If you happened to have saved any of your grocery receipts from early 2020, you might be shocked to compare them to your latest grocery haul. That's because, according to Consumer Price Index data, food-at-home prices (read: grocery costs) rose 29.4% between March 2020 and December 2025. From milk to carrots, just about everything costs more.
That said, there are still ways to save—especially if you’re shopping at the right store.
In February, Consumer Reports released its comprehensive list of the most and least affordable grocery stores in the U.S., which it created with the help of the Strategic Resource Group (SRG), a retail- and grocery-industry market research company.
SRG took on the task of comparing prices on "baskets" of food, each filled with commonly purchased items from mainstream chains across six regionally representative cities. The baskets included "packaged goods, produce, and meat," though sizes varied depending on product availability at each store. SRG and Consumer Reports noted that the price comparisons were more robust among retailers carrying national brands (think big names like Coke and Campbell's) versus stores carrying primarily private-label or specialty goods.
But even with this caveat, they found that the difference between the highest- and lowest-priced grocery baskets in each city was more than 33%. The gap widened further when warehouse clubs like Costco and specialty grocers like Whole Foods were included in the mix.
The most affordable grocery stores
Using Walmart as the national pricing baseline, Costco ranked as the most affordable overall. Its basket cost 21.4% less than Walmart’s baseline. BJ's followed closely at 21% less.
Lidl, Aldi, WinCo, and H-E-B all had baskets below the Walmart average as well, making them strong options for shoppers looking to stretch their budgets.
The most expensive grocery stores
On the flip side, Whole Foods’s basket cost nearly 40% more than Walmart’s. Shaws wasn’t too far behind at 31.9% more.
El Rancho, Jewe-Osco, Mariano's, Vons, Big Y, and Tom Thumb all had baskets priced at 25% or more above the Walmart baseline.
Results varied slightly by metro area—Trader Joe's, for example, ranked as the most expensive in Denver. But, Costco consistently landed as the most affordable overall, while Whole Foods was the priciest in nearly every other destination.
Is a Costco membership worth it?
While membership to Costco starts at $65 a year for its Gold membership tier, it does come with plenty of other perks beyond saving on groceries. That includes discounts on online appliance purchases, access to virtual and in-person medical services, and yes, plenty of access to those delicious hot dogs, which will only set you back $1.50—a treat you've earned after saving that much on your grocery bill.
Stacey Leasca is an award-winning journalist with two decades of newsroom experience. Her photos, videos, and words have appeared in National Geographic, Travel + Leisure, Time, Los Angeles Times, Food & Wine, Glamour, Men's Health, Afar, and many more. Stacey also served as an adjunct professor of journalism at the University of Southern California teaching feature writing and visual journalism. She is also a Ph.D. Candidate with a specialty in building resiliency to misinformation.
