Giant Eagle vs Walmart: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
One of my favorite ways to save money is to comparison shop. This is no different when it comes to grocery shopping. Food prices are constantly changing, so it really helps to know what prices at multiple stores will be.
Today we will do a side-by-side comparison to see if Giant Eagle or Walmart is cheaper for groceries. We will also see if it is worth going to both stores in order to save even more money. Let’s check it out!
Is Giant Eagle cheaper than Walmart?
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 & Bacon Breakfast Burritos with Orange Slices
- Muffins, Yogurt, & Diced Pears
- Banana Smoothies and Scrambled Eggs
- Banana Raisin Pancakes with Pancake Syrup and Diced Pears
Lunches
- Sloppy Joe & Cheese Taquitos with sour cream
- BLT wraps
- Leftovers from Dinners
Dinners
- Sloppy Joes with Carrot Salad and Homemade Potato Wedges
- Tuna Casserole with Green Peas
- Ground Beef Burrito Bowls with Rice, served with (lettuce, tomato, black beans, sour cream, & cheddar cheese)
- Smoke Sausage Foil Packs with carrots, potatoes, & onion
- Mississippi Chicken in the Crockpot served over white rice with Brussell Sprouts
- One Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta with Garlic Bread & Green Beans
Snacks
- Orange Slices
- Popcorn
- Yogurt
- Diced Pears
Sweet Treat
- Easy Maple Cookies (uses pancake syrup)
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. 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 Family Grocery List Week #12”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Giant Eagle Price | Walmart Price |
| Bananas x8 | $0.15 each =$1.20 | $0.27 each= $2.16 |
| Oranges | 3lb bag of Cara Cara oranges= $3.99 *on sale* | 3lb bag of Clementines = $3.98 |
| Lettuce | 1 head iceberg= $2.49 | 1 head iceberg= $1.98 |
| Tomato x2 | Homegrown $1.25 each= $2.50 | Slicing $1.14 each= $2.28 |
| Onion x2 | Yellow $0.75 each= $1.50 | Yellow $0.70 each= $1.40 |
| Potatoes | 3lb bag of red potatoes= $3.99 | 3lb bag of red potatoes= $3.47 |
| Carrots | 1 pound bag= $1.49 | 1 pound bag= $0.98 |
| Total: (7 items) | $17.16 | $16.25 |
In the produce section, Walmart came out cheaper with a total of $16.25. This was $0.91 cheaper than Giant Eagle’s total of $17.16.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Giant Eagle Price | Walmart Price |
| Bacon | Giant Eagle 16oz pack= $4.99 *on sale* | Great Value 16oz pack= $4.24 |
| Ground Beef | 20/20 beef 1.2lb fresh= $3.59 *on sale* | 73/27 1lb frozen roll= $3.87 |
| Smoked Sausage (kielbasa, etc) | Eckrich 13oz pack= $3.99 *on sale* | Eckrich 14oz pack=$3.46 |
| Chicken Breasts (need 4-5) | Giant Eagle $2.99 a lb (3.5lbs)= $10.47 *on sale* | Great Value 3lb bag of frozen breasts = $9.74 |
| Total: (4 items) | $23.04 | $21.31 |
In the meat section, Walmart came out cheaper with a total of $21.31. This was $1.73 cheaper than Giant Eagle’s total of $23.04.
It is worth noting that we did get 0.2lb more ground beef and 0.5lb more chicken breasts at Giant Eagle, so I believe they were the better value for the money.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Giant Eagle Price | Walmart Price |
| Flour Tortillas | Giant Eagle 10pack= $1.79 | Chi-Chi’s 10 pack= $1.68 |
| Muffin Mix | Jiffy blueberry 7oz box= $1.19 | Martha White Blueberry 7 oz bag= $1.08 |
| Pancake Syrup | Giant Eagle 24oz bottle= $3.19 | Great Value 24oz bottle= $2.36 |
| Ketchup | Giant Eagle 254oz bottle= $1.39 | Great Value 24oz bottle= $1.18 |
| Brown Sugar | Giant Eagle 16oz bag= $1.49 | Great Value 32oz bag= $1.84 |
| Worcestershire Sauce | Giant Eagle 10oz bottle= $1.99 | Great Value 10oz bottle= $1.00 |
| Hamburger Buns (8ct) | Giant Eagle 8ct= $1.39 *on sale* | Great Value 8ct= $1.38 |
| Raisins | Giant Eagle 6oz mini boxes= $1.99 | Great Value 6oz mini boxes= $2.08 |
| Canned Pears | Giant Eagle 15oz can= $1.49 | Great Value 14.5oz can= $1.38 |
| Mayonnaise | Duke’s 16oz jar= $3.69 *on sale* | Great Value 30oz jar= $3.18 |
| Egg Noodles | Giant Eagle 12oz bag= $1.89 | Great Value 16oz bag= $1.43 |
