Harmons vs Smith’s: Who is Cheaper?
Harmons is a small upscale grocery store chain with 19 stores in Utah. Smith’s Food and Drug is a larger grocery store chain with about 164 stores in multiple states. (Smith’s is also part of the Kroger Company.)
To determine if Harmons or Smith’s is cheaper for groceries, we will price compare a grocery list for a whole week. Scroll to the end to see the final verdict!
Is Harmons more expensive than Smiths?
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
- Pumpkin Smoothies
- Swiss Cheese and Tomato Toast w/ Scrambled Eggs with a Banana
- Ham and Cheese on English Muffins with a Banana
- Overnight Pumpkin Pie Oats
- Yogurt Parfait with Banana and Homemade Granola
Lunches
- Mexican Dip (refried beans, salsa, sour cream) with Homemade Tortilla Chips
- Cuban-ish Quesadillas (leftover pork, sliced ham, Swiss cheese, and pickles) and Carrot Sticks
- Fried Egg Grilled Swiss Cheese Sandwich with Leftover Soup
- Spinach Salad with Sliced Ham, Tomatoes & Cucumbers
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Beef Tamale Casserole with Sliced Cucumbers
- Brown Sugar Chicken Thighs with Potato Wedges and Green Beans
- Beef, Vegetable, & Rice Soup with Spinach Salad
- Chicken, Squash, and Carrot Rice Bowls
- Crockpot Ranch Pork Loin with Mashed Potatoes & Carrots
- Leftover Pork Pasta with Spinach & Tomatoes in Creamy Sauce
Snacks
- Carrot Sticks
- Popcorn
- Homemade Granola
Sweet Treat
- Banana Oatmeal Cookies
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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 #8“
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Harmons Price | Smith’s Price |
| Bananas x6 | $0.33 each= $1.98 | $0.25 each= $1.50 |
| Tomatoes x3 | Red on the Vine Cluster= $2.29 | Beefsteak $0.84 each=$2.52 |
| Spinach | Dole 8oz bag= $2.49 | Kroger 10oz pack= $2.09 *on sale* |
| Cucumber | $0.99 each | $0.69 each |
| Carrots | 1lb baby carrots= $1.49 | 1lb baby carrots= $1.19 |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of Russets=$3.99 | 5lb bag of Idaho= $3.49 |
| Yellow Squash | $0.71 each | $0.65 each *on sale* |
| Total: (7 items) | $13.94 | $12.13 |
In the produce section, Smith’s came out cheaper with a total of $12.13. This was $1.81 cheaper than Harmons’ total of $13.94.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Harmons Price | Smith’s Price |
| Ground Beef (1lb) | 80% lean fresh=$5.99 | 73/27 1lb roll= $4.99 |
| Chicken Thighs (6-8) | $2.49 a lb (4.2lbs) =$10.46 | $1.79 a lb (5.5lbs)= $9.92 |
| Pork Loin | $5.49 a lb (2.3lbs)= $12.63 | Farmer John 27.2oz =$5.99 *on sale* |
| Ham Lunchmeat | Oscar Mayer 9 oz pack= $3.99 *on sale* | Bar S 12oz pack= $3.49 *on sale* |
| Total: (4 items) | $33.07 | $24.39 |
In the meat section, Smith’s came out cheaper with a total of $24.39. This was $8.68 cheaper than Harmons’ total of $33.07.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Harmons Price | Smith’s Price |
| Pumpkin Puree | Food Club 29oz can= $3.49 | Kroger 15oz can $0.99 each= $1.98 |
| Brown Sugar | Food Club 2lb bag= $1.66 *on sale* | Kroger 2lb bag= $1.99 |
| Sandwich Bread | Sara Lee 20oz white= $2.00 *on sale* | Kroger 20oz white= $1.50 *on sale* |
| English Muffins | Bubba’s Muffins 6ct= $2.00 *on sale* | Franz 6ct= $2.00 *on sale* |
| Quick Oats | Quaker Oats 18oz= $4.49 | Kroger 18oz = $2.69 |
| Refried beans | Food Club 16oz = $1.19 *on sale* | Kroger 16oz can= $1.00 |
| Tortillas | Maya’s 12ct= $1.67 *on sale* | Mission Street 12ct= $1.99 *on sale* |
