Harris Teeter vs Lidl: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
Grocery Shopping sometimes become a habit that we do every week. We shop the same stores and pretty much buy the same foods on autopilot. By breaking this cycle and really looking at each store’s prices, we have the potential to save a lot of money on groceries!
Today we will do a side-by-side comparison of Harris Teeter and Lidl, to determine who is cheaper for groceries. We will also determine if it better to just go to one store or if there is any benefit to our grocery budget to go to both stores.
Is Lidl cheaper than Harris Teeter?
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
- Spinach Egg Bites with Cottage Cheese & Bananas
- Cottage Cheese with Pineapple & Blueberries
- Egg & Cheese Biscuits with Apple Slices
- Mini Monkey Bread with Blueberries
- Scrambled Eggs, Pepperoni, and Apple Slices
Lunches
- Chicken Salad with Celery & Saltines
- Black Bean Hummus Quesadillas & Carrots with Ranch
- Leftover Dinners
Dinners
- Herb Chicken Leg Quarters with Sweet Potatoes & California Blend veggies
- Chicken and Rice Soup with Spinach Salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, & ranch dressing)
- Ground Beef and Black Bean Enchiladas with Cilantro Lime Rice & Canned Corn
- Ground Beef Chili with Red Kidney Beans (served with tortillas, sour cream, & cheese) and California Blend veggies
- BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches with coleslaw and baked beans
- Mini Pepperoni Pizzas with Spinach Salad
Snacks
- Apple Slices
- Celery & Carrots with Ranch Dressing
- Saltine Crackers
- Bananas & Blueberries
- Tortilla Chips
Sweet Treat
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Portsmouth, Virginia. 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 Week #11 (Really Cheap, Easy, and Toddler Friendly) .”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Harris Teeter Price | Lidl Price |
| Bananas x5 | $0.40 each= $2.00 | $0.99 a lb (2.5lbs)= $2.47 |
| Blueberries | 1 pint= $4.49 *on sale* | 1 pint=$4.79 |
| Apples | 2lb bag of Envy Apples= $3.99 *on sale* | 3lb bag of Fuji apples= $3.19 *on sale* |
| Carrots | 1lb bag= $0.99 *on sale* | 1lb bag of baby carrots= $1.59 |
| Celery | 1 bunch= $2.99 | 1 bunch= $2.19 |
| Spinach | Harris Teeter 6oz bag= $2.50 | Lidl 6oz bag= $3.49 |
| Sweet Potatoes (need 4) | $0.78 each= $3.12 | $0.99 each= $3.98 |
| Tomato | Beefsteak= $1.00 *on sale* | $3.39 a lb (.5lb)= $1.69 |
| Cabbage (small) | Fresh Express 10oz bag shredded= $2.99 | 1 head= $2.69 |
| Cucumber | $0.50 each *on sale* | $0.69 each *on sale* |
| Lime | $0.99 each | $0.69 each |
| Cilantro | 1 bunch= $2.19 | 1 bunch= $1.09 |
| Total: (12 items) | $27.75 | $28.55 |
In the produce section, Harris Teeter came out cheaper with a total of $27.75. This was $0.80 cheaper than Lidl’s total of $28.55.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Harris Teeter Price | Lidl Price |
| Chicken Leg Quarters (need 5lbs) | $0.99 a lb (6.69lbs)= $6.63 | $1.49 a lb (4.77lbs)= $7.11 |
| Ground Beef (need 1 pound) | 80/20 1lb fresh= $4.64 | 85/15 1lb fresh= $5.39 |
| Pepperoni Slices | Armour 5oz bag= $3.99 | Hormel 6oz bag= $5.19 |
| Total: (3 items) | $15.26 | $17.69 |
In the meat section, Harris Teeter came out cheaper with a total of $15.26. This was $2.43 cheaper than Lidl’s total of $17.69.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Harris Teeter Price | Lidl Price |
| Canned Pineapple | Harris Teeter 20oz can= $1.99 | Lidl 20oz can= $1.69 |
| Brown Sugar | Harris Teeter 2lb bag= $2.49 | Lidl 2lb bag= $2.39 |
| Yellow Cake Mix | Jiffy 9oz box= $0.99 | Pillsbury 15.6oz box= $1.59 *on sale* |
| Tortillas | Harris Teeter 10ct= $1.59 | Lidl 8ct= $2.59 |
| Black Beans (can) | Harris Teeter 15.25oz can= $0.79 *on sale* | Lidl 15.5oz can= $0.99 |
| Ranch Dressing | Smart Way 16oz bottle= $1.99 | Lidl 16oz bottle= $2.59 |
