Wegmans vs Price Chopper: Who is Cheaper for Groceries?
One of the easiest ways to lower your grocery bill, is to know your prices! The best way to do this is to do some price comparisons with your local stores.
Today we will be pricing comparing Wegman’s and Price Chopper to see who comes out cheaper for groceries. Sometimes one store is cheaper throughout the whole store, and other times it may be worth it to shop at both locations. Let’s find out!
Is Price Chopper cheaper than Wegmans?
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 Syracuse, New York. 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 | Wegman’s Price | Price Chopper Price |
| Bananas x5 | $0.12 each=$0.60 | $0.24 each= $1.20 |
| Onions x2 | 2lb bag of yellow onions= $1.49 | Vidalia $1.06 each= $2.12 |
| Oranges | 2lb bag of Clementines= $3.99 | 2lb bag of Clementines= $2.99 *on sale* |
| Bell Peppers x2 | Green $1.09 each= $2.18 | Green= $1.33 each= $2.66 |
| Mushrooms | 8oz sliced= $2.49 | 8oz sliced= $2.79 |
| Apples | 3lb bag of gala apples= $3.29 | 3lb bag of Fuji apples= $5.39 |
| Carrots | 1lb bag= $1.49 | 1lb bag= $1.89 |
| Celery | 1 bunch= $1.79 | 1 bunch= $2.19 |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of white potatoes= $2.49 | 5lb bag of russet potatoes= $4.49 |
| Cabbage | 1 head= $2.97 | 1 head= $3.12 |
| Lettuce | 1 head of iceberg= $1.79 | 1 head of iceberg= $2.69 |
| Tomato | Beefsteak= $1.62 | Red on the Vine= $1.40 |
| Total: (12 items) | $26.19 | $32.93 |
In the produce section, Wegman’s came out cheaper with a total of $26.19. This was $6.74 cheaper than Price Chopper’s total of $32.93.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Wegman’s Price | Price Chopper Price |
| Breakfast Sausage | Bob Evan 1lb roll= $3.99 *on sale* | Market 32 1lb fresh sausage= $3.99 |
| Chicken Breasts (4-5 needed) | Tyson 2.5lb frozen bag= $9.99 | PICS $3.99 a lb (1.93lbs)= $7.70 |
| Chicken Quarters (need 2-3) | Wegmans $1.79 a lb (5lbs)= $8.95 | PICS $1.49 a lb (5.12lbs)= $7.63 |
| Pork Chops (need 4) | Wegmans $4.99 (1.35lbs)= $6.74 | PICS $1.99 a lb (1.5lbs)= $2.98 |
| Ground Turkey | Wegmans 1lb fresh= $5.79 | Market 32 1lb fresh= $5.39 |
| Total: (5 items) | $35.46 | $27.69 |
In the meat section, Price Chopper came out cheaper with a total of $27.69. This was $7.77 cheaper than Wegman’s total of $35.46.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Wegman’s Price | Price Chopper Price |
| Bagels | Ray’s 6ct= $3.49 | Lender’s 6ct= $3.29 |
| Baking Mix | Wegman’s 32oz box= $2.49 | PICS 32oz box= $2.79 *on sale* |
| Sandwich Bread | Wegman’s 22oz white bread= $1.29 | PICS 20oz white bread= $1.29 |
| Cinnamon | Spice Classics 2.4oz jar= $1.79 | PICS 2.37oz jar= $2.69 *on sale* |
| White Sugar | Wegmans 4lb bag= $2.79 | PICS 32oz box= $2.49 *on sale* |
| Tortillas | Wegmans 8ct= $1.39 | PICS 10ct= $2.19 *on sale* |
| Yellow Rice | Vigo 5oz bag= $1.29 | Carolina 5oz bag= $1.19 |
| Refried Beans | Goya 16oz can= $1.99 | Old El Paso 16oz can= $2.39 |
| Hot Sauce | Goya 6oz bottle= $1.19 | Frank’s 5oz bottle= $2.59 |
| Ranch Dressing | Wegman’s 16oz bottle= $1.99 | PICS 16oz bottle= $1.99 *on sale* |
| Canned Chickpeas | Wegman’s 15.5oz can= $0.75 | Hanover 15.5oz can= $1.09 *on sale* |
| Saltine Crackers | Wegman’s 16oz box= $1.59 | That’s Smart 10.3oz box= $2.19 |
| Canned Pineapple | Wegman’s 20oz can= $1.79 | PICS 20oz can= $2.39 |
| Brown Sugar | Wegman’s 32oz bag= $1.99 | PICS 32oz bag= $2.59 *on sale* |
| Dry Pasta (Penne) | Wegman’s 16oz box= $0.99 | PICS 16oz box= $1.79 |
| Canned Green Beans | Wegman’s 14.5oz can= $0.59 | PICS 14.5oz can= $1.19 |
| Total: (16 items) | $27.40 | $34.14 |
In the dry goods section, Wegman’s came out cheaper with a total of $27.40. This was $6.74 cheaper than Price Chopper’s total of $34.14.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Wegman’s Price | Price Chopper Price |
| Frozen Hash Browns | Wegman’s 32oz bag= $2.99 | McCain 20oz bag= $3.49 *on sale* |
| Frozen Broccoli | Wegman’s 12oz bag= $1.19 | Bird’s Eye 10.8oz bag= $1.99 |
| Total: (2 items) | $4.18 | $5.48 |
In the frozen section, Wegman’s came out cheaper with a total of $4.18. This was $1.30 cheaper than Price Chopper’s total of $5.48.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Wegman’s Price | Price Chopper Price |
| Cream Cheese (two 8oz blocks) | $1.69 each= $3.38 | $3.29 each= $6.58 |
| Cheddar Cheese (16oz) | Wegman’s shredded= $3.89 | PICS block= $4.89 |
| Eggs | Wegman’s 12ct large white= $2.99 | PICS 12ct large white= $3.49 |
| Milk | Wegman’s gallon= $2.89 | PICS gallon= $3.79 |
| Sliced Cheese | Wegman’s 16ct American= $2.39 | PICS 10ct white American= $3.09 |
| Total: (5 items) | $15.54 | $21.84 |
In the dairy section, Wegman’s came out cheaper with a total of $15.54. This was $6.30 cheaper than Price Chopper’s total of $21.84.
Is Wegman’s more expensive than Price Chopper?
Wegman’s came out cheaper in most sections but not all, so let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Wegman’s Price | Price Chopper Price |
| Produce | $26.19 | $32.93 |
| Deli/Meats | $35.46 | $27.69 |
| Dry Goods | $27.40 | $34.14 |
| Frozen Foods | $4.18 | $5.48 |
| Dairy | $15.54 | $21.84 |
| Overall Total: (40 items) | $115.33 | $126.55 |
Overall, Wegman’s was cheaper than Price Chopper with a total of $115.33. This was $13.31 (about 12%) cheaper than Price Chopper’s total of $126.55.
If I could only pick one store, then I will probably just go to Wegman’s for groceries. If I had the time to go to both stores, I would shop mostly the meat section at Price Chopper and then get the rest at Wegman’s.
Both Wegman’s and Price Chopper offer online shopping with delivery or pick-up because they partner with Instacart. If you would like to save even more money, check out Instacart’s free 14 day trial with free delivery on order over $25!
For more grocery store comparisons, check out “Wegmans vs Publix” and “Price Chopper vs Aldi.”
