‹ Bread and Butter Prices

Findings

What the prices say

• A year of groceries for a family of four: $7,060 at Aldi (LI), $25,290 at Citarella

  $18,230 a year: Aldi (LI) vs Citarella

  One shopping list, weighted the way American households actually spend, priced at every chain and scaled to the USDA Thrifty Food Plan family-of-four budget ($994/month, the SNAP maximum). The spread is $18,230 a year; Aldi (LI) comes in under the SNAP budget.

• Is it worth the bus fare to a cheaper store?

  $5.80 round-trip fare (OMNI/MetroCard)

  A round trip costs $5.80; moving from a Whole Foods price level to Target's saves several times that on a typical shop. The real limits are distance, time, and what you can carry. Pick your stores and weekly spend below.

• Same owner, 33% apart: Morton Williams vs ShopRite

  +33% median gap, identical products

  ShopRite's parent co-op, Wakefern, bought Morton Williams in 2025. The banners still price like strangers: of 42 identical name-matched products, Morton Williams is pricier on 40, median +33%.

• $2.16 cheddar cheese or $8.93 cheddar cheese: same item, different store

  +313% Cheddar Cheese

  Union Market is 313% above Lidl on cheddar cheese, after trimming the extreme store on each end and comparing standard sizes only.

• Whose loyalty card is most worth it?

  -15% Stop & Shop card, best in market

  Stop & Shop's: free, and about 15% off a staples basket versus shelf price. Most chains offer no card at all.

• 99 Ranch is a standout for frozen: about 31% under market

  0.69x 99 Ranch Frozen

  99 Ranch's frozen runs 0.69x the market median even though it skips many mainstream staples.

• Union Market runs 52% above Target for the same staples

  +52% Union Market vs Target

  Convenience has a price: Union Market averages 52% more than Target on identical staple categories.