The Cheapest Grocery Stores in the Northeast

It's no secret that food is expensive. Grocery prices are high and getting higher, but even despite that, there are still some easy ways to save on your weekly grocery bill. One simple one: choosing the right store to shop at. The Market Report has compared prices of 50 items at 30 stores across the northeastern US in an effort to find the lowest-priced (and highest-priced) groceries. Using a standard basket of common groceries like apples, flour, milk, eggs, ground beef, paper towels, and others, I've totaled up the full order at a selection of supermarkets in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, following up on my January survey. Here's the full results -- plus see more details at the end. And come back tomorrow for a look at two new stores opening soon in New Jersey!

30. Whole Foods, $453.72

Location: Lynnfield, MA

Change since January 2025: +10.6%

It's no surprise to most that the most expensive store on this list is Whole Foods, long nicknamed Whole Paycheck for its high prices. The basket total also saw the biggest increase of any store since January, going up over 10%. Still, Whole Foods is the only natural grocer surveyed on this list, so it's logical that the prices would be higher.

29. Kings Food Markets, $414.24

Location: Millburn, NJ

Change since January 2025: -3.5%

The highest-priced store in the January survey, Kings is now the second-highest after a decrease of around 3.5%. Kings is owned by Albertsons Companies, whose banners in the northeast all saw a decrease in prices since January. Still, the order at Kings is nearly $80 higher than ACME, the next-highest Albertsons Companies-owned total.

28. LaBonne's Market, $413.93

Location: Watertown, CT

Change since January 2025: +6.4%

Not only is LaBonne's one of the most expensive stores in this comparison, they saw one of the larger increases in prices, raising prices over 6% since January. Still, LaBonne's -- a gourmet market -- isn't prioritizing low prices.

27. Foodtown, $386.93

Location: Red Bank, NJ

Change since January 2025: +7.1%

This round, Foodtown is the highest-priced mainstream supermarket on the list after an increase of over 7%. Foodtown is a banner of Allegiance Retail Services, a New Jersey-based cooperative of independent grocers. It's not surprising that a number of independent grocers are on the higher end of price, and that they've seen the highest increases -- larger chains are more able to absorb higher costs from suppliers than independents. Because each Foodtown is independently owned and operated, prices vary from location to location.

26. Roche Bros, $385.90

Location: Watertown, MA

Change since January 2025: -3.1%

Recently aquired by wholesaler Bozzuto's, Boston-area chain Roche Bros runs higher-end supermarkets. The company also runs Brothers Marketplace and Sudbury Farms locations. Although it's still priced high, a slight drop in price here might be a result of lower overhead since Roche Bros has been taken over by its wholesaler.

25. Pathmark, $381.18

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Change since January 2025: +8.1%

Once a top supermarket chain in the northeast and mid-Atlantic regions, Pathmark went out of business along with A&P and its other brands in 2015-2016. The brand was acquired by Allegiance Retail and a single store was reopened, in Flatbush, Brooklyn. A sister store to Foodtown, today's Pathmark is priced slightly lower than Foodtown but still on the higher end of this survey, with a large increase since January.

24. Adams Hometown Markets, $373.28

Location: Watertown, CT

Change since January 2025: -10.2%

The largest price drop since January goes to Adams Hometown Markets, also owned by wholesaler Bozzuto's. While some differences in price in the last eight months can be attributed to changing discounts, seasonal availability, or the like, it seems that Adams has significantly dropped certain prices -- or started offering lower-cost versions of similar items. One particular example: in this survey, a two-pound bag of shrimp was sold for $14; in January, the only available option was a one-pound bag of equivalent shrimp for $20.

23. SuperFresh, $347.32

Location: Middlesex, NJ

Change since January 2025: +1.9%

SuperFresh is a brand of Key Food Stores, a New Jersey-based cooperative of about 450 independent grocers. Once again, that means each SuperFresh will have different prices. In Middlesex, prices are up just under 2% since January. Effective this month, Key Food will end its contract with wholesaler UNFI, and it's rumored that price was a factor in the switch to another wholesaler. A side note: the January comparison included a Key Food location on Staten Island, but I couldn't get reliable pricing for that location this time to update this comparison.

22. Trucchi's, $347.16

Location: Taunton, MA

Change since January 2025: -0.8%

This small Massachusetts chain has kept its pricing relatively stable since January with a very slight decrease (likely attributable to changing weekly discounts and seasonal products). Among the small independents surveyed in this comparison, Trucchi's was the cheapest.

21. Price Chopper, $341.90

Location: Warwick, NY

Change since January 2025: -0.8%

It's amusing that a store named Price Chopper is still about 2.5% higher than the average of this survey, but Price Chopper has long had a problem with prices. In January, they were about 3.5% higher than average. Their prices are ever so slightly lower than January, but not a significant change.

20. Market 32, $341.65

Location: Sutton, MA

Change since January 2025: +5.0%

In what's again an amusing juxtaposition, Market 32, the higher-end brand of Price Chopper, comes in ever so slightly below Price Chopper in price. It's still a 5% increase since January, though, which is a notable difference. The parent company of both brands, Northeast Grocery, is rumored to be exploring a sale, which could prompt the price increases as the company attempts to improve its margins to make it more attractive to prospective buyers.

