Lidl vs ShopRite: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
Lidl is a discounted grocery retailer with their own branded products similar to Aldi. They currently have about 173 stores mostly on the East Coast. ShopRite is a regional supermarket chain with 321 stores in 6 Northeast states.
To determine if Lidl or ShopRite is cheaper for groceries, we will do a side-by-side price comparison of a week’s worth of groceries. Scroll to the end to see the final verdict!
Is Lidl cheaper than ShopRite?
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
- Mini Muffins with Extra Banana
- Cottage Cheese with Canned Peaches
- Eggies in a Basket with strawberries
- Rice Krispie Cereal with milk and Bananas
Lunches
- Bacon Turkey Sandwiches with Tortilla Chips
- Caesar Pasta Salad with leftover Parmesan Chicken
- Ham and Egg Salad sandwiches with Carrot Sticks
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Potato Soup with Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, and Broccoli
- Smothered Chicken and Rice with Side Salad
- Ham, Cheese & Spinach Pasta with Garlic Bread
- Garlic Butter Shrimp over Rice with Sauteed Carrots
- Chicken Fajita Bake with Corn & Black Beans
- Caesar Chicken with Potato Wedges and Green Beans
Snacks
- Carrot and Caesar Dressing
- Hard Boiled Eggs or Deviled Eggs
- Chips and Salsa
- Turkey and Cheese Rollups
Sweet Treat
- Rice Krispie Treats
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. 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 #9.”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Lidl Price | ShopRite Price |
| Banana x 5 | $0.19 each= $0.95 | $0.12 each= $0.60 |
| Strawberries | 1lb container= $4.99 | 1lb container= $4.99 |
| Tomato (x1) | Beefsteak= $1.83 | Beefsteak= $1.20 |
| Lettuce | 1 head Iceberg= $2.19 | 1 head green leaf= $2.24 |
| Lemon (x1) | $0.69 each | $0.60 each |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of red potatoes= $5.29 | 5lb bag of russet potatoes= $3.99 |
| Fresh Garlic | 3 pack= $1.79 | $1.00 each |
| Carrots | 1lb bag of baby carrots= $0.59 | 1lb bag of baby carrots= $1.29 |
| Bell Pepper x1 | 3ct green= $3.09 | Green= $0.75 each |
| Total: (9 items) | $21.41 | $16.66 |
In the produce section, ShopRite came out cheaper with a total of $16.66. This was $4.75 cheaper than Lidl’s total of $21.41.
It is worth noting that most of Lidl’s produce is prebagged or in containers, so it is not possible to always buy just one of something like the garlic or bell peppers.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Lidl Price | ShopRite Price |
| Bacon | Lidl 16oz pack= $4.29 | Hatfield 16oz pack= $4.99 *on sale* |
| Turkey Lunchmeat | Lidl 8oz pack=$4.09 | Bowl & Basket 9oz pack= $4.49 |
| Chicken Breasts (need 6) | Sanderson Farms $3.19 per lb (4.55lbs)= $14.51 | Bowl & Basket $1.99 a lb (3.5lbs)= $6.97 *on sale* |
| Ham Steaks | Lidl 1.3lb pack=$4.96 | Hatfield 8oz pack= $2.99 |
| Shrimp | Lidl 12oz frozen small shrimp= $8.29 | Bowl & Basket 16oz small frozen shrimp= $7.99 |
| Total: (5 items) | $36.14 | $27.43 |
In the meat section, ShopRite came out cheaper with a total of $27.43. This was $8.71 cheaper than Lidl’s total of $36.14.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Lidl Price | ShopRite Price |
| Muffin Mix | *substitution* Jiffy corn muffin mix 8.5oz= $0.59 | Jiffy Apple Cinnamon muffin mix 8.5oz =$1.19 |
| Canned peaches | Lidl 14.4oz can= $1.49 | Del Monte 15.25oz can= $2.19 |
| Sandwich bread | Lidl 20oz white bread= $1.19 | Bowl & Basket 20oz white bread= $1.19 |
| Rice Krispie Cereal | Lidl Chocolate crispy rice 17.6oz box= $2.99 | ShopRite crispy rice12oz box=$1.69 |
