Reporting by Miguel Legoas and Tiffany Acosta, Savannah Morning News
Food is one of the guaranteed bills Georgians have to pay for. Looking to cut some costs in that area?
Newsweek mapped out an analysis from Freedom Debt Relief and Consumer Reports looking at the most and least affordable grocery stores in each state.
The study compared retailers based on the cost of a comparable basket of common grocery items, then looked at which chains operated in each state, and this was the winner.
Where is the cheapest grocery store?
Aldi came out on top, being the most affordable grocery store in 32 states. So, why is Aldi so affordable? The discount grocer keeps costs down by focusing heavily on private-label products, offering a smaller selection and operating simpler, leaner stores. Those savings can then be passed along to shoppers.
Besides Aldi, three other chains frequently came out on top:
- Lidl: Cheapest in Delaware, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia.
- Walmart: Cheapest in Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico and Wyoming.
- WinCo Foods: Cheapest in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
- What is the most expensive grocery store in Arizona?
If Aldi is wearing the savings crown, Whole Foods is sitting on the other end of the throne.
The analysis found Whole Foods was the most expensive major grocery chain in 44 states, including Georgia. In several states, shoppers were paying roughly 52% more at Whole Foods for comparable groceries than they would at the cheapest alternative.
The difference largely comes down to what each store offers. Whole Foods carries more organic, specialty and premium products and provides a shopping experience with more service-oriented offerings, which can contribute to higher prices.
Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for USA Today. Find him on Instagram @miguelegoas and email at mlegoas@gannett.com.
Tiffany Acosta is a Connect reporter out of the Arizona Republic. Reach out at Tiffany.Acosta@gannett.com. Follow @tiffsario on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News.
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