19. Food Bazaar, $341.08

Location: Bridgeport, CT

Change since January 2025: -2.2%

Food Bazaar, a growing New York City-based chain, has seen a drop of a little over 2% in prices since January. Not a huge change, but it's possible that their ongoing efforts to increase self-distribution -- including building a new warehouse in New Jersey -- along with a recent switch from UNFI to KeHE as their natural food distributor, could collectively edge prices down a bit.

18. Tops Friendly Markets, $336.54

Location: New Paltz, NY

Change since January 2025: -1.1%

The sister store to Price Chopper and Market 32, Tops has seen a slight decline in prices since January. But a very minimal change like this is more likely due to normal variations in prices and discounts rather than an indication of anything bigger-picture.

17. ACME Markets, $335.27

Location: Kenilworth, NJ

Change since January 2025: -1.3%

One of Albertsons Companies' mid-Atlantic banners, ACME has seen a small drop in prices since January. But like Tops, this is more likely related to normal price fluctuations rather than a comprehensive price strategy. On the other hand, almost every item saw a slight drop in prices, with very few increases.

16. Big Y, $331.89

Location: Worcester, MA

Change since January 2025: -6.3%

Unlike these other minor decreases in price, Big Y -- a family-owned chain of just under 100 stores in Massachusetts and Connecticut -- seems to be on a yearslong quest to bring prices down. They're still higher-priced than most of their New England competitors, but a drop over over 6% in eight months is notable. From anecdotal evidence and personal experience, Big Y prices have dropped very significantly over the last several years, as a result of some reshuffling of distribution arrangements -- for instance, dropping a custom-made Big Y storebrand in favor of generic brands from wholesaler Topco, such as Food Club and Full Circle branded items.

15. GIANT Food Stores, $322.93

Location: Doylestown, PA

Change since January 2025: +8.1%

Pennsylvania's largest grocery chain, GIANT Food Stores, is owned by Dutch conglomerate Ahold Delhaize. In January, GIANT was one of the lowest-priced mainstream grocery stores, but a combination of other stores lowering prices and GIANT raising prices over 8% has pushed GIANT to the middle of the list. Incidentally, that's the biggest rank change on this list -- in January, GIANT was #8 of 30, and it's now down at #15.

14. Stop & Shop, $321.23

Location: Trumbull, CT

Change since January 2025: -2.3%

Another Ahold Delhaize chain has gone in the other direction: Stop & Shop has cut prices by a little over 2%, after a much-publicized plan to lower prices. This basket is below average, but still well above sister chain Hannaford as well as their MA competitors Shaw's and Star Market.

13. Weis Markets, $316.40

Location: East Stroudsburg, PA

Change since January 2025: +6.4%

In eastern Pennsylvania, regional chain Weis Markets has seen a rather large increase in price, nearly six and a half percent. They've moved from #7 of 30 down to #13, following a similar trajectory to GIANT -- which serves largely the same geographic area, suggesting the two may have simultaneously raised prices in an area with not that many other chains competing.

12. Wegmans, $312.91

Location: Montvale, NJ

Change since January 2025: none

Notable on this list: Wegmans prices have barely changed at all, decreasing just four cents across the basket (0.01%) compared to January. Though Wegmans can have a reputation for high prices, those high prices are generally limited to the high-margin perishable departments, where their specialty items are priced a bit higher than other stores'. For grocery staples, though, Wegmans came in around average or lower on almost every item.

11. Star Market, $312.07

Location: West Roxbury, MA

Change since January 2025: -2.7%

This Boston-area chain, owned by Albertsons Companies, has advertised price cuts along with competitor Stop & Shop and sister chain Shaw's. At Star Market, those cuts are notable, lowering the basket cost by almost 3%. Several items surveyed had prices that were in fact genuinely lower than the January prices, although others had risen. The total basket cost was a bit higher than Shaw's, but similar, and about $10 less than Stop & Shop -- Star Market's main competitor.

10. ShopRite, $311.60

Location: Chester, NJ

Change since January 2025: -4.0%

A cooperative of independent and small-chain grocers, ShopRite is by far the dominant grocer in New Jersey, and their prices bring them into the top 10 in this survey. That's a notable change since January, when they were #14 -- solidly in the middle. The store surveyed is owned by Village Super Market, which owns about 30 ShopRites, but prices will vary by owner and location.

9. The Fresh Grocer/Gerrity's, $311.07

Location: Bethlehem, PA

Change since January 2025: +1.8%

A sister store to ShopRite, The Fresh Grocer has stores in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. These tend to be smaller-format stores than ShopRite, but the banner is used on a variety of stores. The prices are almost identical to ShopRite, representing a nearly 2% increase since January. It's possible the similar prices (caused by an increase at The Fresh Grocer but a drop at ShopRite) are the result of a strategy to standardize pricing across brands, but it's equally likely they're simply explained by normal variations in price.

