Grocery Price Showdown: King Soopers vs Target
Comparing grocery prices can unlock surprising savings. By scouting cheaper options at different stores and knowing where deals hide, you can slash your grocery bill without sacrificing quality.
It’s like a sneaky treasure hunt – find the best deals and keep more money in your pocket! This week we will be comparing King Soopers and Target to see who has the cheaper prices.
Key Takeaways
- King Soopers came out the winner, but they were still $12.46 (about 12%) higher than Walmart.
- Target was not bad in price at all for not being a “typical” grocery store.
- Shopping both stores could potentially save additional 9%
Meal Plan and Grocery List
This is one of our weekly meal plans that covers breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and a sweet treat for a family of four. We priced this out at the Walmart Supercenter in Denver, CO and the total came out to $88.03.
If you want the full meal plan, including recipes and the free printable PDF with grocery list, go check it out here!
Is King Soopers Cheaper than Target?
First stop is at King Soopers which is a Kroger owned company. We will be choosing the cheapest available options for our list so this will mainly be store brand.
If there are any discounts or coupons available on their website, we will apply them as well.
| Ingredient | King Soopers Price |
| 1 red onion | $ 0.70 |
| 5lb bag of potatoes | $1.99 |
| Minced Garlic | $1.99 |
| 1 Green Bell Pepper | $0.89 |
| 1 Zucchini | $0.90 |
| 1 cucumber | $0.89 |
| 3 Roma Tomatoes | $1.17 |
| 3lbs of Fuji Apples | $3.99 |
| Iceberg Lettuce | $1.99 |
| 6 Bananas | $1.50 |
| 1lb Cubed Ham <2-8oz packs> | $7.00 *on sale* |
| 1lb Ground Beef | $4.99 |
| 1lb Turkey Lunchmeat | $5.99 *on sale* |
| 3lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs | $9.87 |
| Sandwich Bread | $1.79 |
| Vanilla Pudding Mix | $1.79 |
| Corn Muffin Mix | $0.65 |
| Dry Active Yeast | $2.49 |
| Worcestershire Sauce | $1.79 |
| BBQ Sauce | $1.49 |
| Mushrooms (8oz can) | $2.79 |
| Crushed Pineapple (20oz can) | $1.79 |
| Green Beans (14.5oz can) | $0.89 |
| Stuffing Mix | $1.25 *on sale* |
| Green Chiles (4oz can) | $0.99 |
| White Beans (15.5oz can) | $0.99 *on sale* |
| Corn (15oz can) | $0.89 |
| Beef Bouillion Cubes | $3.29 |
| Pasta (16oz) | $0.88 *on sale* |
| Soy Sauce | $1.49 |
| Rice (1lb) | $0.99 |
| Tortilla Chips | $1.99 *on sale* |
| Onion Soup Mix | $0.89 |
| Frozen Strawberries | $3.79 |
| Frozen Broccoli | $1.49 *on sale* |
| Whipped Topping | $1.19 |
| Cheddar Cheese (8oz) | $2.49 |
| American Cheese | $2.50 *on sale* |
| Vanilla Yogurt (32oz) | $3.69 |
| Mozzarella Cheese (16oz) | $4.29 |
| Eggs | $3.49 |
| Milk (1/2 gallon) | $2.39 |
| Cream Cheese (8oz block) | $2.19 |
| Total: | $100.49 |
The King Soopers total came out to $100.49 which is great since our goal is $100. We had a good number of sales items, but we did not see any additional coupon savings for the products.
Overall, not a bad shopping trip. I do wish that the search function of Kroger owned sites was better because you can not sort by lowest price. (This did not affect our total but we did have to dig for the cheapest items which did take more time.)
Is Target Cheaper than King Soopers?
Target is relatively new to the grocery store game, but in the last 5 years they have really started offering a full grocery experience.
Target does offer their own store brand on a lot of products, so I am interested to see how they compare in price to the Kroger brand.
| Ingredient | Target Price |
| 1 red onion | $1.29 |
| 5lb bag of potatoes | $2.99 |
| Minced Garlic | $2.19 |
| 1 Green Bell Pepper | $0.89 |
| 1 Zucchini <only had a 2pack of organic> | $3.19 |
| 1 cucumber | $0.79 |
| 3 Roma Tomatoes <1lb bag> | $1.19 |
| 3lbs of Fuji Apples <Granny Smith apples were cheaper> | $3.79 |
| Iceberg Lettuce | $1.79 |
| 6 Bananas | $1.74 |
| 1lb Cubed Ham <2-8oz packs> | $6.98 |
| 1lb Ground Beef | $5.49 |
| 1lb Turkey Lunchmeat | $5.99 |
| 3lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs | $13.47 |
| Sandwich Bread | $1.39 |
| Vanilla Pudding Mix | $1.49 |
| Corn Muffin Mix | $0.66 |
| Dry Active Yeast | $1.99 |
| Worcestershire Sauce | $2.69 |
| BBQ Sauce | $1.99 |
| Mushrooms (8oz can) | $1.99 |
| Crushed Pineapple (20oz can) | $1.39 |
| Green Beans (14.5oz can) | $0.69 |
| Stuffing Mix | $2.59 |
| Green Chiles (4oz can) | $0.89 |
| White Beans (15.5oz can) | $1.29 |
| Corn (15oz can) | $0.69 |
| Beef Bouillion Cubes | $1.69 |
| Pasta (16oz) | $0.99 |
| Soy Sauce | $1.69 |
| Rice (1lb) | $0.99 |
| Tortilla Chips | $2.49 |
| Onion Soup Mix | $1.79 |
| Frozen Strawberries | $3.19 |
| Frozen Broccoli | $1.29 |
| Whipped Topping | $2.19 |
| Cheddar Cheese (8oz) | $1.99 |
| American Cheese | $3.99 |
| Vanilla Yogurt (32oz) | $3.19 |
| Mozzarella Cheese (16oz) | $3.79 |
| Eggs | $2.59 |
| Milk (1/2 gallon) | $1.89 |
| Cream Cheese (8oz block) | $1.99 |
| Total: | $107.26 |
Target’s total came out to $107.26. This is really not as good as I had hoped but it is still pretty close to our $100 goal budget.
There were a few items like the Jiffy muffin mix, canned vegetables, and onion soup mix that had some really good prices. I think our total would have come out better if we had not needed zucchini (they only had an organic 2 pack) and if we had used chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs.
These would have been easy substitutions to make, so I think it is fair to say the prices at Target were mostly good.
Food for Thought
The showdown between King Soopers and Target was actually really close. The total difference between both stores was only $6.77.
If we had split our list and only bought what was cheaper at each store, our total would have been $91.57. That is an additional savings of $8.92 (about 9%).
If both stores were relatively close by or I could do a pick-up order without any fees, then I believe that saving an extra $9 may have been worth it.
To compare these grocery stores to other stores in the Denver area, check out the showdown between Safeway and Sprouts!
