Where you shop for groceries can significantly affect how much you spend each week. A Consumer Reports study comparing 35 grocery chains found that some supermarkets charged more than 20% above Walmart’s prices, while the most expensive chain charged nearly 40% more.
The Consumer Reports study compared grocery baskets across six U.S. metro areas. Researchers collected prices in stores in late summer 2025 and used Walmart as the benchmark.
Whole Foods Was Nearly 40% More Expensive
Whole Foods had the highest average prices in the study, coming in 39.7% above Walmart. Based on that difference, a grocery basket that cost $100 at Walmart would have cost about $139.70 at Whole Foods.
Whole Foods told Consumer Reports that price is just one factor for its customers, who also consider its ingredient and sourcing standards. The company also said it had lowered prices on many products.
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Several Regional Chains Were Around 30% Higher
Whole Foods wasn’t the only chain with a large price gap compared with Walmart. Shaw’s averaged 31.9% more, El Rancho 30.1%, Jewel-Osco 29.7%, and Mariano’s 27.6%.
These figures represent average prices across the stores included in the study. Individual products and locations can have smaller or larger differences.
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Trader Joe’s Was 24.6% Higher
Trader Joe’s is known for its private-label groceries, but its prices were higher than Walmart’s in this comparison. The chain averaged 24.6% more.
That figure has a limitation: Consumer Reports couldn’t compare as many identical products at stores with large specialty and private-label selections. In one Chicago comparison, researchers matched 56 products across several mainstream supermarkets but only 23 products when comparing Trader Joe’s with Walmart.
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Plenty of Other Familiar Stores Cost More, Too
The price gap extended to several other well-known grocery chains. Albertsons averaged 24.8% more than Walmart, followed by Harris Teeter at 23.5%, Piggly Wiggly at 22.6%, Stop & Shop at 22.2%, Ralphs at 21.9%, and Publix at 20.3%.
Kroger’s prices were 14.8% higher, while Safeway averaged 8.8% more and Target came in 5.9% higher. The results show that shopping at a familiar chain can mean paying more for a similar basket of groceries.
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Walmart Wasn’t Actually the Cheapest
Walmart served as the study’s price benchmark, but it didn’t have the lowest average prices among all the stores included. Costco came in 21.4% below Walmart, while BJ’s Wholesale Club averaged 21% less.
Lidl was 8.5% cheaper than Walmart, Aldi was 8.3% lower, and WinCo averaged 3.3% less. H-E-B was nearly even, with prices just 0.2% below Walmart.
Warehouse clubs require a little extra consideration because membership fees and larger package sizes can affect how much a household actually saves. The value also depends on whether shoppers can use what they buy before it goes to waste.
Your Local Prices Can Still Look Different
The study covered stores in Boston, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Los Angeles/Southern California, and Virginia Beach. The results offer a useful comparison, but they don’t guarantee that shoppers will find the same price gaps at their local stores.
Researchers collected prices within a 48-hour period in each metro area. They included sale prices and discounts available through free loyalty cards but excluded manufacturer coupons and deals available only through smartphone apps.
The main lesson is that grocery bills can vary widely depending on where you shop. A store that seems affordable may cost more than expected when you compare a full basket rather than a handful of individual items.
