Grocery Price Showdown: Food Lion vs Lowes Food
This week we are in Charleston, South Carolina to compare prices at Food Lion and Lowes Food. We like to compare a real grocery list so it is more accurate for the average family.
Comparing prices at local grocery stores can be a super easy way to get the most bang for your grocery bucks. Now keep in mind that traditional grocery stores have weekly sales, so just because a store is cheaper this week doesn’t mean they are always the cheapest!
Key Takeaways
- Food Lion came out cheaper by about 17% (but was still 13% higher than Walmart).
- Lowes Food did have some great prices, but their meat prices were a little high to me.
- Shopping both stores was not a big enough savings to be worth it.
Meal Plan and Grocery List
Every week we put out a new low cost meal plan. This week was 6 Dinners for $60.
Here is the grocery list we will use for this meal plan.
Our total at the local Walmart in Charleston was $59.98, so let’s see if Food Lion or Lowes can come close to that!
Is Lowes Food Cheaper than Food Lion?
I am predicting that Food Lion will be cheaper based on being part of a bigger company (Ahold Delhaize). Lowes Food is a chain store as well but is just smaller overall.
Food Lion has over 1,100 locations and Lowes has about 80 locations.
| Ingredient | Food Lion Price | Lowes Food Price |
| Eggroll or Wonton Wrappers | $2.99 | $3.99 |
| Yellow Squash (x2) | $1.29 *on sale* (1lb) | $1.08 *on sale* |
| Bell Pepper (x1) | $0.89 | $1.25 |
| Broccoli (x1) | $1.79 | $1.39 |
| Cucumber (x1) | $0.89 | $0.89 |
| Lettuce | $1.29 (on sale) | $1.99 |
| Sweet Potatoes (3lbs) | $2.99 | $3.87 |
| Tomatoes (x3) | $3.29 (4 pack) | $3.06 |
| Garlic | $0.99 | $0.89 |
| Meatballs (2lbs) | $6.29 (28oz) | $7.69 *on sale* (26oz) |
| Shrimp (12oz) | $5.49 *on sale* (16oz) | $6.99 *on sale* (16oz) |
| Chicken Breasts (5lbs) | $13.95 | $17.45 *on sale* |
| Tomato Sauce (15oz) | $0.99 | $0.85 |
| Carrots (14.5oz can) | $0.99 | $1.25 |
| Mexican Rice Pack | $1.25 *on sale* | $1.25 *on sale* |
| Black Beans (15oz can) | $0.86 | $0.99 *on sale* |
| Corn (15oz can) | $0.64 | $0.95 |
| Lemon Pepper Seasoning | $2.49 | $4.49 |
| Cream of Chicken (10.5oz can) | $1.29 | $1.25 *on sale* |
| Stuffing Mix | $1.19 | $3.29 |
| Beef Broth (14.5oz can) | $0.99 | $1.39 |
| Egg Noodles (1lb) | $2.49 | $2.89 |
| Pesto Sauce Pack | $1.89 | $1.89 |
| Frozen Green Beans (12oz) | $1.25 *on sale* | $1.59 |
| Mozzarella cheese (8oz) | $2.19 | $2.00 *on sale* |
| Butter (8oz) | $2.79 | $3.50 *on sale* |
| Cheddar cheese (8oz) | $2.19 | $2.00 *on sale* |
| Milk (half gallon) | $1.89 | $1.99 |
| Sour Cream (8oz) | $1.49 | $1.59 |
| Total: | $69.01 | $83.70 |
Food Lion did come out cheaper with a total of $69.01. This was $14.69 (about 17%) cheaper than Lowes Food’s total of $83.70.
We got close to our $60 goal with Food Lion, but I wish it was less.
Food for Thought
I always like to see if shopping both locations would help our overall total. So, if we just bought what was cheapest at each store, our total would have been $67.65.
Even though this was an additional savings of $1.36 (about 2%), I don’t know if that is enough of a savings to be worth it.
If you were in the neighborhood and had the time, it may be worth it, but for me I would just go to Food Lion this week.