| Hamburger Buns | Harris Teeter 8ct= $1.99 | Lidl 8ct= $1.59 |
| Baked Beans | Harris Teeter 28oz can = $2.29 | Lidl 28oz can= $2.39 |
| Tomato Sauce | Harris Teeter 15oz can= $0.99 | Lidl 15oz can= $1.19 |
| Diced Tomatoes (can) | Harris Teeter 14.5oz can= $0.99 | Lidl 14.5oz can= $1.19 |
| Chili Powder | Smidge & Spoon 2.19oz jar= $1.99 | Lidl 1.59oz jar= $1.19 |
| Corn (can) | Harris Teeter 15.25oz can= $1.25 | Lidl 15.25oz can= $0.79 |
| White Rice | Harris Teeter 1lb bag= $0.99 | Lidl 2lb bag of brown rice= $2.19 |
| Taco Seasoning | Harris Teeter 1.25oz pack= $0.50 | Lidl 1oz pack= $0.59 |
| Kidney Beans (can) | Harris Teeter 15.5oz can= $0.79 *on sale* | Lidl 15.5oz can= $0.99 |
| Tortilla Chips | Harris Teeter 11oz bag= $2.29 *on sale* | Snack Day 13oz bag= $2.39 |
| Cornbread Mix | Jiffy 8.5oz box= $0.88 *on sale* | Jiffy 8.5oz box= $0.79 |
| Garlic Herb Seasoning Blend | McCormick 2.75oz jar= $3.49 | Lidl 1.58oz jar= $2.59 |
| Barbeque Sauce | Kraft 18oz bottle=$2.29 | Lidl 18oz bottle= $1.89 |
| Total: (18 items) | $30.57 | $31.61 |
In the dry goods section, Harris Teeter was cheaper with a total of $30.57. This was $1.04 cheaper than Lidl’s total of $31.61.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Harris Teeter Price | Lidl Price |
| California Blend Veggies | Harris Teeter 12oz bag= $1.79 *on sale* | *Substitution* Lidl 10oz Broccoli= $1.09 |
| Garlic Bread | Harris Teeter 16oz box (loaf)= $2.39 | Lidl 6.1oz frozen garlic baguette= $1.39 |
| Total: (2 items) | $4.18 | $2.48 |
In the frozen section, Lidl came out cheaper with a total of $2.48. This was $1.70 cheaper then Harris Teeter’s total of $4.18.
It is worth noting that I was unable to find a California Blend of Vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots) at Lidl, so I had to substitute frozen broccoli.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Harris Teeter Price | Lidl Price |
| Eggs | Harris Teeter 12ct large white= $2.59 | Green Value XL 12ct white= $2.79 |
| Cottage Cheese | Breakstone’s 16oz container= $2.50 *on sale* | Lidl 24oz container= $3.29 |
| Milk (1/2 gallon) | Harris Teeter half gallon= $1.79 | Lidl half gallon= $1.59 |
| Biscuits (can) | Harris Teeter 8ct= $2.29 | Lidl 10ct= $1.89 |
| Butter | Harris Teeter 16oz = $4.39 | Lidl 16oz = $3.59 |
| Cheddar Cheese | Harris Teeter 16oz block= $5.39 | Lidl 16oz block= $4.79 |
| Mozzarella Cheese | Harris Teeter 16oz block= $5.39 | Lidl 16oz shredded= $4.99 |
| Total: (7 items) | $24.34 | $22.93 |
In the dairy section, Lidl came out cheaper with a total of $22.93. This was $1.41 cheaper than Harris Teeter’s total of $24.34.
Is Harris Teeter more expensive than Lidl?
Harris Teeter started out cheaper in every section and then Lidl started to come in cheaper. Let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Harris Teeter Price | Lidl Price |
| Produce | $27.75 | $28.55 |
| Deli/Meats | $15.26 | $17.69 |
| Dry Goods | $30.57 | $31.61 |
| Frozen Foods | $4.18 | $2.48 |
| Dairy | $24.34 | $22.93 |
| Overall Total: (42 items) | $102.10 | $103.26 |
Overall, Harris Teeter was cheaper than Lidl with a total of $102.10. This was $1.16 (about 1%) cheaper than Lidl’s total of $103.26.
It’s crazy how close these stores came out for their overall totals! If I could only choose one store, I would pick the closest and most convenience since the stores were so close in overall totals.
If I had to the time to go to both stores or do a curbside pickup, then I could have potentially saved another 10%. My total for both stores by only buying which item was cheaper would have been $91.25. That is another savings of $10.85.
Of course, if we had looked at the weekly sales flyer and created our menu around those, we could have saved a lot more money too! This way we would have been buying in season produce and maximizing sales ads.
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Harris Teeter vs Walmart” and “Lidl vs ShopRite.”
