Rouses Market vs Publix: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
Sometimes we forget about other grocery stores that are near us because we are just so used to going to one store. This has the potential to raise your grocery bill by not price comparing.
Today we will do a side-by-side comparison of Rouses Market and Publix to see who has the cheaper food prices. We will also determine if it is worth just going to one store or if it would be beneficial to go to both to save money!
Is Rouses or Publix cheaper?
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 Saraland, Alabama. 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 | Rouses Price | Publix Price |
| Bananas x5 | $0.19 each = $0.95 | $0.30 each= $1.50 |
| Blueberries | 6oz pack= $4.99 | 6oz pack= $4.41 |
| Apples | 3lbs of Gala Apples= $5.97 | 2lb bag of Envy Apples= $5.53 *on sale* |
| Carrots | 1 lb= $0.99 | 1lb baby carrots= $1.65 *on sale* |
| Celery | 1 bunch= $1.99 | 1 bunch= $1.65 *on sale* |
| Spinach | 10oz bag= $2.99 | 9oz bag= $3.65 |
| Sweet Potatoes (need 4) | $0.89 each= $3.56 | $0.41 each= $1.64 *on sale* |
| Tomato | Louisiana Red= $2.79 | Red Tomato= $1.34 *on sale* |
| Cabbage (small) | Dole 14oz shredded= $1.99 | $1.07 a lb (2lbs)= $2.14 |
| Cucumber | $0.89 each | $0.98 each |
| Lime | $0.69 each | $0.43 each |
| Cilantro | 1 bunch= $0.99 | 1 bunch= $1.43 |
| Total: (12 items) | $28.79 | $26.35 |
In the produce section, Publix came out cheaper with a total of $26.35. This was $2.44 cheaper than Rouse’s total of $28.79.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Rouses Price | Publix Price |
| Chicken Leg Quarters (need 5lbs) | Tyson 10lb bag= $4.50 *on sale* | $1.75 a lb (4.72 lbs)= $8.26 |
| Ground Beef (need 1 pound) | 85/15 1 lb fresh= $5.99 | 80/20 1lb fresh=$5.53 |
| Pepperoni Slices | Delallo 6oz bag= $5.99 | Publix 8oz bag= $4.65 |
| Total: (3 items) | $16.48 | $18.44 |
In the meat section, Rouses came out cheaper with a total of $16.48. This was $1.96 cheaper than Publix’s total of $18.44.
It is worth noting that not only did Rouses come out cheaper, but we also got twice as much of the leg quarters than what we got at Publix.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Rouses Price | Publix Price |
| Canned Pineapple | Rouses 20oz can= $1.59 | Publix 20oz can= $2.21 |
| Brown Sugar | Always Save 2lb bag= $1.85 | Publix 1lb bag= $1.75 |
| Yellow Cake Mix | Always Save 16.5oz box=$0.99 | Jiffy 9oz box= $1.19 |
| Tortillas | Mission Street 10ct= $2.39 | Old El Paso 10ct= $2.97 |
| Black Beans (can) | Best Choice 15oz can= $1.25 | Publix 15.25oz can= $1.03 |
| Ranch Dressing | Always Save 16oz bottle= $1.99 | Hidden Valley 8oz bottle= $2.97 |
| Hamburger Buns | Rouses 8ct= $1.79 | Publix 8ct= $1.85 |
| Baked Beans | Always Save 8oz can= $1.99 | Bush’s 16oz can= $2.37 |
| Tomato Sauce | Rouses 15oz can= $0.89 | Publix 15oz can= $0.95 |
| Diced Tomatoes (can) | Rouses 14.5oz can= $0.89 | Publix 14.5oz can= $0.92 |
| Chili Powder | Best Choice 2.87oz jar= $2.49 | Badia 2.5oz jar= $2.37 |
| Corn (can) | Rouses 14.5oz can= $0.89 | Publix 15oz can= $1.31 |
| White Rice | Supreme 2lb bag= $1.65 | Publix 1lb bag= $1.43 |
| Taco Seasoning | Best Choice 1.25oz pack= $0.99 | Publix 1.25oz pack= $1.09 |
| Kidney Beans (can) | Always Save 15oz can= $0.79 | Publix 15.5oz can= $1.31 |
| Tortilla Chips | Calidad 11oz bag= $1.50 *on sale* | Santita’s 11oz bag= $2.49 *on sale* |
| Cornbread Mix | Always Save 6oz box= $0.59 | Jiffy 8.5oz box= $0.61 |
| Garlic Herb Seasoning Blend | McCormick 2.75oz jar= $2.49 | McCormick 2.75oz jar= $2.59 |
| Barbeque Sauce | Always Save 18oz bottle= $1.49 | Sweet Baby Ray’s 18oz bottle= $2.37 |
| Total: (18 items) | $28.50 | $33.78 |
In the dry goods section, Rouses was cheaper with a total of $28.50. This was $5.28 cheaper than Publix’s total of $33.78.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Rouses Price | Publix Price |
| California Blend Veggies | Bird’s Eye 10.8oz bag= $2.59 | Publix 14oz bag= $3.09 |
| Garlic Bread | Best Choice 16oz= $2.79 | Publix 8ct= $2.89 |
| Total: (2 items) | $5.38 | $5.98 |
In the frozen section, Rouses came out cheaper with a total of $5.38. This was $0.60 cheaper than Publix’s total of $5.98.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Rouses Price | Publix Price |
| Eggs | Rouses large white 12ct= $2.85 | Publix large white 12ct= $4.41 |
| Cottage Cheese | Best Choice 16oz container= $2.65 | Publix 16oz container= $2.77 |
| Milk (1/2 gallon) | Rouses half gallon= $2.59 | Publix half gallon= $3.91 |
| Biscuits (can) | Best Choice 10ct= $1.99 | Pillsbury 12ct= $3.31 |
| Butter | Always Save 1lb= $4.49 | Publix 1lb= $4.77 |
| Cheddar Cheese | Best Choice 16oz shredded= $4.99 | Publix 16oz shredded= $6.63 |
| Mozzarella Cheese | Best Choice 16oz shredded= $4.99 | Publix 16oz shredded= $6.63 |
| Total: (7 items) | $24.55 | $32.43 |
In the dairy section, Rouses came out cheaper with a total of $24.55. This was $7.88 cheaper than Publix’s total of $32.43.
Is Publix more expensive than Rouses?
There was a lot of back and forth for who was cheaper in each section. Let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Rouses Price | Publix Price |
| Produce | $28.79 | $26.35 |
| Deli/Meats | $16.48 | $18.44 |
| Dry Goods | $28.50 | $33.78 |
| Frozen Foods | $5.38 | $5.98 |
| Dairy | $24.55 | $32.43 |
| Overall Total: (42 items) | $103.70 | $116.98 |
Overall, Rouses was cheaper than Publix with a total of $103.70. This was $13.28 (about 11%) cheaper than Publix’s total of $116.98.
Since neither store was cheapest in every department, this shows me that you can potentially save a lot by going to both stores. If I had to pick only one store, I would definitely just go to Rouses.
If I had the time to go to both stores or order curbside pickup at each store, I could have only spent $94.37. That is an additional $9.33 savings which is about 9%.
Another way to save money at Rouses and Publix, is to look at their weekly sales ads when making your meal plan. This will show you the best deals, the in season produce, and what is on sale that week.
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Publix vs Winn Dixie” and “Ingles vs Publix.“
