Ingles vs Publix: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
Before I moved out to my current rural location, I used to love to shop at Publix. Between their BOGO sales and double coupons, I would find great deals all over the store.
I recently found out that a new Publix store is opening soon a few towns away, so I wanted to see if Publix would be cheaper than Ingles Markets for a weekly grocery shopping trip. Let’s look further at the meal plan, shopping list, and prices that we found at both stores.
Is Ingles or Publix cheaper?
To determine which grocery store is cheaper, I am going to use the same meal plan that I used for “Ingles vs Walmart: Who is cheaper for Groceries?” This meal plan is designed for a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 young kids).
We are aiming for a cheap and healthy meal plan that will cover breakfasts, lunches, snacks, dinners, and a sweet treat. We used “25 Cheap food that fills you up when you are broke!” as a guide to try to make a very cost-effective grocery list.
Here is the meal plan for our comparison shopping:
Breakfasts:
- Peanut Butter Toast with Bananas x2
- Overnight Oats with Apples and Raisins x3
- Scrambled Eggs with Cheese on top and Toast x2
Lunches
- Tuna Salad Sandwiches x 2
- Veggie & Pepperoni Pasta Salad with Zesty Italian Dressing
- Salad Wraps with tomato, cucumber, and cheese
- Leftovers
Snacks
- Carrots
- Apples
- Popcorn
Dinners
- Baked Whole Chicken with rice and sautéed carrots
- Leftover Chicken in a Pasta with Alfredo Sauce, Broccoli, and side salad
- Ground Turkey Tacos with Corn and Refried Beans
- Leftover Taco Meat in a Mexican Baked Potato Bar with Side Salads
- Pork Loin with Mashed Potatoes and Corn
- Hawaiin Pizza with Leftover Pork, Pepperoni, and Pineapple (using a little Alfredo Sauce as the Base)
Sweet Treat
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Drinks
- Milk
- Water
- Coffee
- Pineapple Water (leftover pineapple juice mixed with water)
The rules for this comparison of grocery stores are simple, we will try to buy everything we need for this meal plan in the cheapest way possible at each store. This means we will be buying mostly store brand items and buying the cheapest options when it comes to the size needed.
Normally my home pantry is well stocked, but for this test we will assume that I only have the bare basics like seasonings, salt, sugar, and cooking oil. Let’s get started!
For a full breakdown on how I would make this meal plan work, check out “Healthy Grocery List for Family of 4 on a Budget #1.”
Produce:
This is the section typically right inside the doors that carries all things produce like fruits and vegetables.
| Item | Publix Prices | Ingles Prices |
| Bananas x8 | $0.66 cents a lb = $2.24 | $0.68 cents a lb =$2.17 |
| Gala Apples | $1.43lb x 3= $4.29 | 3lb bag = $5.68 |
| Green Leafy Lettuce | 1 head: $3.29 | 1 head =$3.98 |
| Potatoes | Publix white 5lb bag= $7.75 | 5lb bag Idaho = $4.48 |
| Tomatoes x3 | $2.19 a lb Beefsteak Tomatoes *on sale*= $3.30 | $0.98 a lb *on sale*Beefsteak Tomatoes =$1.47 |
| Cucumbers | $0.83 each | $0.98 each |
| Carrots | 16oz bag= $1.27 | 16oz bag = $0.98 |
| Totals: 7 items | $22.97 | $19.74 |
The produce section was definitely close with Ingles coming at $19.74 which was $3.23 cheaper than Publix with $22.97.
Deli/Meats
This is the area towards the back of the store that covers lunchmeats, prepared meats, and raw meats.
| Item | Publix Prices | Ingles Prices |
| Pepperoni | 3.5 oz Hormel brand = $2.97 | 5oz Armour brand =$3.78 |
| Whole Chicken | Publix- $1.87 a lb/ 5.32 lb bird = $9.95 | Tyson- $1.58 a lb/6.8 lb bird = $10.74 |
| Ground Turkey | Publix- 85% lean fresh ground turkey 1lb= $5.19 | Butterball 85% fresh ground turkey 1lb= $4.68 |
| Pork Loin | Hormel Original Porkloin – 1.7lb = $7.75 *on sale* | Smithfield Garlic and Herb Pork Loin – 27.2oz =$8.48 |
| Totals: 4 Items | $25.86 | $27.68 |
Another close one at the Deli/Meat counter, but this time Publix comes is at $25.86 which was $1.82 cheaper than Ingles. It looks like this might be a very close race in the grocery trip totals!
Dry Goods
This is typically the center of the grocery store and covers all foods that are shelf stable like cereal, pasta, and condiments.
