Target vs The Fresh Market: Who is Cheaper?
Target is a big box retailer that now offers groceries in most of their stores in the US. The Fresh Market is a specialty grocery store with about 159 stores all around the US.
Both Target and The Fresh Market offer lots of organic and non-GMO options. Let’s see which store is cheaper for groceries by price comparing a one-week meal plan. Scroll to the end to see the final verdict!
Is The Fresh Market 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
- Pumpkin Smoothies
- Swiss Cheese and Tomato Toast w/ Scrambled Eggs with a Banana
- Ham and Cheese on English Muffins with a Banana
- Overnight Pumpkin Pie Oats
- Yogurt Parfait with Banana and Homemade Granola
Lunches
- Mexican Dip (refried beans, salsa, sour cream) with Homemade Tortilla Chips
- Cuban-ish Quesadillas (leftover pork, sliced ham, Swiss cheese, and pickles) and Carrot Sticks
- Fried Egg Grilled Swiss Cheese Sandwich with Leftover Soup
- Spinach Salad with Sliced Ham, Tomatoes & Cucumbers
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Beef Tamale Casserole with Sliced Cucumbers
- Brown Sugar Chicken Thighs with Potato Wedges and Green Beans
- Beef, Vegetable, & Rice Soup with Spinach Salad
- Chicken, Squash, and Carrot Rice Bowls
- Crockpot Ranch Pork Loin with Mashed Potatoes & Carrots
- Leftover Pork Pasta with Spinach & Tomatoes in Creamy Sauce
Snacks
- Carrot Sticks
- Popcorn
- Homemade Granola
Sweet Treat
- Banana Oatmeal Cookies
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 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 #8“
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Target Price | The Fresh Market Price |
| Bananas x6 | $0.25 each= $1.50 | $0.24 each= $1.44 |
| Tomatoes x3 | Beefsteak Tomatoes 13oz/2ct= $2.99 | Organic Red and on the Vine $1.41 each= $4.23 |
| Spinach | Good & Gather 9oz bag= $2.49 | The Fresh Market 8ox bag= $2.49 *on sale* |
| Cucumber | $0.65 each | $1.29 each |
| Carrots | 1lb baby carrots= $0.99 | 1lb baby carrots= $2.29 |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of russets= $3.79 | $1.49 a lb Russet Potatoes=$7.45 |
| Yellow Squash | *substitituion* Zucchini 2ct pack= $2.99 | $1.59 each |
| Total: (7 items) | $15.40 | $20.78 |
In the produce section, Target came out cheaper with a total of $15.40. This was $5.38 cheaper than The Fresh Market’s total of $20.78.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Target Price | The Fresh Market Price |
| Ground Beef (1lb) | 73/27 fresh beef= $5.19 | Ground Sirloin 1lb= $4.99 *on sale* |
| Chicken Thighs (6-8) | Tyson $1.99 a lb (2.69lbs) = $5.35 | $2.99 a lb (2.69 lbs)= $8.04 *on sale* |
| Pork Loin | Good & Gather $4.99 a lb (1.5lbs) =$7.80 | $7.99 a lb (pork loin roast) 2lbs= $15.98 |
| Ham Lunchmeat | Good & Gather 9oz pack= $3.69 | $7.99 a lb/ The Fresh Market Deli Ham 9oz= $5.05 |
| Total: (4 items) | $22.03 | $34.06 |
In the meat section, Target came out cheaper with a total of $22.03. This was $12.03 cheaper than The Fresh Market’s total of $34.06.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Target Price | The Fresh Market Price |
| Pumpkin Puree | Good & Gather 15oz can x2= $2.38 | The Fresh Market 19oz can= $3.49 |
| Brown Sugar | Good & Gather 3lb bag= $1.79 | Domino 1lb box= $2.29 |
| Sandwich Bread | Market Pantry 20oz white= $1.19 | Pepperidge Farm 20oz white= $3.39 |
| English Muffins | Thomas 6ct= $3.29 | Bays 6ct= $4.49 |
| Quick Oats | Good & Gather 18oz= $2.69 | The Fresh Market 18oz= $4.99 |
| Refried beans | Good & Gather 16oz can= $0.99 | La Preferida 16oz can= $2.49 |
| Tortillas | Tortillas Mexico 12ct= $1.89 | Mission 10ct= $3.79 |
