I compared grocery prices of household staples at Aldi and Walmart, and it convinced me to change up my whole shopping routine

US inflation is at its highest level in 40 years, and consumers are feeling it in their grocery bills.

Source: Insider

I visited Aldi and Walmart grocery stores in Rochester, New York to see which budget grocery store really has the lowest prices.

Aldi’s branding is built around being a low-budget option, where items are shelved in their shipping packaging to cut back on labor needs and keep costs low.

The chain says more than 90% of its products are Aldi brands, which are typically much cheaper than their name-brand counterparts.

Source: Aldi

Walmart also sells relatively low-cost groceries at its more than 5,000 US locations.

Like Aldi, Walmart sells products under private-label brands, including Great Value and Sam’s Choice, although it has a much wider selection of name-brand products than Aldi.

We compared prices of 20 staple grocery products between the two stores, using private-label brands when available because they tend to be the lowest cost.

Aldi bananas were priced at $0.48 per pound.

Walmart bananas were slightly pricier at $0.51 per pound.

Aldi won out on produce generally.

The budget chain had lower prices on avocados, pineapples, and mangoes compared to the Walmart down the road.

Aldi also came out ahead on the canned goods we tested, including cannellini beans and diced tomatoes.

The price difference is only 7 cents, but given the low cost of beans, that’s over 10% of the total price, so Aldi is the way to go for shoppers who buy a lot of canned goods.

However, Walmart has a slight edge on whole milk.

Aldi charges an extra 7 cents per gallon at $2.89, compared to $2.82 at Walmart.

That’s reversed for almond milk, though, which is cheaper at Aldi by 9 cents per half gallon.

Aldi also had a slightly lower price on eggs by only 2 cents.

Olive oil is slightly cheaper at Walmart, by about 1 cent per ounce.

Aldi won out with cranberry juice, at 6 cents cheaper per quart.

Meat is one of the most expensive areas of the grocery store for many shoppers, and has been heavily impacted by inflation.

Aldi had a lower price per pound on chicken breasts, drumsticks, ground turkey, and strip steak.

Meats were the site of the largest price difference noted by Insider. Chicken breast was 29 cents cheaper per pound at Aldi, and chicken thighs were 63 cents cheaper.

Ground turkey was 57 cents cheaper per pound at Aldi.

Some cooking staples — including flour, a loaf of white bread, and salt — were exactly the same prices.

Overall, Aldi has slightly lower prices than Walmart, but the differences weren’t as stark as I expected. You can expect to save a few cents per item by shopping at Aldi, but nothing drastic across most areas of the store.

The biggest places to save at Aldi are on produce and meat, with greater savings the more you buy.

Meat is by far the biggest opportunity for savings at Aldi, and makes a trip to the discount grocer worthwhile.

Canned goods are also cheaper at Aldi, so it may be worth a visit when it’s time to stock up the pantry.

With experts predicting inflation to continue in 2022, these prices are likely to keep fluctuating as the two chains compete for customers while battling supply chain bottlenecks and growing demand.

Source: Insider

 

I typically do most of the shopping for my two-person household at Walmart with occasional Costco trips, but seeing the prices stacked up has me determined to make Aldi my main shopping destination, at least for meat and pantry staples.

Do you have a story to share about a retail or restaurant chain? Email this reporter at mmeisenzahl@businessinsider.com.