Safeway vs Walmart: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
We all want to save more on groceries and one of the best ways to do that is price comparisons. By comparing prices, you will know if shopping at one store will work best or if you should break it up into multiple trips to different stores.
Today we will compare Safeway and Walmart prices for a 1-week meal plan grocery list. Scroll to the bottom to see who came out cheaper and if it is worth going to one store or both!
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Is Safeway cheaper than Walmart?
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
- Bagels & Cream Cheese with Bananas
- Breakfast Casserole with sausage, hashbrowns, and cheddar cheese
- Hard Boiled Egg, Toast, and Orange Slices
- Scrambled Egg and Veggies (peppers, tomato, and mushrooms) Tortillas and Cinnamon Apples
Lunches
- Rice & Bean Burritos & Apple Slices
- Buffalo Chicken Dip (made with leftover chicken from leg quarters) with Carrots and Celery
- Leftover Pasta Bake & Salad
- Leftover Soup with Bread
- Homemade Hummus and Saltines
Dinners
- Fajita Chicken Breasts with Tortillas, Yellow Rice, & Refried Beans
- Pineapple Brown Sugar Pork Chops with Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli
- Cheesy Ground Turkey Potato Boats with Sauteed Cabbage
- Roasted Chicken Quarters with Mushroom Pasta and Green Beans
- Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake with Side Salad with Chickpeas & Tomato
- Ground Turkey & Vegetable Soup with Grilled Cheese
Snacks
- Carrots and Celery
- Orange Slices
- Hummus & Crackers
- Pineapple Chunks
- Apples
Sweet Treat
- Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Columbia, Maryland. 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 #10 (Kid-Friendly, Healthy, & on a Budget)“
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Safeway Price | Walmart Price |
| Bananas x5 | $0.28 each = $1.40 | $0.36 each= $1.80 |
| Onions x2 | $0.99 each= $1.98 | $0.78 each= $1.56 |
| Oranges | 4lb bag of Valencia organic =$4.49 *on sale* | 3lb bag of Clementines= $3.98 |
| Bell Peppers x2 | Green $1.49 each= $2.98 | Green $0.88 each= $1.76 |
| Mushrooms | 8oz whole= $1.99 | 8oz whole= $1.97 |
| Apples | 3lb bag of Fuji apples= $5.00 | 3lb bag of gala apples= $3.48 *on sale* |
| Carrots | 1lb= $0.99 | 1lb= $0.98 |
| Celery | 1 bunch= $2.99 | 1 bunch= $1.74 |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of white potatoes= $4.49 | 5lb bag of russets= $3.97 |
| Cabbage | 1 head= $2.58 | 1 head= $3.28 |
| Lettuce | 1 head iceberg= $2.49 | 1 head iceberg= $1.68 |
| Tomato | on the vine= $1.15 | slicing tomato= $0.59 *on sale* |
| Total: (12 items) | $32.53 | $26.79 |
In the produce section, Walmart came out cheaper with a total of $26.79. This was $5.74 cheaper than Safeway’s total of $32.53.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Safeway Price | Walmart Price |
| Breakfast Sausage | Banquet 10ct links= $2.99 *on sale* | Banquet 10ct links= $1.78 |
| Chicken Breasts (4-5 needed) | $3.99 a lb (3lbs)= $11.97 | 3lb bag of frozen chicken tenders= $9.96 |
| Chicken Quarters (need 2-3) | $1.49 a lb (3lbs)= $4.47 | 10 lb bag of frozen leg quarters= $6.72 |
| Pork Chops (need 4) | Bone in center cut 1.5lbs= $5.24 | Center cut boneless 1.5lbs= $7.86 |
| Ground Turkey | Perdue 1lb fresh= $4.69 *on sale* | Festive 1lb roll= $2.54 |
| Total: (5 items) | $29.36 | $28.86 |
In the meat section, Walmart came out cheaper with a total of $28.86. This was $0.50 cheaper than Safeway’s total of $29.36.