| Tuna (canned) | Giant Eagle 5oz can= $0.99 | Great Value 5oz can= $0.92 |
| Breadcrumbs | Market District 13oz can= $2.29 | Great Value 15oz can= $1.12 |
| Taco Seasoning Pack | McCormick 1oz pack= $1.00 *on sale* | Great Value 1oz pack= $0.52 |
| White Rice | Giant Eagle 1lb bag= $1.59 | Great Value 1lb bag= $0.88 |
| Black Beans (canned) | Giant Eagle 15.5oz can= $0.99 | Great Value 15.5oz can= $0.78 |
| Au Jus Seasoning Pack | Pioneer 1oz pack= $1.59 | Great Value 1oz pack= $0.96 |
| Ranch Seasoning Pack | Hidden Valley 1oz pack= $2.19 | Great Value 1oz pack= $0.50 |
| Pepperoncini | Giant Eagle 16oz jar= $2.29 | Great Value 12oz jar= $1.84 |
| Tomato Sauce | Giant Eagle 15oz can= $0.89 *on sale* | Great Value 15ozx can= $0.88 |
| Italian Seasoning | Good Seasons 1oz pack= $1.99 | Great Value 0.95oz jar= $1.12 |
| Green Beans | Giant Eagle 14.5oz can= $0.69 | Great Value 14.5oz can= $0.64 |
| Microwave Popcorn | Act II 6pk= $3.89 *on sale* | Act II 3pk= $1.92 |
| All Purpose Flour | Giant Eagle 5lb bag= $2.49 | Great Value 5lb bag= $2.24 |
| Sugar | Domino 2lb bag= $2.99 | Great Value 4lb bag= $2.94 |
| Baking Soda | Giant Eagle 16oz box= $0.99 | Great Value 16oz box= $0.92 |
| Vanilla Extract | Giant Eagle 1oz bottle= $3.49 | McCormick (vanilla flavor) 2oz bottle= $1.87 |
| Total: (26 items) | $51.84 | $38.64 |
In the dry goods section, Walmart came out cheaper with a total of $38.64. This was $13.20 cheaper than Giant Eagle’s total of $51.84.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Giant Eagle Price | Walmart Price |
| Frozen Peas | Bird’s Eye 10oz bag= $1.25 *on sale* | Great Value 12oz bag= $0.98 |
| Frozen Brussell Sprouts | Hanover 16oz bag= $2.79 *on sale* | Great Value 12oz bag= $1.42 |
| Total: (2 items) | $4.04 | $2.40 |
In the frozen section, Walmart came out cheaper with a total of $2.40. This was $1.64 cheaper than Giant Eagle’s total of $4.04.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Giant Eagle Price | Walmart Price |
| Vanilla Yogurt | Yoplait 32oz container= $3.79 | Great Value 32oz container= $2.36 |
| 1/2 gallon of Milk | Giant Eagle half gallon= $2.25 | Great Value half gallon= $2.25 |
| Eggs | Hillandale 12ct large eggs= $2.99 | Great Value 12ct large eggs= $1.70 |
| Cheddar Cheese (16oz) | Giant Eagle 16oz shredded= $4.39 *on sale* | Great Value 16oz shredded= $3.98 |
| Sour Cream | Giant Eagle 8oz container= $1.39 | Great Value 8oz container= $1.16 |
| Butter | Giant Eagle 16oz sticks= $4.49 | Great Value 16oz sticks= $3.98 |
| Mozzarella Cheese (8oz) | Giant Eagle 8oz block= $2.19 *on sale* | Great Value 8oz block= $2.00 |
| Total: (7 items) | $21.49 | $17.43 |
In the dairy section, Walmart came out cheaper with a total of $17.43. This was $4.06 cheaper than Giant Eagle’s total of $21.49.
Is Giant Eagle more expensive than Walmart?
This comparison started neck and neck but then it went all off course. Let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Giant Eagle Price | Walmart Price |
| Produce | $17.16 | $16.25 |
| Deli/Meats | $23.04 | $21.31 |
| Dry Goods | $51.84 | $38.64 |
| Frozen Foods | $4.04 | $2.40 |
| Dairy | $21.49 | $17.43 |
| Overall Total: (46 items) | $117.57 | $96.03 |
Overall, Walmart was cheaper than Giant Eagle with a total of $96.03. This was $21.54 cheaper than Giant Eagle’s total of $117.57.
I am always happy when a total is under $100 so Walmart definitely accomplished that. Giant Eagle started out strong but soon got very expensive in the dry goods, frozen, and dairy sections.
If I could only pick one store, I would choose to shop at Walmart to save money. If I had the time to go to both stores or do a pickup order, I could potentially save another 4%.
By only buying the items at each store that was the cheapest, our total would have been $91.95. That saves about $4.08 more than just shopping at Walmart only. I am not sure that the 4 dollars would be worth that to be honest.
I would adjust my meal planning to really focus on what is on sale and what is in season. This could easily save me more than $4 and I would not have to make two grocery shopping trips.
