Australia’s cheapest supermarket revealed – and the everyday items that vary the most in price between the big three grocers

The cheapest supermarket in Australia has been revealed, with findings showing the items shoppers can save the most on across the major grocery chains. 

Comparison site Finder has revealed Aldi offers Aussies the best price on a basket of goods, by up to $7 and $14 respectively when compared with a basket from supermarket giants Woolworths and Coles.  

The discount retailer had the cheapest prices on essentials including milk and dairy, as well as eggs and meat. 

According to Finder’s research, Coles couldn’t match the prices of its two competitors, which offered better value, but they did offer lower prices on other items. 

In Finder’s results a dozen large cage eggs cost $4.29 at Aldi, $4.50 at Coles and $4.60 at Woolworths. 

Meat is significantly cheaper at Aldi with a pack of 500gram pork sausages costing $4.99 – compared with $5.83 at Woolworths and $6.00 at Coles. 

While a three-litre bottle of milk is cheaper at Aldi, the price is almost identical at Woolworths and Coles. 

Woolworths however, had the upper hand with prices on fruits and veggies. It had the cheapest price for a kilogram of carrots and brown onions respectively. Overall, onions showed the biggest price variation of 5 per cent, with Woolworths charging the cheapest at $2 a kilo.

When the basket of 50 items that was compared across all three retailers was added up, the total cost at Aldi was $200. 

The sum at Woolworths and Coles are $207 and $214 respectively.

According to the findings, Coles couldn’t match the prices of its competitors Woolworths and Aldi, but did offer savings on other food items

Woolworths offered betters savings on a range of fruit and veggies, with a kilogram of brown onions costing just $2

Head of consumer research at Finder Graham Cooke urged customers to shop for better value on their groceries. 

‘You don’t need to drive all around town to save $2 on your onions, but a little awareness goes a long way,’ Mr Cooke said.  

‘Make a habit of checking out the weekly half-price deals at the major supermarkets so you can stock up on any of your regular purchases when they’re on sale. 

The average household spends $185 on their weekly grocery shopping as of September 2023, Finder’s Consumer Sentiment Tracker revealed. 

Mr Cooke said customers should be aware of savings programs offered by supermarkets, which can reduce the price of their shopping. 

‘Coles and Woolies also offer loyalty points and don’t surcharge you to pay by card, so it’s worth keeping in mind if the prices are nearly the same,’ he said. 

‘Larger supermarkets also offer a much wider range of brands, and not all the products are going to be the exact same quality.’

Customers have been urged to shop around for better deals, by keeping an eye on savings offered up by the major supermarket chains

It comes after Aussies suffered through a horror year at the checkout due to the rising cost of living – with inflation surging by 7.8 per cent in 2022. 

The rate has since moderated to 6.0% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2023. 

Data shows Australians have responded to higher inflation by cutting out cereals, berries, seafood and potato chips from their weekly shop.