Harris Teeter vs Publix: Who is Cheaper?
Harris Teeter is a medium sized grocery store chain with a about 261 stores in multiple southern states. (Harris Teeter is also part of the Kroger Company.) Publix is a fairly large regional grocery store chain with about 1306 stores in multiple southern states as well.
We have made a solid meal plan for a week and made a grocery list. We will shop both Harris Teeter and Publix to see which grocery store comes out cheaper. Scroll to the end to see the final verdict!
Is Harris Teeter more expensive than Publix?
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
- Egg, Cheese, and Bacon Burritos x2
- Toast with Peanut Butter and Bananas x2
- Baked Apple Oatmeal Bars x3 (easy recipe here)
Lunches
- Spinach Salads with Hard Boiled Eggs and Leftover Ham & Ranch Dressing (and tomato & cucumber)
- Homemade Hummus with Carrots and Celery
- Egg Salad Sandwiches
- Leftovers
Dinners
- Meatloaf with Mashed potatoes and Sauteed Carrots
- Chicken Lo Mein with Broccoli (sauce is made with soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and sesame oil)
- Leftover Chicken and Dumplings (easy dumpling recipe here) using frozen mixed vegetables and 1 can of cream of chicken soup)
- Ham and Cheese Quiche with Homemade Rice a Roni (rice a roni recipe here)
- 3 Meat Pizza using leftover Ham, leftover Bacon, and Pepperoni with a Spinach Side Salad (easy pizza dough recipe here)
- Leftover Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas with Rice and Black Beans
Snacks
- Bananas
- Carrots & Celery with Ranch
- Peanut Butter and Apples
Sweet Treat
- Homemade Cinnamon Rolls (see recipe here)
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Hilton Head, South Carolina. 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 #2.”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Harris Teeter Price | Publix Price |
| 6 Bananas | $0.30 each = $1.80 | $0.30 each = $1.80 |
| Apples | 3lb bag of Gala= $4.99 *on sale* | 3lb bag of McIntosh= $5.65 |
| Spinach | Harris Teeter 6oz bag= $3.49 | Publix 9oz bag= $2.77 |
| Carrots | 1lb bag= $0.99 | 1lb bag baby carrots= $1.11 |
| Celery | 1 head= $1.99 | 1 head= $1.87 *on sale* |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of Yukon Gold= $4.99 *on sale* | 5llb bag of Russets= $4.17 |
| Tomato | Beefsteak= $1.00 each *on sale* | Beefsteak= $1.45 each |
| Cucumber | $0.79 each | $0.83 each |
| Total: (8 items) | $20.04 | $19.65 |
In the produce section, Publix came out cheaper with a total of $19.65. This was $0.39 cheaper than Harris Teeter’s total of $20.04.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Harris Teeter Price | Publix Price |
| Bacon | Oscar Mayer 12oz pack= $5.00 *on sale* | Publix 16oz pack= $5.83 |
| Ground Beef (1lb) | 80/20 $3.99 a lb (1.01lbs)= $4.03 | 80/20 $4.97 a lb (1.25lbs)= $6.36 *on sale* |
| Chicken Breasts (4-6 needed) | Harris Teeter $1.99 a lb (4.65lbs)= $9.27 *on sale* | Publix $4.41 a lb (4.58lbs)= $20.20 *on sale* |
| Diced Ham | Smithfield slices 8oz pack= $3.99 | Smithfield 8oz pack= $4.41 |
| Pepperoni | Hormel 6oz pack= $3.99 *on sale* | Armour 5oz pack= $3.37 |
| Total: (5 items) | $26.28 | $40.17 |
In the meat section, Harris Teeter came out cheaper with a total of $26.28. This was $13.89 cheaper than Publix’s total of $40.17.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Harris Teeter Price | Publix Price |
| Flour Tortillas | Old El Paso 10ct= $1.50 *on sale* | Mission 8ct= $1.93 *on sale* |
| Sandwich Bread | Harris Teeter 20oz white bread= $1.29 | Publix 20oz white bread= $1.89 |
| Peanut Butter | Harris Teeter 16oz jar= $1.79 | Jif 16oz jar= $3.33 |
| Quick Oats | Harris Teeter 18oz container= $1.79 | Publix 18oz container= $3.93 |
| Brown Sugar | Harris Teeter 2lb bag= $1.99 | Publix 1lb bag= $1.71 |