| Pickle Slices | Market Pantry 16oz jar= $1.59 | Wickles 16oz jar= $5.49 |
| Salsa | Good & Gather 24oz jar= $1.99 | Newman’s Own 16oz jar= $3.49 |
| Canned Corn | Good & Gather 15.25oz can= $0.65 | Del Monte 15.25oz can= $1.79 *on sale* |
| Cornbread Mix | Jiffy 8.5oz box= $0.65 | Jiffy 8.5oz box= $1.29 |
| Enchilada Sauce | Market pantry 10oz= $1.79 | Casa Fiesta 10oz can= $2.49 |
| Taco Seasoning | Old El Paso 1oz pack= $0.95 | Casa Fiesta 1oz pack= $1.79 |
| Canned Green Beans | Good & Gather 14.5oz can= $0.65 | Del Monte 14.5 oz can= $1.79 *on sale* |
| Beef Boullion | Goya 2.82oz box= $1.69 | Kitchen Basics Beef Stock 8.3oz= $1.99 |
| Diced Tomatoes | Good & Gather 14.5oz can= $0.99 | The Market Fresh 14.5oz can= $1.29 |
| White Rice | Good & Gather 1lb bag= $0.99 | The Fresh Market 8.8oz= $3.49 |
| Soy Sauce | Market Pantry 15oz bottle= $1.69 | Kikkoman 10oz bottle= $2.99 |
| Ranch Powder | Hidden Valley 1oz pack= $1.99 | Lipton 2.4oz box= $3.19 *on sale* |
| Microwave Popcorn | Market Pantry 6ct= $2.99 | The Fresh Market Popped Corn 4.5oz bag= $2.99 |
| Honey | Good & Gather 12oz bottle= $3.99 | Madhava 16oz bottle= $5.49 *on sale* |
| Raisins | Good & Gather 6oz mini boxes= $1.59 | Sun Maid 10oz bag= $2.99 |
| Cinnamon | Good & Gather 2.37oz jar= $1.19 | Simply Organic 2.45 oz jar= $5.99 *on sale* |
| Pasta | Good & Gather 16oz Rotini= $0.95 | The Fresh Market 16oz Farfalle=$2.99 |
| Total: (23 items) | $40.55 | $76.46 |
In the dry goods section, Target came out cheaper with a total of $40.55. This was $35.91 cheaper than The Fresh market’s total of $76.46.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Target Price | The Fresh Market Price |
| Mixed vegetables | Good & Gather 12oz bag= $0.85 | The Fresh market 12oz bag= $3.49 |
| Total: (1 items) | $0.85 | $3.49 |
In the frozen section, Target came out cheaper with a total of $0.85. This was $2.64 cheaper than The Fresh Market’s total of $3.49.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Target Price | The Fresh Market Price |
| Vanilla Yogurt | Light & Fit 32oz tub= $3.69 | Stoneyfield 32oz tub= $4.99 *on sale* |
| 2% Milk | Good & Gather gallon= $3.59 | The Fresh Market gallon= $2.99 |
| Sliced Swiss Cheese | Good & Gather 10ct= $2.29 | The Fresh Market 7oz pack= $4.99 |
| Eggs | Good & Gather 12ct white= $2.39 | The Fresh Market 12ct white= $2.99 *on sale* |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Good & Gather 8oz bag= $2.29 | The Fresh Market 8oz bag= $4.99 |
| Cream Cheese x2 | Good & Gather 8oz $1.99 each= $3.98 | The Fresh Market 8oz $1.99 each= $3.98 |
| Total: (6 items) | $18.23 | $24.93 |
In the dairy section, Target came out cheaper with a total of $18.23. This was $6.70 cheaper than The Fresh Market’s total of $24.93
Is Target more expensive than The Fresh Market?
Target came out cheaper in every section, so let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Target Price | The Fresh Market Price |
| Produce | $15.40 | $20.78 |
| Deli/Meats | $22.03 | $34.06 |
| Dry Goods | $40.55 | $76.46 |
| Frozen Foods | $0.85 | $3.49 |
| Dairy | $18.23 | $24.93 |
| Overall Total: (41 items) | $97.06 | $159.72 |
Overall, Target was much cheaper than The Fresh market with a total of $97.06. This was $62.66 (about 32%) cheaper than The Fresh market’s total of $159.72.
If you are currently shopping every week at The Fresh Market, you could potentially save almost 40% a month by trying out Target.
For me, this is a slam dunk. The only item I would purchase at The Fresh Market is the gallons of milk for $2.99.
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Walmart vs Smith’s: Who is Cheaper?” and “Family Fare vs Hornbacher’s: Who is Cheaper?“
