Smart and Final vs Target: Who is Cheaper?
Smart and Final is a regional grocery store chain with about 250 stores in CA, AZ, NV, and northern Mexico. Target is a big box retailer that now offers grocery shopping in most stores around the US.
To determine if Smart and Final or Target is cheaper for groceries, we are going to do a side-by-side price comparison for a week’s worth of groceries. Scroll to the end to see the final verdict!
Is Smart and Final cheaper than Target?
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 Cheese & Toast
- Vanilla Yogurt with Strawberries and Leftover Pineapple
- French Toast with Syrup & Bananas
- Peanut Butter Toast with Bananas
Lunches
- Salad with Leftover Parmesan Chicken
- Pasta Salad with Hard Boiled Eggs and Tomato, Cucumber, and Parmesan Cheese
- Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
- BLT Sandwiches with Side Salad
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Orange Chicken with Pineapple over Brown Rice
- Sloppy Joe on French Bread with Cheese and Canned Corn
- Kielbasa, Potatoes and Green Beans in the Crockpot
- Tex Mex Pizza with Taco meat, Refried Beans, Salsa, and Cheese
- Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Butter Pasta, and Broccoli
- Breakfast for Dinner: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Bacon, Fried Potatoes, and Sauteed Apples
Snacks
- Chips and Salsa
- Peanut Butter and Apples
- Yogurt Bites
Sweet Treat
- Homemade Orange Popsicles
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Phoenix, Arizona. 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 #7“
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Smart and Final Price | Target Price |
| Strawberries | 16oz container= $4.99 *on sale* | 16oz container= $4.49 |
| 6 Bananas | $0.69 a lb=$2.07 | $0.25 each= $1.50 |
| Lettuce | 1 head Romaine= $3.49 | 1 head Iceberg= $1.99 |
| Tomato x2 | 2 regular tomatoes= $2.98 | 2 beefsteak tomatoes= $2.99 |
| Cucumber | $1.29 each | $0.65 each |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of red potatoes= $3.99 *on sale* | 5lb bag of russet potatoes = $2.79 |
| Apples | 3lb red delicious = $2.99 | 3lb red delicious = $4.69 |
| Total: (7 items) | $21.80 | $19.10 |
In the produce section, Target came out cheaper with a total of $19.10. This was $2.10 cheaper than Smart and Final’s total of $21.80.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Smart and Final Price | Target Price |
| Bacon | First Street 12oz pack= $4.99 | Market Pantry 16oz pack= $4.69 |
| 4-6 Chicken Breasts | First Street $2.99 a lb (3.84lbs)= $11.48 *on sale* | Good & Gather $3.79 a lb (3.2lbs)= $12.13 |
| Kielbasa Sausage | Hillshire Farm 14oz pack= $4.99 | Hillshire Farm 14oz pack= $4.19 |
| 1 lb ground turkey | Carolina 1lb roll= $3.99 | Jennie-O 1lb roll= $4.39 |
| Total: (4 items) | $25.45 | $25.40 |
In the meat section, Target came out cheaper with a total of $25.40. This was $0.05 cheaper than Smart & Final’s total of $25.45.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Smart and Final Price | Target Price |
| Sandwich Bread | First Street 24oz white bread= $2.99 | Market pantry 20oz white bread= $1.19 |
| Canned Pineapple | First Street 20oz can= $1.59 | Market Pantry 20oz can= $1.39 |
| Pancake Syrup | Walden Farms 12oz bottle= $3.79 | Market Pantry 24oz bottle= $2.29 |
| French Bread Loaf | First Street = $2.99 | Favorite Day= $1.99 |
| Cinnamon | First Street 2.7oz jar= $2.99 | Good & Gather 2.37 oz jar= $1.19 |
| Peanut Butter | First Street 18oz jar= $2.29 | Good & Gather 16oz jar= $1.69 |
| Italian Dressing | First Street 16oz bottle= $2.29 | Market Pantry 16oz bottle= $1.99 |
