NJ’s least expensive and most expensive grocery stores

America’s worst-kept secret might be that grocery prices have become obscenely high over the past few years. People who hate crowds and membership fees rethought their position and started going to places like Costco. Others who loved the stock consistency of stores like ShopRite decided to see how the other half lives and check out places like Aldi’s.

Trust me, I have four kids, and I feel the same pain you do. It is utterly shocking to see the prices on the shelves. According to northjersey.com, data from the Agriculture Department shows grocery prices climbed over 23% between 2020 and 2024.

It doesn’t help that even when you bite the bullet and go to a discount grocer, they might close down on you, as was the case with Grocery Outlet’s announcement last week.

Read More: Grocery Outlet's store closures in NJ and PA

Cheap vs Expensive

If you’d like to know some of the cheapest versus some of the most expensive grocery stores in New Jersey, read on. These are based on a survey published by Consumer Reports taken in late summer of 2025.

Walmart, which used to be regarded as the most affordable chain for food, no longer is. Instead, it was used as a basis for comparison. The survey shows which stores are less expensive than Walmart and which stores are more expensive and by what percentage for the same items.

The cheapest

Here are stores in New Jersey found to be less expensive than the baseline of Walmart.

Costco — 21.4% less than Walmart

BJ’s — 21% less than Walmart

Lidl — 8.5% less than Walmart

Aldi — 8.3% less than Walmart

The most expensive

Target — 5.9% more expensive than Walmart

Stop & Shop — 22.2% more expensive than Walmart

Trader Joe’s — 24.6% more expensive than Walmart

Albertson’s — 24.8% more expensive than Walmart

El Rancho — 30.1% more expensive than Walmart

Shaw’s — 31.9% more expensive than Walmart

Whole Foods — 39.7 % more expensive than Walmart.

Shop wisely!