A new study ranking the most affordable grocery stores in every state shows some surprising results—with an unusual retail chain taking the top spot. The team from NetCredit analyzed prices at over 2,000 grocery stores across the nation, using Instacart.com to aggregate data from over 100 supermarket chains. Each store’s average price per item was compared against the state average to calculate where consumers get the most bang for their buck, focusing on . the biggest ZIP codes in the most populous U.S. cities—here’s which chains are the most affordable, from good to absolute best.
Price Rite
Price Rite is the cheapest option for groceries in three states: Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. “We know you want brands you recognize and trust, and you will find them at the absolute lowest everyday prices at Price Rite,” the chain says. “On average, we can save you up to 20 – 50% versus your regular grocery store, taking your family’s well-being and budget to heart.”
Food Lion
Food Lion is the most affordable grocery chain in five states: Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. “I shop at Food Lion weekly. They have some great deals (comparatively…all grocery prices hurt but theirs hurt a bit less, usually). I buy most of my meats from them by stocking up during sales. As another commenter has said, their generic brands are good quality,” one Redditor said.
Hy-Vee
Hy-Vee is the cheapest chain for groceries in five states: South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. “I’ve found plenty of things at Hyvee that were cheaper than what Festival sells them for,” one Redditor said. “The meat, seafood, deli and bakery are amazing in terms of quality and selection, by far the best in the area to my knowledge. The bakery isn’t your average grocery store bakery either. Very fancy pastries and cakes.”
Grocery Outlet
Grocery Outlet offers the best grocery prices in six states: Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, and Ohio. “The things I’ve found in my area (Seattle) to be the best deals at GO are: high quality dairy, grass fed beef, pasture raised eggs, and the occasional major markdown like organic soy milk for .99 ,” one customer said.
Walmart
Coming in strong at number two, Walmart is the cheapest option in eight states: Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Michigan, Oklahoma, and California.
“We only shop at Walmart now to save money and time. It’s cheaper for us to only go to one stores (or get pickup/delivery from one store) than driving to multiple places. It also saves time as well,” one shopper said. “We get cash back at Walmart through the capital one Walmart credit card(it’s not much but it helps).”
Target
And the winner is… Target, which offers the most affordable groceries in 15 states: Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Indiana, West Virginia, Maine, Hawaii, and Alaska. “They absolutely have some things cheaper than other grocery stores,” one shopper said. “Whether it’s cheaper to you depends on where else you shop. A box of Fiber One cereal is $8 at Jewel (Albertsons) by me but $4.50-$5 at Target. They don’t sell it at Aldi.”
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