| Pasta | Allegra 16oz = $1.25 | Market Pantry 16oz = $0.95 |
| Large can Tomato Soup | Campbell’s 26oz can= $3.29 | Campbell’s 23.2oz can= $3.19 |
| Canned Tomatoes | First Street 14.5oz can= $1.09 | Good & Gather 14.5oz can= $0.99 |
| Orange Marmalade | First Street 32oz jar= $3.99 | Smucker’s 18oz jar= $4.99 |
| BBQ Sauce | Red Robin 14oz bottle= $2.39 *on sale* | KC Masterpiece 8oz bottle= $1.89 |
| Soy Sauce | First Street 10oz bottle=$2.39 | Market Pantry 15oz bottle= $1.59 |
| Brown Rice | First Street 1lb bag= $0.99 | Good & gather 1lb bag= $0.95 |
| Canned Green Beans | First Street 14.5oz can= $0.99 | Good & Gather 14.5oz can= $0.55 |
| Taco Seasoning | McCormick 1oz pack= $0.99 | Old El Paso 1oz pack= $0.95 |
| Refried Beans | First Street 16oz can= $0.99 | Good & Gather 16oz can= $0.99 |
| Salsa | Herdez 7oz can= $0.99 | Good & Gather 4oz jar= $2.39 |
| Worcestershire Sauce | First Street 10oz bottle= $1.99 | Market Pantry oz bottle= $2.69 |
| Mustard | First Street 8oz bottle= $0.89 | Market Pantry 14oz bottle= $0.75 |
| Canned Corn | First Street 15.25oz can= $0.99 | Good & Gather 15.25 oz can= $0.55 |
| Mayonnaise | First Street 30oz jar= $3.49 | Best Foods 5.5oz bottle= $2.69 |
| All Purpose Flour | First Street 5lb bag=$1.99 *on sale* | Good & Gather 5lb bag= $2.39 |
| Dry Active Yeast | Red Star 3pack= $2.00 *on sale* | Fleishmann’s 3pack= $1.89 |
| Total: (24 items) | $49.63 | $42.12 |
In the dry goods section, Target came out cheaper with a total of $42.12. This was $7.51 cheaper than Smart & Final’s total of $49.63.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Smart and Final Price | Target Price |
| Frozen Broccoli | First Street 32oz bag= $3.49 *on sale* | Good & Gather 2oz bag= $0.85 |
| Total: (1 items) | $3.49 | $0.85 |
In the frozen section, Target came out cheaper with a total of $0.85. This was $2.64 cheaper than Smart & Final’s total of $3.49.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Smart and Final Price | Target Price |
| Eggs | Barnstar 12ct brown eggs= $3.49 | Good & Gather 12ct white eggs= $3.29 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | First Street 8oz bag= $2.99 | Good & Gather 8oz bag= $2.29 |
| Vanilla Yogurt | Light & Fit 32oz container= $3.39 | Mountain High 32oz container= $3.29 |
| American Cheese | First Street 16ct= $2.99 | Kraft 16ct= $4.19 |
| Parmesan Cheese | Cello 4oz container= $3.59 | Good & Gather 6oz bag= $2.29 |
| 2% milk | First Street gallon= $3.39 | Good & Gather gallon= $3.39 |
| Butter | First Street 1lb= $4.49 | Good & Gather 1lb= $4.69 |
| Total: (7 items) | $24.33 | $23.43 |
In the dairy section, Target came out cheaper with a total of $23.43. This was $0.90 cheaper than Smart & Final’s total of $24.33.
Is Target more expensive than Smart and Final?
Target came out cheaper in every section, so let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Smart and Final Price | Target Price |
| Produce | $21.80 | $19.10 |
| Deli/Meats | $25.45 | $25.40 |
| Dry Goods | $49.63 | $42.12 |
| Frozen Foods | $3.49 | $0.85 |
| Dairy | $24.33 | $23.43 |
| Overall Total: (43 items) | $124.70 | $110.90 |
Overall, Target was cheaper than Smart & Final with a total of $110.90. This was $13.80 (about 11%) less expensive than Smart & Final’s total of $124.70.
Even though Smart & Final had a quite a few items on sale, their prices tended to be higher than the everyday prices at Target.
If you paired meal planning and shopping at Target, you could potentially save a lot of money on your grocery budget every week!
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Albertsons vs Smart & Final: Who is Cheaper?” and “Target vs Safeway: Who is Cheaper?“