| Pickle Slices | Food Club 16oz jar= $2.99 | Kroger 16oz jar= $1.99 |
| Salsa | Herdez 16oz jar= $2.79 *on sale* | Kroger 16oz jar= $1.79 |
| Canned Corn | Food Club 15.25oz can= $0.79 *on sale* | Kroger 15.25oz can= $0.89 |
| Cornbread Mix | Krusteaz 15oz box= $2.89 | Jiffy 8.5oz box= $0.65 |
| Enchilada Sauce | La Victoria 10oz can= $1.79 | A La Orden 10oz can= $1.39 |
| Taco Seasoning | Food Club 1.25oz pack= $0.99 | Kroger 1.25oz pack= $0.39 |
| Canned Green Beans | Food Club 14.5oz can= $1.00 *on sale* | Kroger 14.5oz can= $0.89 |
| Beef Boullion | Knorr 7.9oz jar= $3.29 | Knorr 7.9oz jar= $2.29 |
| Diced Tomatoes | Harmons 14.5oz can= $0.99 *on sale* | Kroger 14.5oz can= $0.69 *on sale* |
| White Rice | Food Club 1lb bag= $1.29 | Kroger 2lb bag= $1.59 |
| Soy Sauce | La Choy 10oz bottle= $2.49 | Kroger 10oz bottle= $1.69 |
| Ranch Powder | Hidden Valley 1oz pack= $2.29 | Kroger 1oz pack= $0.69 |
| Microwave Popcorn | Jolly Time 3bag= $3.29 | Cousin Willie’s 3bag= $1.00 *on sale* |
| Honey | Miller’s 6oz bottle= $4.29 | Simple Truth 2oz bottle= $3.90 |
| Raisins | Sun Maid 6oz mini boxes= $2.50 *on sale* | Kroger 6oz mini boxes= $1.00 *on sale* |
| Cinnamon | McCormick 2.37 oz jar= $3.99 | Smidge & Spoon 2.25oz jar= $1.25 |
| Pasta | American Beauty 16oz elbows= $1.67 *on sale* | Kroger 16oz Rotini= $1.33 |
| Total: (23 items) | $55.83 | $36.57 |
In the dry goods section, Smith’s came out cheaper with a total of $36.57. This was $19.26 cheaper than Harmons’ total of $55.83
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Harmons Price | Smith’s Price |
| Mixed vegetables | Pictsweet 2oz bag= $1.79 *on sale* | Kroger 2oz bag= $1.25 |
| Total: (1 items) | $1.79 | $1.25 |
In the frozen section, Smith’s came out cheaper with a total of $1.25. This was $0.54 cheaper than Harmons’ total of $1.79.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Harmons Price | Smith’s Price |
| Vanilla Yogurt | Brown Cow 32oz tub= $4.99 | Yoplait 32oz tub= $3.79 |
| 2% Milk | Harmons gallon= $3.69 *on sale* | Mountain Dairy gallon= $3.39 |
| Sliced Swiss Cheese | Cache Valley 10ct= $2.79 *on sale* | Kroger 16ct = $2.29 |
| Eggs | Food Club 12ct white= $2.79 | Kroger 12ct white= $2.99 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Cache Valley 8oz bag= $3.19 *on sale* | Kroger 8oz bag= $2.99 |
| Cream Cheese x2 | Food Club $1.89 each= $4.19 | Kroger 2 pack= $3.19 |
| Total: (6 items) | $21.64 | $18.64 |
In the dairy section, Smith’s came out cheaper with a total of $18.64. This was $3.00 cheaper than Harmons’ total of $21.64.
Is Smiths cheaper than Harmons?
Smiths consistently came in cheaper in every section. Let’s look at overall totals.
| Section | Harmons Price | Smith’s Price |
| Produce | $13.94 | $12.13 |
| Deli/Meats | $33.07 | $24.39 |
| Dry Goods | $55.83 | $36.57 |
| Frozen Foods | $1.79 | $1.25 |
| Dairy | $21.64 | $18.64 |
| Overall Total: (41 items) | $126.27 | $92.98 |
Overall, Smith’s came out cheaper than Harmons with a total of $92.98. This was $33.29 (about 26%) cheaper than Harmons total of $126.27.
Even though Harmons had a lot of items on sale, Smith’s prices in general were better. I would really focus on the sales ad from each store every week to see which store has better prices on sales items.
I would stick to shopping mostly at Smith’s for everyday items and occasionally pick up super good deals at Harmons.
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Hannaford vs Market 32: Who is Cheaper?” and “Kroger vs Meijer: Who is Cheaper?“