8. Shaw's, $307.04

Location: Nashua, NH

Change since January 2025: -1.5%

Shaw's is the lowest-priced Albertsons Companies store in the northeast, and also the second-lowest mainstream supermarket on this list. Along with sister chain Star Market, Shaw's has been advertising price cuts in recent weeks, and sure enough, several items were in fact cheaper than January with a "new lower price" noted next to the cost. The New England price cuts are almost definitely driven by the elephant in the room: Market Basket's ongoing corporate disputes. Chains like Shaw's and Stop & Shop are almost certainly attempting to lure customers accustomed to Market Basket's much lower prices.

7. Target, $305.37

Location: Clifton, NJ

Change since January 2025: no change

Not exactly a supermarket, but included for comparison nonetheless is Target, whose prices are a minimal 0.02% higher than they were in January. Its struggles are high-profile, with declining foot traffic and loyalty across the chain. And turnaround efforts don't (yet) seem to include price cuts, but it's also notable that they haven't increased prices in any appreciable way since January. Photo courtesty of Lucas F., used by permission.

6. Hannaford, $292.63

Location: Plattsburgh, NY

Change since January 2025: +1.0%

Despite a minimal 1% price increase since January, Hannaford remains the lowest-priced mainstream, full-service supermarket on this list. The Ahold Delhaize chain's prices clock in at over 10% lower than sister chains Stop & Shop and GIANT. A New England note: Market Basket isn't included on this survey, but from other, smaller comparisons I've done in the past, Market Basket's pricing is very similar to Hannaford's. On one small comparison from last month, I found that the difference on a basket of around $100 was only a couple dozen cents.

5. Price Rite Marketplace, $285.48

Location: Manchester, NH

Change since January 2025: -3.5%

In January, Price Rite earned the dubious distinction of being the only discount store on the comparison priced higher than a mainstream supermarket (Hannaford). With a drop in prices of around 3.5%, the sister chain to ShopRite and The Fresh Grocer now beats Hannaford by about $7. Price Rite is still the highest-priced discount store represented in this survey -- but their stores also tend to be larger with more selection than their counterparts like LIDL and ALDI.

4. Walmart Supercenter, $284.87

Location: Worcester, MA

Change since January 2025: -1.1%

With a slight drop of just over 1%, the prices at a Walmart Supercenter are roughly the same as they were in January.

3. LIDL, $274.65

Location: Bronx, NY

Change since January 2025: +1.5%

LIDL drops a spot in this summer's rankings, moving from the #2 spot in January to #3. A combination of their small but present 1.5% increase in prices -- and a significant drop at Walmart Neighborhood Market -- has resulted in the discounter slipping slightly. But they're still easily on the low end of the price range.

2. Walmart Neighborhood Market, $271.01

Location: Levittown, NY

Change since January 2025: -2.6%

Pulling ahead of LIDL is Walmart Neighborhood Market, which has prices a little over 2.5% lower than they were in January. It's not a huge drop, but it does outpace the Walmart Supercenter included in this comparison. A possible explanation: ALDI opened last moth just a mile from this location, possibly prompting Walmart to lower prices.

1. ALDI, $255.94

Location: Johnston, RI

Change since January 2025: -0.3%

The champion this time is the same as last time: ALDI comes in at the #1 spot, beating the next-lowest by $15 for the basket. But be advised: like the other discount stores, ALDI doesn't have the full selection that a larger store does, so there were more substitutions in this order than most.

Dig Deeper

• Are grocery prices higher than they were in January? Not really. So are they lower than they were in January? Also no. Certain items saw consistent drops across several stores, such as olive oil and produce. Others saw consistent increases across stores, like soap and pet food. Most variations are due to other factors, such as seasonal availability of produce, changing weekly discounts, and different item availability at each store. In total and on the average, the August-September basket was only 0.3% higher than the January basket -- meaning the average basket total this time was about $1 higher than the average basket was in January.
• What about items with really big price differences? You can view the entire list above, and if you see an item with a very big price difference compared to January, that's probably about item availability, not the actual cost. For instance, the shrimp at Adams was about $40 in January and is down to just $14 now. That's not because the item is actually that much cheaper, it's that they now carry a two-pound bag of the relevant shrimp for $14 rather than one-pound bags of the shrimp for $20 apiece, which they did in January.
• Which stores had the most and least substitutions? Whole Foods had the most substitutions, since they don't carry national-brand items like Lay's, Coca-Cola, or Purina, included on this comparison. ALDI and LIDL similarly had a large number of substitutions because they're more likely to carry a generic version rather than the name-brand one. Most stores only had one or two substitutions, if any.
• Why isn't Market Basket on this list? Market Basket doesn't have in-store prices posted online. All of these prices were observed online and confirmed, in some cases, with in-store spot-checks.
• Were any stores surveyed in January skipped this time? Yes, two stores were removed from the list: Amazon Fresh and Key Food, both because online prices didn't match in-store prices.
• Are these prices correct for all locations of these chains? No -- many chains have different prices at different locations, so this only gives an approximate snapshot given a selected location. These locations have been selected for a geographic spread across several states.
• When were these prices observed? August 26, 27, and 31, and September 1, 2025.