Sprouts vs Walmart: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
Sprouts is a mostly organic grocery store that is now available in 20+ states in the US. Walmart is a very common grocery store all over the US.
We are going to put Sprouts and Walmart head-to-head in a price comparison to see who cheaper for groceries and by how much. Scroll to the end to see the final results!
Is Sprouts 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
- Scrambled Eggs with Bacon and Toast
- Banana Pancakes with Maple Syrup
- Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars
Lunches
- Leftover Chicken Salad with Raisins Sandwiches
- Black Bean Hummus (using leftover black beans) with Homemade Potato Chips and Carrots
- Taco Salads (leftover taco meat)
- Baked Potatoes with Sour Cream, Cheese, and Bacon
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Lentil Veggie Soup (using dry lentils, canned tomatoes, chicken broth made from whole chicken, and frozen mixed vegetables)
- Baked BBQ Pork Chops with Carrot Raisin Salad (mayo, lemon juice, & maple syrup), and Baked Potato Wedges
- Chicken Carbonara-ish Pasta with Bacon and Frozen Peas (alfredo sauce with Italian seasoning) *using leftover chicken*
- Whole Baked Chicken with Brown Rice and Baked Carrots
- 1/2lb Ground Turkey and Black Bean Tacos (with lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream) and Brown Rice
- 1/2lb Ground Turkey Chili with Cornbread and Side Salad with lemon juice & oil dressing
Snacks
- Bananas
- Carrots
- Popcorn
Sweet Treat
- Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Overland Park, Kansas. 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.
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Sprouts Price | Walmart Price |
| 8 bananas | $0.59 a lb = $2.00 | $0.50 a lb = $1.60 |
| Potatoes | Russet 5lb bag= $4.49 | Russet 5lb bag= $3.17 |
| Carrots | Baby Carrots 1lb= $1.25 *on sale* | 1lb bag= $0.67 |
| Leafy Green Lettuce | 1 head= $1.99 | 1 head= $1.98 |
| 1 Tomato | $1.99 a lb = $1.00 | $2.90/a lb= $1.33 |
| 1 Cucumber | $1.25 each | $0.68 each |
| 2 lemons | $0.69 each x 2=$1.38 | $0.63 each x 2= $1.26 |
| Total: (7 items) | $13.36 | $10.69 |
Walmart came out cheaper with a total of $10.69. This was $2.67 cheaper than Sprouts at $13.36.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Sprouts Price | Walmart Price |
| Pork Chops | Bone In- $5.99 a lb/2lb= $11.98 | Bone in- $3.37 a lb /2 lb=$6.74 |
| Whole Chicken | Sprouts $3.99 a lb/ 4.43lbs = $17.67 | Southern Hens $1.18 a lb/6.8lbs=$8.08 |
| Precooked Bacon | Butcher Shop 2.57 oz box= $4.99 | Great Value 2.1oz box = $3.78 |
| 1lb ground turkey | Butcher Shop 1lb fresh= $4.99 | Festive 1lb roll = $2.54 |
| Total: (4 items) | $39.63 | $21.14 |
Walmart easily came in cheaper in the meat department with a total of $21.14. This was $18.49 cheaper than Sprouts total of $39.63. This was all because the only whole chicken option that Sprouts currently offers is organic, so the price is very high.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Sprouts Price | Walmart Price |
| Peanut Butter | Sprouts 16oz jar= $2.69 | Great Value 18oz jar= $1.74 |
| Sandwich Bread | Sprouts 18oz white = $3.29 | Great Value 20oz white = $1.00 |
| Pancake Syrup | Sprouts 12oz bottle = $ 4.99 | Great Value 24oz bottle = $2.14 |
| Quick Oats | 1lb from Bulk Bin/1.69 a lb= $1.69 | Great Value 18oz container = $2.48 |
| Brown Sugar | 1lb from Bulk Bin/1.69 a lb= $1.69 | Great Value 2lb bag= $1.70 |
| Mayonnaise | Sprouts 16oz jar= $3.99 | Great Value 15oz jar= $2.36 |
| Raisins | 8oz from Bulk Bin/3.99 a lb= $1.99 | Sun Maid Mini Boxes (6oz)= $2.04 |