| Garbanzo beans (canned) | Harris Teeter 16oz can= $0.79 *on sale* | Publix 15.5 oz can= $1.07 *on sale* |
| Mayonnaise | Harris Teeter 30oz jar= $2.99 | Duke’s 8oz jar= $3.37 |
| Soy Sauce | Kikkoman 10oz bottle= $2.49 *on sale* | Kikkoman 10oz bottle= $2.83 *on sale* |
| Hoisin Sauce | Ka-Me 8oz jar= $3.23 | Ka-Me 8oz jar= $3.81 *on sale* |
| Sesame Oil | Kikkoman 5oz bottle= $2.99 *on sale* | Sun Luck 5oz bottle= $3.97 *on sale* |
| Spaghetti Noodles | Harris Teeter 16oz box= $1.18 *on sale* | Publix 16oz box= $1.49 |
| All Purpose Flour | Harris Teeter 5lb bag= $2.19 | Publix 2lb bag= $2.19 |
| Cream of Chicken Soup | Harris Teeter 10.5oz can= $0.99 | Publix 10.5 oz can= $1.33 |
| Chicken Bouillon Cubes | Harris Teeter 3.33 oz jar= $1.79 | Knorr 6ct= $1.59 |
| Dry Active Yeast (need 2) | Fleishmann’s 3ct = $1.79 *on sale* | Fleishmann’s 3ct = $1.83 |
| White Rice | Harris Teeter 2lb bag= $1.49 | Publix 1lb bag= $1.49 |
| Black Beans (canned) | Harris Teeter 15.5oz can= $0.79 *on sale* | Publix 15oz can= $1.07 *on sale* |
| Powdered Sugar | Harris Teeter 2lb bag= $1.99 | Publix 1lb box= $1.71 |
| Total: (19 items) | $33.06 | $40.54 |
In the dry goods section, Harris Teeter came out cheaper with a total of $33.06. This was $7.48 cheaper than Publix’s total of $40.54.
It is worth noting, that not only was Harris Teeter cheaper, but that we also got larger packages of some items like the brown sugar, mayonnaise, flour, rice, and powdered sugar. That means Harris Teeter was definitely cheaper and a better value!
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Harris Teeter Price | Publix Price |
| Frozen Broccoli | Bird’s Eye 10.8oz bag= $1.25 *on sale* | Publix 10oz box= $1.43 |
| Frozen Mixed Vegetables | Bird’s Eye 10oz bag= $1.25 *on sale* | Publix 15oz bag= $2.53 |
| Pie Crust | Harris Teeter 2ct= $2.49 | Publix 2ct= $2.79 |
| Total: (3 items) | $4.99 | $6.75 |
In the frozen section, Harris Teeter came out cheaper with a total of $4.99. This was $1.76 cheaper than Publix’s total of $6.75.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Harris Teeter Price | Publix Price |
| Eggs | Harris Teeter 12ct large white eggs= $2.89 | Publix 12ct medium white eggs= $3.13 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Harris Teeter 8oz bag= $2.99 *on sale* | Publix 8oz bag= $3.59 |
| Shredded Mozzarella Cheese | Harris Teeter 8oz bag= $2.99 *on sale* | Publix 8oz bag= $3.59 |
| Milk | Harris Teeter gallon= $3.89 | Publix gallon= $4.27 |
| Total: (4 items) | $12.76 | $14.58 |
In the dairy section, Harris Teeter came out cheaper with a total of $12.76. This was $1.82 cheaper than Publix’s total of $14.58.
Is Publix more expensive than Harris Teeter?
Harris Teeter came in cheaper in most sections of the store. Let’s look at overall totals.
| Section | Harris Teeter Price | Publix Price |
| Produce | $20.04 | $19.65 |
| Deli/Meats | $26.28 | $40.17 |
| Dry Goods | $33.06 | $40.54 |
| Frozen Foods | $4.99 | $6.75 |
| Dairy | $12.76 | $14.58 |
| Overall Total: (38 items) | $97.13 | $121.69 |
Overall, Harris Teeter was cheaper than Publix with a total of $97.13. This was $24.56 (about 20%) cheaper than Publix’s total of $121.69.
Publix was only cheaper in the produce section, and it was mostly just due to the price of spinach. I noticed that even Publix sales prices were more expensive than everyday prices at Harris Teeter.
If these are my main two options for grocery shopping, I would still check the weekly sales flyer to find good deals at both locations. Most weeks, I would primarily shop at Harris Teeter and just pick a few really good deals at Publix in order to keep my grocery budget as low as possible.
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Aldi vs Stop and Shop: Who is Cheaper?” and “Publix vs Walmart: Which is cheaper for Groceries?“
