Hy-Vee vs Aldi: Who is Cheaper?
Hy-Vee is an employee-owned supermarket chain that has about 285 stores in the Midwest and Southern states in the US. Aldi is considered a discount grocery retailer with about 1600 stores in 38 US states.
We are going to build a meal plan and grocery list, and then price compare both stores. This will help us determine if Hy-Vee or Aldi has the cheaper groceries. Scroll to the end to see the final verdict.
Is HyVee cheaper than Aldi?
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
- Scrambled Eggs with Bacon and Toast
- Banana Pancakes with Syrup
- Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars
Lunches
- Leftover Chicken Salad with Raisins Sandwiches
- Black Bean Hummus (using leftover black beans) with Homemade Potato Chips and Carrots
- Taco Salads (leftover taco meat)
- Baked Potatoes with Sour Cream, Cheese, and Bacon
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Lentil Veggie Soup (using dry lentils, canned tomatoes, chicken broth made from whole chicken, and frozen mixed vegetables)
- Baked BBQ Pork Chops with Carrot Raisin Salad (mayo, lemon juice, & maple syrup), and Baked Potato Wedges
- Chicken Carbonara-ish Pasta with Bacon and Frozen Peas (alfredo sauce with Italian seasoning) *using leftover chicken*
- Whole Baked Chicken with Brown Rice and Baked Carrots
- 1/2lb Ground Turkey and Black Bean Tacos (with lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream) and Brown Rice
- 1/2lb Ground Turkey Chili with Cornbread and Side Salad with lemon juice & oil dressing
Snacks
- Bananas
- Carrots
- Popcorn
Sweet Treat
- Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Bloomington, Illinois. 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 #3.”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Hy-Vee Price | Aldi Price |
| 8 bananas | $0.20 each= $1.60 | $0.18 each= $1.44 |
| Potatoes | Green Giant 5lb bag Russets= $3.29 | 5lb bag of red potatoes= $4.39 |
| Carrots | 16oz bag of organic carrots= $1.49 | 16oz bag of baby carrots= $1.05 |
| Lettuce | Head of Iceberg= $1.68 *on sale* | Head of Iceberg= $1.65 |
| 1 Tomato | .35lb On the vine= $1.05 | 1lb beefsteak= $2.09 |
| 1 Cucumber | $0.88 each | $0.65 each |
| 2 lemons | $0.77 each x 2= $1.54 | 32oz bottle of lemon juice= $2.75 |
| Total: (7 items) | $11.53 | $14.02 |
In the produce section, Hy-Vee came out cheaper with a total of $11.53. This was $2.49 cheaper than Aldi’s total of $14.02.
Aldi only had the option to buy a 2lb bag of lemons for $4.29, so we opted to substitute a bottle of lemon juice instead.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Hy-Vee Price | Aldi Price |
| Pork Chops | $2.99 a lb Pork Loin Chops (1.7 lbs)=$5.08 *on sale* | $4.39 a lb Center Cut Pork Chops (1.33lbs)= $5.84 |
| Whole Chicken | $1.99 a lb (4.75lbs)= $9.45 *on sale* | $2.05 a lb (3.75lbs)= $7.69 |
| Precooked Bacon | Hormel 2.52oz box= $4.00 *on sale* | Appleton Farms 2.1oz box= $3.85 |
| 1lb ground turkey | Honeysuckle 85/15 1lb roll= $3.99 | Kirkwood 85/15 frozen 1lb roll= $3.29 |
| Total: (4 items) | $22.52 | $20.67 |
In the meat section, Aldi came out cheaper with a total of $20.67. That was $1.85 cheaper than Hy-Vee’s total of $22.52.
