4.25 cheaper than Target at $26.58
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Food Lion Price | Target Price |
| Flour Tortillas | Mission Street 12 ct Tortillas – $2.29 | Market Pantry 10ct = $1.99 |
| Loaf bread | Cha-Ching White Bread 20oz $1.09 | Market Pantry White Bread 20oz = $1.19 |
| Peanut Butter | Cha-Ching 16.3oz jar = $1.69 | Good & Gather 16oz jar = $1.69 |
| Oatmeal | Food Lion 18oz container- $2.19 | Good & Gather 18oz container = $1.89 |
| Brown Sugar | Food Lion 16oz – $1.69 | Good & Gather 32oz bag = $1.79 |
| Garbanzo beans (canned) | Food Lion 15.5 oz can – $0.84 | Good & Gather 15.5 oz can = $0.85 |
| Mayonnaise | Food Lion 16oz – $2.39 | Market Pantry 30oz = $2.69 |
| Soy Sauce | Kikkoman 5oz- $1.39 | Market Pantry 15oz bottle = $1.69 |
| Hoisin Sauce | Dynasty 7oz – $2.99 | Lee Kum Kee 8.5oz = $4.69 |
| Sesame Oil | Kikkoman 5oz – $3.79 | House of Tsang 5oz = $5.89 |
| Spaghetti Noodles | Food Lion 16oz – $0.94 | Good & Gather 16oz = $0.95 |
| All Purpose Flour | Food Lion 2lb bag- $1.49 | Good & Gather 5lb bag= $2.29 |
| Cream of Chicken Soup | Food Lion 10.5 oz can – $0.99 | Campbell’s 10.5 oz can = $1.29 |
| Chicken Bouillon Cubes | Knorr 3.1oz box- $1.09 | Goya 2.82oz box = $1.49 |
| Dry Active Yeast (need 2) | Food Lion 3ct- $1.69 | Fleishmann’s 3ct = $1.89 |
| White Rice | Food Lion 16oz bag – $0.99 | Good & Gather 16oz bag = $0.75 |
| Black Beans (canned) | Food Lion 15.5oz $0.84 | Good & Gather 15.5oz = $0.85 |
| Powdered Sugar | Food Lion 16oz bag- $1.69 | Good & Gather 2lb bag = $1.79 |
| Total: (19 items) | $30.07 | $35.66 |
Food Lion came in cheaper again with a total of $30.07. That was $5.59 cheaper than Target at $35.66.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Food Lion Price | Target Price |
| Frozen Broccoli | Food Lion 12oz bag- $1.39 | Bird’s Eye 10.8 oz bag = $0.99 |
| Frozen Mixed Vegetables | Food Lion 16oz bag- $1.69 | Good & Gather 12oz bag = $0.89 |
| Pie Crust | Food Lion 2-pack – $3.49 | Pillsbury 2ct = $2.69 |
| Total: (3 items) | $6.57 | $4.57 |
Target comes out ahead in the frozen section with a total of $4.57. This was exactly $2.00 cheaper than Food Lion.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Food Lion Price | Target Price |
| Eggs | Food Lion Large White 12ct – $2.69 | Good & Gather large White 12ct = $2.19 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Food Lion 8oz bag- $2.00 | Good & Gather 8oz bag = $2.29 |
| Shredded Mozzarella Cheese | Food Lion 8oz bag- $2.00 | Good & Gather 8oz bag = $2.29 |
| Milk | Food Lion 2% gallon – $3.69 | Good & Gather 2% gallon = $2.49 |
| Total: (4 items) | $10.38 | $9.26 |
Target wins again in the dairy section with a total of $9.26. This was $1.12 cheaper than Food Lion.
Is Target more expensive than Food Lion?
Lots of back and forth, so no clear winner yet. Let’s look at the overall totals!
| Section | Food Lion Price | Target Price |
| Produce | $17.16 | $17.07 |
| Deli/Meats | $22.33 | $26.58 |
| Dry Goods | $30.07 | $35.66 |
| Frozen Foods | $6.57 | $4.57 |
| Dairy | $10.38 | $9.26 |
| Overall Total: (38 items) | $86.51 | $93.14 |
In the battle of Food Lion vs Target for cheapest groceries, Food Lion wins with $86.51. This was $6.63 cheaper than Target’s total of $93.14. That means shopping at Food Lion can potentially save you about 7% on your grocery budget.
It is worth noting that if you have a Target Red Card you can save an additional 5% on your purchases, which would make them only 2% more expensive than Food Lion.
To save even more money on your grocery list, you should make a solid meal plan based on what is on sale each week. Start with what is already in your pantry and freezer and fill in the rest of the meals based on what is on sale for a good price.
Food Lion has a program called “Shop & Earn” where you not only get digital coupons and savings, but you can also collect cash back off your total. Plus you will want to sign up for their MVP card that gives you access to all sale prices.
For more grocery store comparisons, check out “Fred Meyer vs Albertsons: Who is Cheaper?“
For more ways to save money, check out “Are Outlet Stores the same quality?” and “When to Buy Skis to Save Money.”
