The Cheapest Grocery Store in America Right Now Isn’t Walmart, New Study Finds

Global Markets News ^ | 07/20/2026

[SeekAndFind]

For millions of Americans, the weekly grocery trip has become one of the biggest strains on the household budget. Even as overall inflation has cooled, food prices remain stubbornly high, forcing shoppers to compare prices more closely than ever before.

Now, a new study suggests one of the country’s largest supermarket chains may be offering the best value on everyday essentials.

Kroger topped a comparison of four major grocery retailers, beating Walmart, Aldi, and Albertsons on the total cost of a basket of common store-brand staples.

Kroger Comes Out on Top

The price comparison, conducted by Restaurant Furniture Plus and reported by Southern Living, examined the cost of 15 common store-brand grocery items across four major retailers.

The basket included everyday necessities such as:

• Milk

• Bread

• Eggs

• Chicken breast

• Spaghetti

• Canned beans

• Sugar

• Baking essentials

• Canned tomatoes

Kroger posted the lowest total basket price at $30.00, narrowly edging out Walmart.

Grocery Basket Comparison

Retailer	Total Basket Cost
Kroger	$30.00
Walmart	$30.95
Aldi	$33.15
Albertsons	$35.58

Kroger also recorded the lowest price on 10 of the 15 items analyzed, the highest total among the retailers included in the study.

Among the categories where Kroger stood out were pantry staples including spaghetti, canned diced tomatoes, sugar, and a dozen large eggs.

Walmart Remains Highly Competitive

Although Walmart finished second, it trailed Kroger by less than one dollar for the full basket.

That small difference suggests Walmart continues to be one of the strongest low-price competitors nationally, particularly for shoppers looking to complete an entire grocery trip in one location.

Meanwhile, Aldi remained especially competitive in dairy products, where its private-label offerings continued to provide strong value despite finishing third overall.

Albertsons recorded the highest total basket cost among the retailers compared.

Not Every Grocery Giant Was Included

Several popular grocery chains were absent from the comparison.

Costco was excluded because its warehouse-club model primarily sells products in bulk, making direct comparisons with traditional grocery stores difficult.

Trader Joe’s was also left out because it did not carry every item included in the survey.

Other regional retailers, including H-E-B and Piggly Wiggly, were not part of the analysis.

That means shoppers should view the results as a snapshot of four major national grocery competitors rather than a definitive ranking of every supermarket available.

Why Grocery Prices Still Matter

The timing of the study reflects an issue that continues to dominate household finances.

According to a new report from the Urban Institute, food prices have climbed approximately 32% over the past five years, leaving many families struggling to absorb higher grocery bills.

The report also found that more than one in four working-age Americans have relied on credit cards to help pay for groceries, underscoring how food inflation continues to pressure household budgets despite easing headline inflation.

Researchers noted that groceries remain one of the largest recurring expenses for most families, making even modest price differences meaningful over time.

What It Means for Investors

The findings reinforce how aggressively grocery retailers continue competing on price to attract cost-conscious consumers.

For Kroger, outperforming Walmart and Aldi in this comparison could help strengthen customer loyalty as shoppers increasingly prioritize value over brand preferences.

For investors, the report highlights that grocery chains capable of combining competitive pricing with operational efficiency may be better positioned to maintain customer traffic in an environment where consumers remain highly sensitive to everyday expenses.

As food costs remain elevated, pricing strategy is likely to remain one of the biggest competitive battlegrounds across the grocery industry.

The Bottom Line

Kroger narrowly claimed the lowest-priced grocery basket in a recent comparison of four major supermarket chains, finishing ahead of Walmart, Aldi, and Albertsons. While prices varied by category, the study highlights that shoppers willing to compare retailers can still find meaningful savings at the checkout line. With grocery costs still roughly one-third higher than five years ago, value remains one of the most important factors influencing where Americans choose to shop.

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; Society
KEYWORDS: affordability; food; grocery; kroger

[Retain Mike]

That was going to be my comment. We always shop there.

[John Milner]

There are no Kroger anywhere near me.

We have the big box places (Sams, Cosco) that I don’t shop at because I don’t think a person should have to pay to shop anywhere, and because everything is in giant size packages or multi-packs.

We have Hy-Vee, Aldi, and Fareway. And Walmart.

Hy-Vee is basically the major regional chain. Best comparison is Publix. Clean, well stocked, helpful employees, high prices except sale items.

Aldi is the cheapest. Generally high quality items and very low prices. But if you’re looking for name-brand anything they probably don’t carry it. Bare-bones but they are fast at the checkout and you bag your own, which I also prefer.

Fareway is very regional. Known for their high quality Midwstern meat with the old fashioned meat counter with employees behind it doing it like you remember 50 years ago. The rest of the store is kind of okay. Not the greatest selection.