It is worth noting that we bought a little less weight of meats at Aldi like the pork chops, chicken, and bacon. So, Hy-Vee was actually the better value.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Hy-Vee Price | Aldi Price |
| Peanut Butter | Hy-Vee 16oz jar= $1.68 *on sale* | Peanut Delight 18oz jar= $1.89 |
| Sandwich Bread | That’s Smart 16oz white bread= $1.00 | L’oven 20oz white bread= $1.09 |
| Pancake Syrup | That’s Smart 24oz bottle= $2.09 | Aunt Maple’s 24oz bottle= $2.35 |
| Quick Oats | Hy-Vee 18oz container= $2.99 | Millville 42oz container= $3.85 |
| Brown Sugar | That’s Smart 2lb bag= $1.48 *on sale* | Baker’s Corner 2lb bag= $1.89 |
| Mayonnaise | That’s Smart 30oz jar= $2.79 | Burman’s 30oz jar= $3.65 |
| Raisins | Hy-Vee 6oz mini boxes= $1.79 | Southern Grove 6oz mini boxes= $1.35 |
| Black Beans dried | Hy-Vee 1lb bag= $2.79 | Pueblo Lindo 2lb bag= $2.85 |
| Lentils (dry) | Hy-Vee 1lb bag= $2.79 | Dakota’s Pride 1lb bag= $1.45 |
| Canned tomatoes x 2 | Hy-Vee 14.5 oz can $0.79 x2= $1.58 *on sale* | Happy Harvest 14.5oz can $0.89 x 2= $1.78 |
| BBQ sauce | That’s Smart 18oz bottle= $1.34 | Burman’s 18oz bottle= $1.35 |
| Alfredo Sauce | Ragu 16oz jar= $2.39 *on sale* | Classsico 15oz jar= $2.65 |
| Brown Rice | Hy-Vee 2lb bag= $1.49 *on sale* | Simply Nature 28oz bag= $3.95 |
| Taco Seasoning | Hy-Vee 1.25oz pack= $1.19 | Casa Mamita 1oz pack= $0.45 |
| Flour Tortillas | Hy-Vee 10ct= $1.99 | Pueblo Lindo 20ct = $1.95 |
| Kidney Beans | Hy-Vee 15oz can= $0.73 *on sale* | Dakota’s Pride 15.5 oz can= $0.85 |
| Chili Powder | That’s Smart 2.75oz jar= $1.00 *on sale* | Stonemill 2.5oz jar= $1.09 |
| Cornbread Mix | Hy-Vee 8.5oz box= $0.69 | *substitution* Bake House Biscuits 16oz= $1.65 |
| Microwave Popcorn | Hy-Vee 3 bags= $2.59 | *substitution* Clancy’s puffed corn 5oz bag= $2.15 |
| Total: (18 items) | $34.39 | $38.24 |
In the dry goods section, Hy-Vee came out cheaper with a total of $34.39. This was $3.85 cheaper than Aldi’s total of $38.24.
Aldi did not carry cornbread mix or microwave popcorn, so we had to make substitutions in the form of biscuits and puffed corn.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Hy-Vee Price | Aldi Price |
| Frozen Mixed Vegetables | That’s Smart 12oz bag= $1.14 | Season’s Choice 12oz bag= $0.95 |
| Frozen Peas | Bird’s Eye 10oz bag= $1.24 | Season’s Choice 12oz bag= $0.89 |
| Total: (2 items) | $2.38 | $1.84 |
In the frozen section, Aldi came out cheaper with a total of $1.84. That was $0.54 cheaper than Hy-Vee’s total of $2.38.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Hy-Vee Price | Aldi Price |
| Eggs | Hy-Vee 12ct brown eggs= $3.49 | Goldhen 12ct white eggs= $2.65 |
| Sour Cream | Hy-Vee 8oz container= $1.95 | Friendly Farms 16oz container= $1.89 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Kraft 8oz bag=$2.99 *on sale* | Happy Farms 16oz bag= $2.85 |
| Shredded Mozzarella Cheese | Kraft 8oz bag=$2.99 *on sale* | Happy Farms 16oz bag= $3.29 |
| Butter (sticks) | Hy-Vee 1lb= $4.99 | Countryside Creamery 1lb= $4.39 |
| Milk | That’s Smart gallon= $3.13 | Friendly Farms gallon= $3.39 |
| Total: (6 items) | $19.54 | $18.46 |
In the dairy section, Aldi came out cheaper with a total of $18.46. This was $1.08 cheaper than Hy-Vee’s total of $19.54.
It is worth noting that even though Aldi came out cheaper, we also ended up with lots more for our money too. We were able to get twice as much sour cream, cheddar cheese, and mozzarella cheese than what we bought at Hy-Vee. So, the value was definitely better at Aldi!
Is Aldi cheaper than Hy Vee?
There was a little bit of back and forth on who was cheaper in each section of the store. Let’s look at the overall totals!
| Section | Hy-Vee Price | Aldi Price |
| Produce | $11.53 | $14.02 |
| Deli/Meats | $22.52 | $20.67 |
| Dry Goods | $34.39 | $38.24 |
| Frozen Foods | $2.38 | $1.84 |
| Dairy | $19.54 | $18.46 |
| Overall Total: (37 items) | $90.36 | $93.23 |
Overall, Hy-Vee came out cheaper than Aldi with a total of $90.36. This was $2.87 (about 3%) cheaper than Aldi’s total of $93.23.
To be honest this was a very close race between Hy-Vee and Aldi. To maximize my savings and getting the best value, I would probably focus on by most items at Hy-Vee and pick up my dairy and frozen vegetable items at Aldi.
Aldi offered so much better prices for the volume of the packages in the dairy and the frozen foods section. In the other sections like meat, dry goods, and produce they fell short and their prices were much higher than those at Hy-Vee.
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Hy-Vee vs Fareway: Who is Cheaper?” and “Aldi vs Stop and Shop: Who is Cheaper?“
