An Aldi fan on Reddit recently compared the cost of their grocery list at Aldi to several major stores, and we’re absolutely floored by the results. One of our favorite places to go even ended up being 71% more expensive than Aldi – yikes!But in this economy, we can believe it.
Of course, if we're talking about grocery stores, we can’t forget to mention Trader Joe’s! Not only do we love TJ’s for their notoriously quirky vibe and fun new finds, we opt to shop there because it’s seemingly affordable (keyword here being seemingly).
We calculated the cost of a similar grocery list at Trader Joe’s to the Aldi’s one on Reddit, and the final tally was a bit… shocking.
Scroll on to see which retailer wins for affordability in the Trader Joe’s vs. Aldi debate!
Aldi
The original poster on Reddit, an Aldi fan for sure, totaled up a basic grocery list consisting of 22 items from Aldi and concluded: “All I can say is, wow. I know I’m preaching to the choir here but these savings are insane.”
Whole Foods
The Redditor also provided grocery list totals for several other popular grocery stores to compare the Aldi list to. They also made sure to note that they get their grocery shopping done in the Chicagoland area, so that could definitely explain why the numbers may be a little different where you live. Knowing that, here’s what they came up with:
- Aldi: $60.40
- Walmart: $74.80 (24% higher)
- Jewel: $83.90 (39% higher)
- Whole Foods: $103.51 (71% higher)
Reddit
We did the heavy lifting and concocted a similar grocery list for Trader Joe’s. For reference, see the Aldi bill above, and the TJ’s bill in the bullet points below:
The Trader Joe's List
- Tiny Fruity Cuties Cereal (like Fruit Loops) $3.99
- Everything but the Bagel Seasoned Crackers (This was the most similar TJ’s product to Aldi’s cheese crackers we could find, plus most of TJ’s crackers average around $2.99 anyways.) $2.99
- Saltines (TJ’s no longer sells their version of saltines, but according to one Redditor, they were $1.99.) $1.99
- Avocado oil$7.99 (Two more dollars than Aldi!)
- Organic black beans $1.19
- Unscented deodorant $4.99
- Brownie Truffle Baking Mix $3.97 (Two more dollars than Aldi!)
- Romaine hearts (We weren't able to find an organic option listed on TJ’s site.) $2.99
- Large eggs $4.99
- Multicolor peppers (Only organic is listed on TJ’s site.) $2.99
- Green peppers (Only red organic peppers are listed on TJ’s site.) $3.99
- Seedless cucumber (The only comparable option TJ’s has for the Aldi’s list above is the Persian cucumbers.) $2.49
- Mild cheddar cheese (The only comparable option TJ’s has for the Aldi list above is the Shredded Unexpected Cheddar Cheese.) $4.99
- Cilantro (This isn’t listed on TJ’s site, but they do sell it in-store. Various sources report different prices for cilantro. Abillion forums say it’s $1.29, but Taste of Home reports $1.99. We're averaging the two for a final item price.) $1.64
- Tuna pouch $1.79
- Hummus (Only organic is listed on TJ’s site.) $2.99
- Yellow onion (Assuming 1 since the quantity isn't clear in the Aldi list above.) $0.99
- Red onion (Assuming 1 since the quantity isn't clear in the Aldi list above. TJ’s doesn’t have red onion listed on their site, so we're also assuming it’s a similar price to their yellow onion.) $0.99
- Carrots (Assuming 1 since the quantity isn't clear in the Aldi list above. Only organic is listed on TJ’s site.) $2.49
- Avocados(Pack of 4, like Aldi.) $5.99
- Celery (TJ’s doesn't have celery listed on their site, but they do sell it in-store. For this comparison, we're assuming it’s the same price as Aldi’s celery.) $1.69
- Potato chips (TJ’s doesn't have baked chips like Aldi does, so we went with the most basic potato chip option to compare, the Ridge Cut Potato Chips with Sea Salt.) $3.99
Aldi vs. Trader Joe's: The Price Comparison
Trader Joe's
Aldi’s total came to $58.75 without tax, while the Trader Joe’s total ended up clocking in at $68.14 without tax for (mostly) similar items on the Aldi list. That means that TJ’s only came to cost $9.39 more than Aldi for a very comparable haul. 🤔
Aldi
So, who really wins the Aldi vs. Trader Joe’s debate? If you were to measure it solely by the numbers, it’d be Aldi – though the margins aren’t as big as they are at, say, Whole Foods (71% more, remember?!) or drastically big in general.
Aldi vs. Trader Joe's: Who's The Winner?
Trader Joe's
Both Aldi and Trader Joe's definitely have their respective charms. While Aldi boasts a fan-favorite ‘aisle of shame’ and a streamlined store design, Trader Joe’s never stops the flow of fun, new products that keep fans in a chokehold. If you’re set on choosing a clear winner, we say go with your heart – going off of this basic comparison, you’ll honestly end up spending a similar amount of money shopping at Aldi vs. Trader Joe’s.
Do you have a favorite grocery store? Let us know in the comments and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter for more news from your go-to grocery stores!