Walmart was here back when they only went into smaller and medium markets. I find the shopping experience a bit off-putting just because the store itself is so huge and the parking lot is always a disaster. Still, I go there more often for the name brand stuff that Aldi doesn’t carry. There is a smaller/older one in a town I pass through occasionally and I like to stop there. Close parking. Smaller store but has most of the stuff the MegaSuperDeluxe Walmarts have; albeit with very narrow aisles.

[Sequoyah101]

Likewise. I’ll also need to be convinced Walmart is cheaper than Aldi. Chips alone at Aldi are about 1/2 what they are at Walmart.

The survey sounds rigged to me.

We don’t have Kroger here but where we were before we did and it was usually higher than most.

[John Milner]

Also, there just opened up a Dollar General Marketplace. More supermarket-ish than a typical DG. Surprisingly nice and very close. But kind of a block off the traffic pattern so I don’t think many people have even noticed or stopped there. Plus, everyone knows what DG is so they don’t realize that this is quite different.

[sopo]

We always look for sales/specials which is why these one size fits all surveys are poorly conceived. Sugar sits on the closet shrlf until it next goes on sale, if needed then.

[Justa]

I use Walmart+. Besides saving time the free delivery ($100/year) more than makes up for the costs and risks of driving and doing it all myself. Just don’t like their crappy substitutions and nagware app.

[TexasGator]

“We have the big box places (Sams, Cosco) that I don’t shop at because I don’t think a person should have to pay to shop anywhere, and because everything is in giant size packages or multi-packs.”

Everything is not in giant size packages or multipacks. If you don’t know, don’t opine.

Just the savings on the gas pays for the membership.

We have an extra refrig and freezer in the garage. Just the two of us but 80% of our grocery spending is at Costco.

[sopo]

It depeends on the sale , doesn’t it? Tillamook ,really good ice cream usally $7.99 goes as low as $3.99 about once amonth this summer at Acme (Albertson’s)

[TexasGator]

“more than makes up for the costs and risks of driving and doing it all myself. “

Parking at the local Walmart is a nightmare. I usually go to a more distant one when in that area.

[MountainDad]

We get 90% of our groceries at Fareway.
Not the cheapest, but we avoid the freak show at the big stores. Plus the meat counter is pretty good, but not up to our local meat locker standards.

[jimtorr]

I was unaware that Albertsons sold out. I looked them up on Wikipedia, which says that they are currently owned by Cerberus Capital.

[Flaming Conservative]

Actually, Albertsons in our area, became Food Pyramid, which was then acquired by Homeland.

[The Truth Will Make You Free]

Winco is good for tomatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, other produce (sometimes) and specials. .

Aldi is good for yogurt, salmon, bread, dark chocolate.

Costco is good for quality/organic at a good price, especially their reduced price booklet.

Sam’s is good for mushrooms, cauliflower, and pasture eggs.

[Seruzawa]

If I shop at Kroger I spend $20 more than shopping at Walmart. BS article.

[captaincaveman]

I shop at Kroger in middle Tenneessee.
But, you have to do A LOT of work before you step foot into the store.

You have to clip the numerous digital coupons.
Then, use the Kroger app to verify the price, because many times they do not remove their yellow-tagged sale prices when the new ad starts.

[grame]

I believe it belongs to Kroger. But it could have been bought. My hubby worked at Kroger for 30 years and we get 10% off of Kroger brands and private selection labels. Added incentive to buy KROGER.

[FamiliarFace]

I’ve always hated shopping at Walmart in the past, but our little town allowed a small one to be built a couple of years ago, and I think this one is very nice on the whole. The grocery part has some good and some bad. I’m picky about meats and produce. Usually they have good everyday prices on shelf staples, especially if I buy their store brand.

I’m a self-checkout person because I like my bags packed a certain way, but I do that at every grocery store.

Yes, I see a few more crazies there than at Kroger, but the Kroger closest to me has crazies, too, and I avoid that one like the plague. There are two other Krogers that aren’t much further away and when I’m already running errands near those, I’ll stop in, and pick up what I need quickly. I try to stick to only items that are on sale at Kroger, because their other prices are pretty high. If I’m going to spend money on non-sale items, then I’d rather shop at my local orchard market or Costco.

[FamiliarFace]

Almost always, I purchase my meat at Costco. I don’t have an Aldi’s that’s close to me. Sometimes I buy my meat at Kroger when it’s on sale. Rarely do I buy meat at Walmart. Once in a blue moon there. Also go to a butcher occasionally for cuts that we can’t find other places. He’s pretty expensive, but it’s nice to go there sometimes.

[FamiliarFace]

I plan.

One of my problems with the Kroger closest to me is the staff there. Sometimes they are soooo dumb, no common sense. It used to be ok, but it has gone downhill steadily over the years, and especially so when Walmart opened up a store only a mile away. It’s nice and clean. Most of the staff is pretty good.

[FamiliarFace]

Publix is one of my favorite groceries, but they’ve only made it as far north as Louisville so far. If the Indianapolis area ever gets one, I’ll be going. Prices are higher, but will be just slightly more than Kroger, but the experience shopping there is far superior to Kroger any day of the week.