Sprouts vs Vons: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
Saving money at the grocery store seems to be getting harder and harder to do right now. The simple answer to saving money on food, is to start comparing prices!
Today, we will do a side-by-side price comparison at Sprouts and Vons. We will price out an entire week’s worth of groceries and see who came out cheaper! (As a bonus we will see if it is worth going to just one store, or if it is better to shop at both.)
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Is Sprouts cheaper than Vons?
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 Henderson, Nevada. 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 | Sprouts Price | Vons Price |
| Bananas x5 | $0.28 each= $1.40 | $0.33 each= $1.65 |
| Onions x2 | Yellow Onions $0.68 each= $1.36 | Yellow Onions $0.69 each= $1.38 |
| Oranges | 2lb organic mandarin oranges = $2.98 *on sale* | 3lb bag of Cara Cara oranges= $3.99 |
| Bell Peppers x2 | Green $0.79 each= $1.58 | Green $0.99 each= $1.98 |
| Mushrooms | 8 oz whole= $2.99 | 8 oz whole= $2.50 *on sale* |
| Apples | 2lb bag of Pink Lady apples= $3.99 | 3lb bag of Fuji apples= $4.99 |
| Carrots | 1lb bag= $1.29 | 1lb bag= $0.99 |
| Celery | 1 bunch= $1.79 | 1 bunch= $1.99 |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of russets= $3.99 | 5lb bag of russets= $3.29 |
| Cabbage | 1 head= $2.28 | 1 head= $1.58 |
| Lettuce | 1 head iceberg= $1.99 | 1 head iceberg= $0.97 *on sale* |
| Tomato | Cluster Tomato= $0.89 | On the Vine= $0.66 |
| Total: (12 items) | $26.53 | $25.97 |
In the produce section, Vons came out cheaper with a total of $25.97. This was $0.56 cheaper than Sprouts total of $26.53.
It is worth noting, that even though both stores came very close in total, we actually got a pound more of apples and oranges at Vons.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Sprouts Price | Vons Price |
| Breakfast Sausage | Jones Dairy 10ct links= $3.99 | Banquet 10ct links= $2.99 *on sale* |
| Chicken Breasts (4-5 needed) | Sprouts Chicken Cutlets $6.99 a lb (1.09lb)= $7.62 | Signature Farms 40oz bag of frozen breasts= $7.99 *on sale* |
| Chicken Quarters (need 2-3) | Sprouts Bone In Thighs $1.99 a lb (3.5lbs)= $6.97 *on sale* | Sanderson Farms $0.97 a lb (4.5lbs)= $4.37 *on sale* |
| Pork Chops (need 4) | Bone In Center Cut $5.99 a lb (1.2lbs)= $7.18 | Boneless Loin Chops $4.19 a lb (1.5lbs)= $6.29 *on sale* |
| Ground Turkey | Sprouts 85/15 1lb fresh= $5.99 | Jennie-O 93% 1lb fresh= $3.99 *on sale* |
| Total: (5 items) | $31.75 | $25.63 |
In the meat section, Vons came out cheaper with a total of $25.63. This was $6.12 cheaper than Sprouts total of $31.75.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Sprouts Price | Vons Price |
| Bagels | Dave’s Killer Bread 6ct= $6.29 *on sale* | Vons Bakery 6ct= $3.99 |
| Baking Mix | Birch Bender 14oz bag= $5.79 *on sale* | Krusteaz 25.2 oz box= $2.99 *on sale* |
| Sandwich Bread | Nature’s Own 20oz wheat= $4.29 *on sale* | Signature Select 20oz white bread= $2.49 |
| Cinnamon | Sprouts Organic (0.0625lb) bag= $0.84 | Signature Select 2.37oz jar= $3.99 *on sale* |
| White Sugar | C & H 4lb bag= $4.99 | Signature Select 4lb bag= $3.79 *on sale* |
| Tortillas | Mission Street 12ct= $3.29 | Mission Calidad 8ct= $1.99 |
| Yellow Rice | Maya Kaimal 8.5oz bag= $3.00 *on sale* | Mahatma 5oz bag= $1.09 |
| Refried Beans | Sprouts 16oz can= $0.99 | Signature Select 16oz can= $1.49 *on sale* |
| Hot Sauce | Sprouts Roja Sauce 16oz bottle= $3.00 *on sale* | Trappey’s 6oz bottle= $1.99 |
