The shopping experience at Costco and Aldi couldn’t be more different. The former is a cavernous space with merchandise stacked to the ceilings and the latter is a four-aisle minimart that’s about the size of your local chain pharmacy.
But when it comes to price, which one offers you the best deals?
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Costco vs. Aldi: The battle on price
Both Aldi and Costco are big into store brands. With Costco, it’s primarily the Kirkland Signature label. With Aldi, there are any of a variety of store labels like Happy Farms, SimplyNature, Never Any! and Tandil, to name just a few.
We can talk all day about whether Costco offers better quality store brands than Aldi. That’s a separate issue. The real test for me in thinking about these two very different kinds of stores is price. Which one is cheaper? Read on below to find out…the answer may surprise you.
(Special thanks to Queen Bee Coupons for pulling the data on Costco’s prices in this February 2017 spreadsheet. I pulled the numbers myself on Aldi prices while shopping there this weekend.)
(Full disclosure: I received no compensation from either Aldi or Costco to write this article.)
| Aldi |
| Shep Complete Nutrition Dry Dog Food |
| Total price: $7.99 |
| Unit price: 43.2 cents per pound |
| Costco |
| Dog food, Kirkland Signature Chicken, veg and rice |
| Total price: $27.99 |
| Unit price: 70 cents per ounce |
Winner: Aldi
Dry cat food
| Aldi |
| Fine Feline Complete Nutrition Dry Cat Food |
| Total price: $7.99 |
| Unit price: 50 cents per pound |
| Costco |
| Cat food, Nutra Nuggets Dry Super Premium |
| Total price: $10.89 |
| Unit price: 55 cents per pound |
Winner: Aldi
Organic kale
| Aldi |
| SimplyNature Organic Kale |
| Total price: $3.49 |
| Unit price: 29.1 cents per ounce or $4.65 per pound |
| Costco |
| Kale, baby, organic mixed |
| Total price: $4.79 |
| Unit price: $3.19 per lb |
Winner: Costco
Nonfat Greek yogurt
| Aldi |
| Friendly Farms Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt |
| Total price: $3.49 |
| Unit price: 11 cents per ounce |
| Costco |
| Yogurt, Kirkland Signature Greek Non-fat |
| Total price: $5.99 |
| Unit price: 9 cents per ounce |
Winner: Costco
Salted butter
| Aldi |
| Friendly Farms Salted Butter |
| Total price: $2.79 |
| Unit price: $2.80 per pound |
| Costco |
| Butter, Kirkland Signature Butter Quarters |
| Total price: $9.99 |
| Unit price: $2.50 per lb |
Winner: Costco
Organic almondmilk
| Aldi |
| Friendly Farms Unsweetened Original or Vanilla Almondmilk |
| Total price: $1.99 |
| Unit price:3.2 cents per fluid ounce |
| Costco |
| Non-Dairy Milk, Kirkland Signature Organic Almond unsweetened |
| Total price: $8.49 |
| Unit price: 4 cents per fluid ounce |
Winner: Aldi
Orange juice
| Aldi |
| Nature’s Nectar Orange Juice from Concentrate |
| Total price: $1.69 |
| Unit price: 2.7 cents per fluid ounce |
| Costco |
| Juice, Tropicana Orange (no Kirkland Signature brand pricing noted in spreadsheet) |
| Total price: $13.39 |
| Unit price: 0.06 per fluid oz |
Winner: Aldi
Eggs
| Aldi |
| Goldhen Grade A Large Eggs |
| Total price: $1.05 per dozen |
| Unit price: 8.7 cents per egg |
| Costco |
| Eggs, Wilcox, Large |
| Total price: $1.30 per dozen |
| Unit price: 10.8 cents per egg |
Winner: Aldi
%1 milk
| Aldi |
| Friendly Farms 1% Milk |
| Total price: $1.65 per gallon |
| Unit price: 10.3 cents per ounce |
| Costco |
| Milk, Kirkland Signature, 1% low-fat |
| Total price: $1.20 per gallon |
| Unit price: 7.5 cents per ounce |
Winner: Costco
Store brand pizza
| Aldi |
| Mama Cossi’s 16′ Five Cheese Deli Pizza |
| Total price: $4.49 |
| Unit price: 11 cents per ounce |
| Costco |
| Kirkland Signature Cheese Pizza (4 count) |
| Total price: $9.99 |
| Unit price: 15 cents per ounce |
Winner: Aldi
Store brand organic deli meat
| Aldi |
| Lunch Mate Never Any! Turkey (no antibiotics/hormones/nitrates/nitrites) |
| Total price: $3.29 |
| Unit price: 47 cents per ounce or $7.52 per pound |
| Costco |
| Turkey, Columbus nitrate free |
| Total price: varies |
| Unit price: $7.49 per lb |
Winner: Costco
Store brand goat cheese (hey, what can I say? I’m Greek!)
