Like many Canadians, you might be on the hunt for the cheapest grocery prices to save a buck or two, but how do the costs at some of the more affordable stores compare?
To find out, we decided to conduct our own experiment, comparing the prices of 11 basic grocery items from Food Basics (owned by Metro), No Frills (owned by Loblaw), and Walmart. Food Basics only has stores in Ontario.
All of these grocery banners are often seen as options that offer lower prices to customers.
For this haul, we tried to find the same brands for as many items as we could, and we compared regular prices only.
Here’s what we found, and some of the results might surprise you.
White bread
No Frills
Food Basics: $3.79. $0.37/100g
No Frills: $4.49. $0.88/100g
Walmart: $3.97. $0.59/100g
Winner: Food Basics
Large eggs
Food Basics
Food Basics: $3.88 per dozen
No Frills: $4.12 per dozen
Walmart: $3.87 per dozen
Winner: Walmart
Chicken breast
Food Basics
Food Basics: $19.82 for a four-pack or $5.99 per pound
No Frills: $20.80 for a four-pack or $7.99 per pound
Walmart: $14 for a four-pack or $6.84 per pound
Winner: Food Basics
Liberte plain Greek yogurt
Food Basics
Food Basics: $7.49 for 750g
No Frills: $7.19 for 750g
Walmart: $7.18 for 750g
Winner: Walmart
Lays Classic chips (family size)
Food Basics
Food Basics: $3.99 per 235g bag
No Frills: $3.49 per 235g bag
Walmart: $3.97 per 235g bag
Winner: No Frills
Cheddar cheese
No Frills
Food Basics: $7.99 for 400g
No Frills: $7.99 for 400g
Walmart: $7.97 for 400g
Winner: Food Basics and No Frills are tied
Primo pasta sauce
Food Basics
FoodBasics: $2.49 for a 680 ml can
NoFrills: $2.49 for a 680 ml can
Walmart: $1.97 for a 680 ml can
Winner: Walmart
Pasta
No Frills
Food Basics: $2.29. All of the stores didn’t have the same spaghetti brand
No Frills: $2.29 for the No Name brand spaghetti
Walmart: $1.97 for the Primo brand
Winner: Walmart
Kraft Smooth Peanut Butter
Food Basics
Food Basics: $6.99 for a 1kg container
No Frills: $6.99 for a 1kg container
Walmart: $6.77 for a 1kg container
Winner: Walmart
Black beans
Food Basics/ No Frills
Food Basics: $1.49 for a 540 ml can. The stores didn’t have the same canned beans brand. We chose Life Smart for Food Basics.
No Frills: $1.49 for the No Name brand 540 ml can
Walmart: $1.47 for the Great Value 540 ml can
Winner: Walmart
Jam
Food Basics
Food Basics: $5.99 for a 500 ml jar
No Frills: $6.29 for a 500 ml jar
Walmart: $4.97 for a 500 ml jar
Winner: Walmart
At the end of the haul, the total bill at No Frills comes out to $67.64. The Food Basics bill is $66.21 and Walmart adds up to $58.11.
While No Frills and Food Basics were pretty similar in price, significant savings were seen at Walmart.
Which grocery stores do you want us to compare next? Let us know your suggestions by emailing us at [email protected].