| Black Beans dried | Green Valley 15.5oz bag= $2.29 | Great Value 16oz bag= $1.28 |
| Lentils (dry) | Sprouts 16oz bag= $2.49 | Great Value 16oz bag= $1.88 |
| Canned tomatoes x 2 | Sprouts 14.5oz can $1.29 x2= $2.58 | Great Value 14.5oz can $0.72 x 2=$1.44 |
| BBQ sauce | Rib Rack 19oz bottle = $5.49 | Great Value 18oz bottle = $1.34 |
| Alfredo Sauce | Newman’s Own 15oz jar- $3.29 | Great Value 16oz jar= $1.74 |
| Brown Rice | 1lb from Bulk Bin/1.59 a lb= $1.59 | Great Value 1lb bag= $0.78 |
| Taco Seasoning | Sprouts 1oz pack= $1.25 | Great Value 1oz pack= $0.48 |
| Flour Tortillas | Mission Street tacos 12ct= $2.49 * on sale* | Chi-Chi’s 12ct= $1.68 |
| Kidney Beans | Sprouts 15oz can= $1.09 | Great Value 15.5oz can= $0.78 |
| Chili Powder | Sprouts 1.94oz jar= $4.99 | Great Value 3oz jar= $1.00 |
| Cornbread Mix | Sprouts 12oz bag= $2.50 | Jiffy 8.5oz box = $0.47 |
| Microwave Popcorn | Sprouts 9.9oz/3bags = $3.29 | Great Value 7.67oz/3bags=$1.36 |
| Total: (18 items) | $53.67 | $27.69 |
Walmart came in cheaper with a dry goods total of $27.69. This was $25.98 cheaper than Sprouts at $53.67.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Sprouts Price | Walmart Price |
| Frozen Mixed Vegetables | Sprouts 16oz bag= $2.29 | Great Value 12oz bag= $0.84 |
| Frozen Peas | Sprouts 16oz bag= $2.29 | Great Value 12oz bag= $0.84 |
| Total: (2 items) | $4.58 | $1.68 |
Walmart came in cheaper with a total of $1.68. This was $2.90 cheaper than Sprouts at $4.58.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Sprouts Price | Walmart Price |
| Eggs | Sprouts 12ct white= $2.99 | Great Value 12ct white= $1.98 |
| Sour Cream | Sprouts 16oz tub= $2.29 | Great Value 8oz tub= $1.16 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Market Corner 8 oz bag= $3.99 | Great Value 8oz bag= $2.22 |
| Shredded Mozzarella Cheese | Market Corner 8 oz bag= $3.99 | Great Value 8oz bag= $2.22 |
| Butter (sticks) | Sprouts 1lb= $4.79 | Great Value 1lb= $3.98 |
| Milk | Sprouts 2% gallon= $4.29 | Great Value 2% gallon= $3.52 |
| Total: (6 items) | $22.34 | $15.08 |
Walmart came out cheaper with a total of $15.08. This was $7.26 cheaper than Sprouts at $22.34.
Is Walmart or Sprouts cheaper?
There wasn’t much competition between Sprouts and Walmart for cheapest, so let’s look at the totals.
| Section | Sprouts Price | Walmart Price |
| Produce | $13.36 | $10.69 |
| Deli/Meats | $39.63 | $21.14 |
| Dry Goods | $53.67 | $27.69 |
| Frozen Foods | $4.58 | $1.68 |
| Dairy | $22.34 | $15.08 |
| Overall Total: (37 items) | $133.58 | $76.28 |
Walmart came in cheaper with a total of $76.28. This was $57.30 (about 43%) cheaper than Sprouts at $133.58.
Sprouts is known for offering lots of organic foods in their store, but if you are trying to lower your grocery budget, you may want to try shopping elsewhere. According to the Mayo Clinic, there is not enough long-term data to show exactly what the health benefits of eating organic can be.
If you can afford organic foods and it is not affecting your monthly budget, then definitely continue shopping the way you have.
If you are struggling to pay your bills or have a huge mountain of debt to overcome, you may want to switch a completely organic lifestyle to a more conventional style of food.
Even GoodRx says that there is no clear evidence that eating organic is healthier. Mainly for the fact that people that tend to eat all organic foods have a more active lifestyle. So, continue keep up your active lifestyle but try shopping at other places to get more food for the money.
For more ways to save money on food, check out “Is it cheaper to make your own Peanut Butter?” and “Is shredding your own cheese cheaper?“