| Marshmallows | Lidl 10oz bag= $1.09 | Bowl & Basket 10.5oz bag= $1.09 |
| Caesar Dressing | Lidl 16oz bottle= $2.29 | Bowl & Basket 16oz bottle= $1.69 |
| French Bread Loaf | 1 loaf= $1.79 | 1 loaf= $2.99 |
| Mayonnaise | Lidl 30oz jar= $3.99 | Bowl & Basket 15oz jar= $2.19 |
| Canned green beans | Lidl 14.5oz can= $0.69 | Bowl & Basket 14.5oz can= $0.60 *on sale* |
| White Rice | Organic 17.6oz bag= $1.79 | Bowl & Basket 1lb bag= $0.99 |
| Cream of Chicken Soup | Lidl 10.5oz can= $0.79 | Bowl & Basket 10.5oz can= $0.99 |
| Canned Corn | Lidl 10.5oz can= $0.69 | Bowl & Basket 14.5oz can= $0.60 *on sale* |
| Canned Black Beans | Lidl 15.5oz can= $0.79 | Bowl & Basket 15.5oz can= $0.99 |
| Salsa | Lidl 24oz jar= $2.59 | Bowl & Basket 24oz jar= $1.99 |
| Taco Seasoning | *substitution* Lidl chili seasoning 1.25oz pack=$0.59 | Bowl & Basket 1oz pack= $0.49 |
| Tortilla Chips | Snack Day 13oz bag= $2.09 | Ole 12oz bag= $1.99 |
| Pasta | Lidl 16oz rotini= $1.09 | San Giorgio 16oz Ziti= $1.49 |
| Total: (17 items) | $26.53 | $24.35 |
In the dry goods section, ShopRite came out cheaper with a total of $24.35. This was $2.18 cheaper than Lidl’s total of $26.53.
I was very surprised to find out that Lidl did not regularly stock muffin mixes or taco seasonings at this store.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Lidl Price | ShopRite Price |
| Frozen Broccoli | Lidl 12oz bag= $0.99 | Bowl & Basket 12oz bag= $1.19 |
| Frozen Spinach | *substitution* 10oz fresh bag of spinach= $2.69 | Bowl & Basket 10oz box= $1.69 |
| Total: (2 items) | $3.68 | $2.88 |
In the frozen section, ShopRite came out cheaper with a total of $2.88. This was $0.80 cheaper than Lidl’s total of $3.68.
It was interesting to see that Lidl doesn’t regularly stock frozen spinach. Maybe it doesn’t sell very often?
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Lidl Price | ShopRite Price |
| Cottage Cheese | Lidl 24oz container= $2.99 | Daisy 24oz container= $4.79 |
| Eggs | Lidl 12ct large brown eggs= $4.49 | Eggland’s Best 12ct white eggs= $4.19 |
| Milk | Lidl gallon= $4.39 | Bowl & Basket gallon= $4.86 |
| Butter | LIdl 16oz= $4.49 | Bowl & Basket 16oz= $3.99 |
| Parmesan cheese | Lidl 5oz container= $2.99 | ShopRite 6oz container= $3.69 |
| Cheddar Cheese (16oz) | Lidl 16oz bag= $4.69 | Bowl & Basket 16oz bag= $3.79 |
| Cream Cheese | Philadelphia 8oz block= $3.79 | Bowl & Basket 8oz block= $1.69 *on sale* |
| Total: (7 items) | $27.83 | $27.00 |
In the dairy section, ShopRite came out cheaper with a total of $27.00. This was $0.83 cheaper than Lidl’s total of $27.83.
Is ShopRite more expensive than Lidl?
ShopRite came out cheaper in every section, but let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Lidl Price | ShopRite Price |
| Produce | $21.41 | $16.66 |
| Deli/Meats | $36.14 | $27.43 |
| Dry Goods | $26.53 | $24.35 |
| Frozen Foods | $3.68 | $2.88 |
| Dairy | $27.83 | $27.00 |
| Overall Total: (40 items) | $115.59 | $98.32 |
Overall, ShopRite came out cheaper than Lidl with a total of $98.32. This was $17.27 (about 15%) cheaper than Lidl’s total of $115.59.
Out of 40 items, Lidl was only cheaper on about 11 of them. This means that if you really just shop the sales at Lidl and get the rest of the items at ShopRite, you can maximize your grocery savings.
If you are short on time and don’t want to make 2 trips, I would just stick to ShopRite. Make a list and stick to it, and before you know it your grocery budget will start to cost less!
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Food Lion vs Lidl: Who is Cheaper?” and “Price Chopper vs ShopRite: Who is Cheaper?“
