Fred Meyer vs Safeway: Cheapest Grocery Store?
I keep hearing how expensive it is to live on the West Coast, so I wanted to see for myself if groceries were higher too. I choose a very popular city of Seattle, Washington to do a grocery store price comparison.
Fred Meyer and Safeway are two grocery stores that are very common in the Western US, so we are going to start with them. Who is cheaper for groceries, Fred Meyer or Safeway? Scroll to the end to see the final verdict!
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Is Fred Meyer more expensive than Safeway?
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 made from whole chicken, 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 Seattle, Washington. 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 | Fred Meyer Price | Safeway Price |
| 8 bananas | $0.49 a lb = $1.68 | $0.69 a lb = $2.24 |
| Potatoes | Russet 5lb bag = $2.29 | Russet 5lb bag= $2.49 |
| Carrots | $0.99 a lb = $0.99 | $0.99 a lb = $0.99 |
| Leafy Green Lettuce | 1 head = $1.99 | 1 head = $1.79 *on sale* |
| 1 Tomato | $2.49 a lb = $1.40 | $2.99 a lb = $1.50 |
| 1 Cucumber | $0.79 each | $0.99 each |
| 2 lemons | $0.99 each x 2= $1.98 | $1.25 each x 2= $2.50 |
| Total: (7 items) | $11.12 | $12.50 |
We are off to a very close race with Fred Meyer coming in at $11.12. That was $1.38 cheaper than Safeway at $12.50.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Fred Meyer Price | Safeway Price |
| Pork Chops | Thin Pork Loin chops (about 10) $3.77 a lb= $4.90 | Bone In Pork Steaks (about 4 large pieces) $3.49a lb = $5.24 |
| Whole Chicken | $1.49 a lb (5.5lbs) = $8.20 | $2.29 a lb (5lbs ) = $11.45 |
| Precooked Bacon | Hormel 2.52oz box = $3.79 * on sale* | Signature Select 2.1 oz box = $3.99 |
| 1lb ground turkey | Kroger 1lb fresh = $4.29 | Jennie-O 1lb fresh = $5.99 |
| Total: (4 items) | $21.18 | $26.67 |
Fred Meyer came out to $21.18, which was $5.49 cheaper than Safeway. We also ended up with a few more pork chops and a little more chicken.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Fred Meyer Price | Safeway Price |
| Peanut Butter | Kroger 16oz = $1.74 | Signature Select 6oz = $2.49 |
| Sandwich Bread | Kroger white bread 20oz= $1.33 * on sale* | Value Corner white bread 16oz = $1.29 |
| Pancake Syrup | Kroger 24oz bottle = $1.99 | Value Corner 24oz bottle = $2.79 |
| Oatmeal | Kroger 18oz container = $1.99 | Malt O Meal 16oz = $2.49 |
| Brown Sugar | Kroger 32oz bag = $1.89 | Signature Select 32oz bag = $2.89 |
| Mayonnaise | Kroger 12oz jar= $2.99 | Best Foods 5.5oz = $2.79 |
| Raisins | Kroger mini boxes (6oz) =$1.59 | Sun Maid mini boxes (6oz) = $2.99 |
| Black Beans dried | La Preferida 16oz bag= $1.69 *on sale* | Signature Select 16oz bag= $3.29 |
| Lentils (dry) | Kroger 16oz bag = $1.99 | Signature Select 16oz bag= $3.29 |
| Canned tomatoes x 2 | Kroger 14.5 oz $0.79 each x2= $1.58 | Signature Select 14.5oz can $0.99 each x 2= $1.98 |
| BBQ sauce | Kraft 18oz bottle = $1.25 * on sale* | Sweet Baby Rays’s 28oz = $2.79 * on sale* |
| Alfredo Sauce | Kroger 16oz jar = $1.99 | Ragu 16oz jar=$2.69 * on sale* |
| Brown Rice | Kroger 16oz bag = $1.09 | Signature Select 16oz bag = $1.89 |
| Taco Seasoning | Kroger 1.25oz pack = $0.39 | McCormick 1oz pack = $1.00 |
| Flour Tortillas | Mission 12ct = $1.99 * on sale* | Mission 10ct = $2.00 * on sale* |
| Kidney Beans | Kroger 15.5 oz can = $0.79 | Signature Select 15.5oz can = $0.89 *on sale* |
| Chili Powder | Smidge & Spoon 2.19oz = $1.25 | Signature Select 2.5oz =$4.49 |
| Cornbread Mix | Jiffy 8.5oz box = $0.65 | Jiffy 8.5oz box = $1.39 |
| Microwave Popcorn | Pop Secret 6ct 3.2oz = $2.50 * on sale* | Jolly Time 3ct 3oz = $2.50 * on sale* |
| Total: (18 items) | $30.68 | $45.93 |
The first two sections were pretty close, so I was very surprised at the differences in this section. Fred Meyer came in at $30.68, which was $15.25 cheaper than Safeway.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Fred Meyer Price | Safeway Price |
| Frozen Mixed Vegetables | Kroger 12oz bag = $1.00 | Signature Select 16oz bag = $1.49 |
| Frozen Peas | Kroger 12oz bag = $1.00 | Signature Select 16oz bag = $1.49 |
| Total: (2 items) | $2.00 | $2.98 |
This one was pretty close with Fred Meyer coming in at $2.00 versus Safeway at $2.98. This was only a $0.98 difference.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Fred Meyer Price | Safeway Price |
| Eggs | Kroger large 12ct = $2.29 | Lucerne Large 12ct = $2.39 |
| Sour Cream | Kroger 8oz tub = $1.39 | Lucerne 16oz tub= $1.99 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Kroger 8oz bag= $2.00 * on sale* | Lucerne 8oz bag = $2.99 |
| Shredded Mozzarella Cheese | Kroger 8oz bag= $2.00 * on sale* | Lucerne 8oz bag = $2.99 |
| Butter (sticks) | Kroger 1lb = $3.79 | Lucerne 1lb = $4.49 |
| Milk | Kroger 2% gallon= $3.59 | Lucerne 2% gallon = $4.09 |
| Total: (6 items) | $15.06 | $18.94 |
The dairy section was another close one with Fred Meyer coming in at $15.06, which was $3.88 cheaper than Safeway.
Is Fred Meyer or Safeway cheaper?
I really thought this was going to be closer, but sadly it was not a tight race.
| Section | Fred Meyer Price | Safeway Price |
| Produce | $11.12 | $12.50 |
| Deli/Meats | $21.18 | $26.67 |
| Dry Goods | $30.68 | $45.93 |
| Frozen Foods | $2.00 | $2.98 |
| Dairy | $15.06 | $18.94 |
| Overall Total: (37 items) | $80.04 | $107.02 |
Fred Meyer came in cheapest at $80.04 compared to Safeway at $107.02. This means shopping at Fred Meyer instead of Safeway, has the potential to save about 25% on your grocery budget.
If you were to make a solid meal plan based on the sales flyer at Fred Meyer, you could actually get your total even lower.
Safeway does have weekly ads, and you can use them to help you meal plan for maximum savings. For more savings at Safeway, check out their FreshPass. They are currently offering a 30-day free trial!
For more information on food items, check out “Is expired 5 hour Energy Drinks safe?” and “Are expired Pizza Rolls ok to eat?“
