Grocery Price Showdown: Hy-Vee vs Kowalski’s Market
This week we will be shopping at both Hy-Vee and Kowalski’s in the Minneapolis area to see who has better prices.
We love to use real lists for our comparison, so we will be using our newest list of 6 dinners for $60 to test both stores.
Key Takeaways
- Hy-Vee was definitely cheaper than Kowalski’s, but Hy-Vee was still 25% more expensive than Walmart.
- Kowalski’s Market is definitely a more high end grocery store. Their meat prices were very high.
- Both stores did have some items on sale we needed, but neither store came in under $60.
Meal Plan and Grocery List
This meal plan was priced at the Super Walmart in Minneapolis and came out at $57.58.
Let’s see if either of these stores can compare to shopping at Walmart and come out to less than $60.
| Ingredient | Hy-Vee Price | Kowalski’s Price |
| 1 jalapeno | $0.42 | $0.39 |
| 1 green bell pepper | $1.09 | $1.79 |
| 1 head of garlic | $1.09 | $0.56 |
| 6 roma tomatoes | $2.52 | $5.98 |
| 1 onion | $1.57 | $1.99 |
| 1 lemon | $0.88 *on sale* | $1.25 |
| asparagus (1 bunch) | $2.98 | $3.99 |
| carrots (1lb) | $1.59 *on sale* | $1.99 |
| potatoes (5lb) | $2.99 *on sale* | $9.95 |
| Ground Turkey (2lb) | $6.96 *on sale* | $9.98 |
| Ham Lunchmeat (1lb) | $4.99 *on sale* | $10.99 |
| Chicken Breasts (5.5lbs) | $14.78 | $48.34 |
| Chili Ready Diced Tomatoes (14.5oz can) | $1.19 | $2.79 |
| Cannellini Beans (15.5oz can) | $0.99 | $2.00 *on sale* |
| Bowtie Pasta (1lb) | $0.88 *on sale* | $3.00 *on sale* |
| French Bread | $2.19 *on sale* | $6.99 |
| Worcestershire Sauce | $2.89 | $5.85 |
| Tomato Sauce (8oz can) | $0.59 | $0.89 *on sale* |
| Italian Seasoning | $1.39 | $5.49 |
| Canola Oil | $3.99 | $5.29 |
| Penne Pasta (1lb) | $0.88 *on sale* | $3.00 *on sale* |
| Beef Broth (14.5oz can) | $1.29 | $1.79 |
| Onion Soup Mix | $0.99 *on sale* | $1.79 |
| White Rice (1lb) | $2.09 (2lb bag) | $3.15 (2lb bag) |
| Saltine Crackers | $1.79 | $4.85 |
| Frozen Peas (12oz) | $1.29 | $2.49 |
| Eggs (12ct) | $2.79 | $2.99 |
| Parmesan Cheese (6oz) | $2.50 | $3.49 *on sale* |
| Butter (1lb) | $4.79 | $6.49 |
| Swiss Cheese Slices (8oz) | $2.50 | $4.49 |
| Total: | $76.88 | $164.03 |
Hy-Vee was definitely the winner of this Grocery Price Showdown. Their total of $76.88 was 53% cheaper than Kowalski’s total of $164.03.
Kowalski’s does offer a lot of gourmet style options as well as lots of organic options. Their meat prices were extremely high to me and so was the Worcestershire sauce, French bread, and Italian seasoning.
Since they are a smaller store, they did not have as many options that Hy-Vee offered. Hy-Vee also offers a well-priced store brand as well as bargain brands like “That’s Smart.”
Food for Thought
Now usually I give the suggestion of shopping at both stores to save a little money. Unfortunately, if we only bought the cheapest items at each store, we really would just be going to Hy-Vee.
The only options that were cheaper at Kowalski’s Market was the garlic and the jalapeno. That means we potentially could save $0.53 by going to both places.
So to me, it would not be worth the trip to both grocery stores. Now if Kowalski’s had a really great sale, I may go that deal but I probably would not be shopping there regularly.
