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.

Est. annual grocery cost, family of 4 (SNAP budget = $11,928)

Aldi (LI): 7,060
Aldi: 7,180
Lidl: 7,240
Aldi (Hudson Valley): 7,290
Grocery Outlet: 7,320
Aldi (CT): 7,420
Aldi (PA): 7,420
Trader Joe's: 8,610
Costco (PA): 9,160
Costco: 9,680
Boyer's: 10,450
Stop & Shop: 10,670
Redner's: 10,730
Hannaford: 10,850
Giant: 10,860
The Fresh Grocer: 10,860
ShopRite (PA): 10,890
ShopRite (South NJ): 11,000
BJ's: 11,040
Weis Markets: 11,060
C-Town: 11,090
Food Bazaar: 11,100
ShopRite (NJ): 11,170
ShopRite: 11,230
Big Y: 11,240
Price Chopper: 11,280
ShopRite (Hudson Valley): 11,350
Stop & Shop (Hudson Valley): 11,380
Target: 11,470
Giant Eagle: 11,520
Price Chopper (PA): 11,520
Stop & Shop (CT): 11,590
ShopRite (LI): 11,730
Wegmans (PA): 11,870
Wegmans (NJ): 11,920
Karns: 11,930
Western Beef: 12,160
Foodtown: 12,170
ACME: 12,180
ShopRite (CT): 12,290
Wegmans: 12,660
King Kullen: 12,730
Stew Leonard's: 13,720
99 Ranch: 14,370
Whole Foods: 14,490
North Shore Farms: 14,750
Morton Williams: 14,820
Food Emporium: 14,890
Fairway: 14,910
Brooklyn Fare: 14,910
Key Food: 15,050
Union Market: 15,240
DeCicco & Sons: 15,480
Sprouts: 15,580
H Mart: 15,770
CVS: 15,900
Kings: 16,820
Westside Market: 16,910
Gourmet Garage: 17,500
FreshDirect: 18,110
Gristedes: 18,610
Weee!: 19,890
Mitsuwa: 22,440
Citarella: 25,290

Build your own basket · See Aldi (LI)

Method: per-category medians vs the cross-chain median (per-unit where sizes parse), weighted by BLS Consumer Expenditure shares, anchored to the Thrifty Food Plan ($994/mo). Directional: one online snapshot. Data: July 2026.