| Aldi |
| Happy Farms Preferred Goat Cheese |
| Total price: $1.99 |
| Unit price: 49.8 cents per ounce |
| Costco |
| Kirkland Signature Goat Cheese |
| Total price: $6.79 a pound |
| Unit price: 32 cents per ounce |
Winner: Costco
Shredded cheese
| Aldi |
| Happy Farms Mild Cheddar Shredded Cheese |
| Total price: $2.99 |
| Unit price: $2.99 per pound |
| Costco |
| Cheese, Kirkland Signature, Mild Cheddar, shredded |
| Total price: $13.69 |
| Unit price: $2.74 per lb |
Winner: Costco
Store brand HE laundry detergent
| Aldi |
| Tandil Premium HE (high efficiency) Liquid Laundry Detergent |
| Total price: $6.49 |
| Unit price: 6.5 cents per fluid ounce |
| Costco |
| Laundry Detergent, Kirkland Signature Ultra Free and Clear 2x HE |
| Total price: $13.99 |
| Unit price: 7 cents per fluid ounce |
Winner: Aldi
Store brand sparkling water
| Aldi |
| Pur Aqua Belle Vie Sparkling Flavored Water |
| Total price: $2.99 |
| Unit price: 2.1 cents per fluid ounce |
| Costco |
| Kirkland Signature Sparkling Flavored Water Variety |
| Total price: $8.99 |
| Unit price: 3.8 cents per fluid ounce |
Winner: Aldi
Grape tomatoes
| Aldi |
| Double Diamond Farms Grape Tomatoes |
| Total price: 1.79 cents per dry pint |
| Price per pound: ~less than $1.79 (One dry pint is 18.6 ounces. A pound is 16 ounces. We’ll call it a pound for argument’s sake.) |
| Costco |
| Tomatoes, grape, hothouse grown |
| Total price: $5.99 |
| Price per pound: $3 |
Winner: Aldi
Organic apples
| Aldi |
| Organic apples, Gala |
| Total price: $4.99 |
| Unit price: $1.66 per pound |
| Costco |
| Apples, Gala, organic |
| Total price: $8.99 |
| Unit price: $1.63 per pound |
Winner: Costco
Store brand organic milk
| Aldi |
| Simply Nature organic fat-free milk |
| Total price: $2.95 |
| Unit price: 4.7 cents per fluid ounce |
| Costco |
| Milk, Kirkland Signature, 1%, organic |
| Total price: $10.99 |
| Unit price: 5.7 cents per fluid ounce |
Winner: Aldi
Store brand organic tortilla chips
| Aldi |
| Simply Nature Organic Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips |
| Total price: $1.99 |
| Unit price: 18 cents per ounce |
| Costco |
| Kirkland Signature Tortilla Chips, organic |
| Total price: $4.99 |
| Unit price: 13 cents per ounce |
Winner: Costco
Conclusion
Though my selection of items was highly arbitrary, I have to declare this contest a tie. Aldi won in 10 of the 19 categories and Costco won in the other 9.
I think these results really say something. Many people I talk to rave about how cheap Costco is…but are they really?
At Costco, you have to purchase in bulk, which doesn’t necessarily work for everyone. And let’s not forget that shopping at Costco costs $55 a year for a membership.
Of course, this isn’t to say that Costco can’t be a smart choice for you or your family. I picked 19 randomly selected items to price compare based on what went into my shopping cart this past weekend. Your results may vary and they could make that Costco membership worth it for your family.
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