| Ranch Dressing | Sprouts 12oz bottle= $3.49 | Signature Select 16oz bottle= $2.49 *on sale* |
| Canned Chickpeas | Sprouts 15.5oz can= $1.50 | Signature Select 15.5oz can= $0.99 *on sale* |
| Saltine Crackers | Sprouts 16oz box= $3.29 | Signature Select 16oz box= $3.29 |
| Canned Pineapple | Sprouts 20oz can= $2.29 | Signature Select 20oz can= $2.49 *on sale* |
| Brown Sugar | Sprouts 2lb bag= $2.99 | Signature Select 2lb bag= $2.99 *on sale* |
| Dry Pasta (Penne) | Sprouts 16oz bag= $1.49 | Signature Select 16oz box= $1.50 *on sale* |
| Canned Green Beans | Sprouts 14.5oz can= $1.49 | Signature Select 14.5oz can= $0.99 *on sale* |
| Total: (16 items) | $49.02 | $38.55 |
In the dry goods section, Vons came out cheaper with a total of $38.55. This was $10.47 cheaper than Sprouts total of $49.02.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Sprouts Price | Vons Price |
| Frozen Hash Browns | Cascadian Farms 16oz bag= $5.99 *on sale* | Simply Potatoes 20oz bag= $3.79 |
| Frozen Broccoli | Sprouts 12oz bag= $3.99 | Signature Select 16oz bag= $2.00 *on sale* |
| Total: (2 items) | $9.98 | $5.79 |
In the frozen section, Vons came out cheaper with a total of $5.79. This was $4.19 cheaper than Sprouts total of $9.98.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Sprouts Price | Vons Price |
| Cream Cheese (two 8oz blocks) | Sprouts 8oz $2.49 each= $4.98 | Lucerne 2 pack= $4.49 *on sale* |
| Cheddar Cheese (16oz) | Market Corner 8oz bag $5.49 each= $10.98 | Lucerne 8oz bag $2.50 each= $5.00 *on sale* |
| Eggs | Sprouts 12ct white large= $3.99 | Lucerne 12ct white large= $3.99 *on sale* |
| Milk | Sprouts gallon= $6.29 | Lucerne gallon= $3.19 |
| Sliced Cheese | 1lb American Cheese= $4.19 | Lucerne 10ct= $2.50 *on sale* |
| Total: (5 items) | $30.43 | $19.17 |
In the dairy section, Vons came out cheaper with a total of $19.17. This was $11.26 cheaper than Sprouts total of $30.43.
Is Sprouts more expensive than Vons?
Vons came out cheaper in every section, but let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Sprouts Price | Vons Price |
| Produce | $26.53 | $25.97 |
| Deli/Meats | $31.75 | $25.63 |
| Dry Goods | $49.02 | $38.55 |
| Frozen Foods | $9.98 | $5.79 |
| Dairy | $30.43 | $19.17 |
| Overall Total: (40 items) | $147.71 | $115.11 |
Overall, Vons was much cheaper than Sprouts with a total of $115.11. This was $32.60 (about 22%) cheaper than Sprouts total of $147.71.
If I could only choose one store to go to each week, I would definitely do all my shopping at Vons because overall their prices were cheaper.
Now there were a few items that had better prices at Sprouts. If we were to break our list up between the stores and just by the cheaper option, we would have save more money. The total would have been $108.00.
That isn’t a huge savings, but $7 a week every week, does add up to $364. If we make both trips, and start utilizing their sales flyer when we meal plan we could save a lot more.
At Sprouts, they do offer digital coupons, monthly deals, and a very cheap pick-up fee for curbside orders. For delivery, Sprouts teams up with Instacart and they are currently offering free delivery with membership. Check out their 30-day free trial of their membership plan!
Vons also has digital coupons and Vons for U which gives rewards, cash back, and free items. If you like pick up or delivery, check out their 30-day free trial of Vons Fresh Pass.
For more grocery store comparisons, check out “Vons vs Smart & Final” and “Sprouts vs Target.”