It is worth noting that we were able to get 7 more pounds of leg quarters at Walmart, so that was definitely a lot more than Safeway’s 3lb package.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Safeway Price | Walmart Price |
| Bagels | Old Thyme 6ct= $2.99 *on sale* | Great Value 6ct= $1.90 |
| Baking Mix | Krusteaz 25.2oz box= $3.00 *on sale* | Great Value 32oz box= $1.98 |
| Sandwich Bread | Signature Select 0oz white= $1.69 | Great Value 20oz white= $1.32 |
| Cinnamon | Signature Select 2.37oz jar= $2.99 | Great Value 2.5oz jar= $1.18 |
| White Sugar | Signature Select 2lb box= $2.79 | Domino 1lb box= $1.63 |
| Tortillas | Signature Select Flour 10ct= $2.19 | Old El Paso 8ct= $2.24 |
| Yellow Rice | Mahatma 5oz bag= $1.69 | Mahatma 5oz bag= $0.98 |
| Refried Beans | Signature Select 16oz can= $1.69 | Great Value 16oz can= $1.00 |
| Hot Sauce | Texas Pete 6oz bottle= $1.49 *on sale* | Walkerswood 3.38oz bottle= $0.88 |
| Ranch Dressing | Wish-Bone 8oz bottle= $1.67 | Great Value 16oz bottle= $1.97 |
| Canned Chickpeas | Signature Select 15oz can= $1.29 | Great Value 15.5oz can= $0.78 |
| Saltine Crackers | Signature Select 16oz box= $2.50 *on sale* | Great Value 16oz box= $1.32 |
| Canned Pineapple | Signature Select 20oz can= $2.00 | Great Value 20oz can=$1.28 |
| Brown Sugar | Signature Select 2lb bag= $1.99 | Great Value 2lb bag= $1.84 |
| Dry Pasta (Penne) | Signature Select 16oz rotini= $1.25 | Great Value 16oz rotini= $0.98 |
| Canned Green Beans | Signature Select 14.5oz can= $1.19 | Great Value 14.5oz can= $0.50 *on sale* |
| Total: (16 items) | $32.41 | $21.78 |
In the dry goods section, Walmart came out cheaper with a total of $21.78. This was $10.63 cheaper than Safeway’s price of $32.41.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Safeway Price | Walmart Price |
| Frozen Hash Browns | Signature Select 22.5oz patties= $2.99 | Great Value 32oz bag= $2.98 |
| Frozen Broccoli | Signature Select 12oz bag= $2.19 | Great Value 2oz bag= $0.98 |
| Total: (2 items) | $5.18 | $3.96 |
In the frozen section, Walmart came out cheaper with a total of $3.96. This was $1.22 cheaper than Safeway’s total of $5.18.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Safeway Price | Walmart Price |
| Cream Cheese (two 8oz blocks) | Lucerne 2 pack= $3.99 | Great Value 2 pack= $3.18 |
| Cheddar Cheese (16oz) | Lucerne 16oz block= $5.99 | Great Value 16oz block= $3.68 |
| Eggs | Lucerne 12ct large white= $3.99 | Great Value 12ct large white= $2.12 |
| Milk | Value Corner gallon= $3.79 | Great Value gallon= $2.78 |
| Sliced Cheese | Lucerne 16ct American= $3.49 | Great Value 24ct American= $2.48 |
| Total: (5 items) | $21.25 | $14.24 |
In the dairy section, Walmart came out cheaper with a total of $14.24. That was $7.01 cheaper than Safeway’s total of $21.25.
Is Walmart more expensive than Safeway?
Walmart was cheaper in every section, but let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Safeway Price | Walmart Price |
| Produce | $32.53 | $26.79 |
| Deli/Meats | $29.36 | $28.86 |
| Dry Goods | $32.41 | $21.78 |
| Frozen Foods | $5.18 | $3.96 |
| Dairy | $21.25 | $14.24 |
| Overall Total: (40 items) | $120.73 | $95.63 |
Overall, Walmart was cheaper than Safeway with a total of $95.63. This was $25.10 (about 21%) cheaper than Safeway’s total of $120.73.
Walmart doesn’t really have weekly sales flyers anymore, so it is hard to shop sales when making your weekly meal plan. This means their prices don’t tend to fluctuate week over week.
Safeway does have weekly ads, and you can use them to help you meal plan for maximum savings. For more savings at Safeway, check out their FreshPass. They are currently offering a 30-day free trial!
Overall, I would primarily shop at Walmart for most items, and only shop the sales items at Safeway. Most of sale prices I saw at Safeway were not cheaper than Walmart, but that is not always the case. Safeway does sometimes have lower prices than Walmart.
For more grocery store comparisons, check out “Albertsons vs Target” and “Kroger vs Save A Lot.”