| Item | Publix Prices | Ingles Prices |
| Sandwich Bread | Publix Enriched White Bread 20oz = $1.63 | Laura Lynn Wheat Bread Loaf 20oz =$1.97 *on sale* |
| Peanut Butter | Jif Creamy Peanut Butter 16oz =$2.73 | Laura Lynn Creamy Peanut Butter 16.3 oz = $2.78 |
| Oatmeal | Publix Oats, old fashioned 40oz container = $6.19 | Laura Lynn Old Fashioned Oats 42oz container = $4.18 *on sale* |
| Raisins | Sun Maid Raisins 9 oz = $2.97 | Laura Lynn Raisins – 12oz = $2.98 |
| Canned tuna Fish (2 cans) | Starkist Tuna in water 5oz (1.09 ea)= $2.18 | Laura Lynn Tuna in water 5oz (0.95 each) = $1.90 |
| Pasta | Publix Rotini 16oz =$1.37 | Laura Lynn Ziti 16 oz = $1.68 |
| Zesty Italian Dressing | Wish Bone Italian Dressing 8oz= $2.09 | Laura Lynn Traditional Italian 6oz $2.00 *on sale* |
| Tortillas | La Banderita Fajita Tortillas 10 count – $2.31 | Laura Lynn Fajita Tortillas 10 count $1.98 |
| Popcorn | Pop Secret microwave popcorn – 3bag- $3.65 | Jolly Time microwave popcorn – 3bags $2.28 *on sale* |
| White Rice | Mahatma 1lb bag= $1.59 | Laura Lynn 1lb bag – $1.28 |
| Alfredo Sauce | Classico Alfredo Sauce 15oz – $3.59 | Ragu Classic Alfredo Sauce 16oz – $3.18 *on sale* |
| Canned Corn | Publix canned corn 15.25 oz – $0.98 | Laura Lynn Canned Corn 15.25 oz – $0.98 |
| Refried beans | Rosarita refried beans 16oz *on sale* – $1.37 | Laura Lynn Refried Beans 16 oz – $1.28 |
| Salsa | Pace Mild Picante 16oz – $2.45 | Laura Lynn Mild Salsa 16oz – $2.00 *on sale* |
| Canned Pineapple | Dole Crushed Pineapple 8 oz – $1.37 | Dole Tidbits 8 oz – $1.28 |
| All Purpose Flour | Publix 2lb bag of flour – $1.75 | Gold Medal 2lb bag of flour – $2.58 |
| Dry Active Yeast | Fleischmann’s dry active yeast – 3ct- $1.75 | Fleischmann’s dry active yeast – 3ct- $1.98 *on sale* |
| Brown Sugar | Publix dark brown sugar 16oz bag – $1.65 | Domino Light brown sugar 16oz box $0.50 *on sale* |
| Totals: 18 items | $41.62 | $36.81 |
It looks like the dry goods section has made the biggest price difference so far with Ingles coming in first at $36.81, which was $4.81 cheaper than Publix at $41.62.
Frozen Foods
This is the freezer section of the grocery store where you would find frozen meals, pizzas, ice cream, and vegetables.
| Item | Publix Prices | Ingles Prices |
| Frozen Mixed Vegetables | Publix Mixed vegetables 5oz bag – $2.53 | Bird’s Eye Mixed Frozen Vegetables 19oz – $1.88 *on sale* |
| Frozen Brocolli | Publix Chopped Broccoli 10oz – $1.43 | Laura Lynn Chopped Broccoli 10 oz – $1.38 |
| Totals: 2 items | $3.96 | $3.26 |
The frozen vegetables aisle was very close with Ingles coming in at $3.26, which was $0.70 cheaper than Publix at $3.96.
Dairy
This is usually the last section of the store, and you will find all things milk, cheese, and yogurt.
| Item: | Publix Prices | Ingles prices |
| Eggs | Eggland’s Best 1 dozen $3.59 | Large Laura Lynn 1 dozen – $2.22 |
| 2% milk (gallon) | Publix Gallon – $4.27 | Laura Lynn Gallon – $3.86 |
| Cheddar cheese (shredded) | Publix brand 16oz bag – $7.09 | Laura Lynn 16 oz bag – $4.68 |
| Mozzarella cheese (shredded) | Publix brand 16 oz bag – $7.09 | Laura Lynn 16 oz bag – $4.68 |
| Sour Cream | Publix 8oz tub – $1.53 | Laura Lynn 8 oz tube – $1.28 |
| Totals: 5 items | $23.57 | $16.72 |
I was not expecting to see such big price differences in the dairy section! Ingles easily won the dairy part of the grocery list coming in at $16.72, which was $6.85 cheaper than Publix at $23.57.
Who is cheaper Ingles or Publix?
As I was going through each section, I thought this was going to a be a very tight race, but that changed once we got to the center of the store at dry goods.
| Section | Publix Prices | Ingles Prices |
| Produce | $22.97 | $19.74 |
| Deli/Meats | $25.86 | $27.68 |
| Dry Goods | $41.62 | $36.81 |
| Frozen Foods | $3.96 | $3.26 |
| Dairy | $23.57 | $16.72 |
| Overall Total | $117.98 | $104.21 |
Even though Ingles did not win in every section, they did come out cheaper than Publix overall. The total or the grocery haul at Ingles was $104.21. This was $13.77 cheaper for a saving of 11.6% on groceries.
Now if you were making a meal plan and shopping list based on sales prices and deals from the weekly flyer, I think we could have found better prices.
This goes to show that shopping based on what is on sale will make a huge difference. I made this meal plan based on a list of mostly cheap items, but not specifically looking for the lowest priced options.
I think if we had made a better meal plan based on sales, we could have gotten both locations totals under $100 for one week of groceries.
To see more grocery store comparisons, check out “Ingles vs Kroger: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?“
For more tips and tricks to save money at the grocery store, check out “Is it cheaper to make bread in a bread maker?” and “How often should you go grocery shopping?“
