My household is on the smaller and slower-consuming end, so I'm not sure Costco is the best place for us to shop now that I've seen how great some of Aldi's deals can be.
Several items were cheaper at Costco, but things like beef and bagels were a better deal at Aldi.
Learning Costco isn't a perfect single stop for bargain groceries made me question my membership.
Growing up in a Costco family meant weekly trips to the wholesale club.
Costco runs were as much a pastime as an errand, serving as our main activity on weekend mornings. The warehouse magically made every purchase feel like we were saving money instead of spending it.
As my parents always said, "Everything is cheaper at Costco."
Naturally, as a thrifty adult, I got my own membership once I moved out. However, some of my recent grocery receipts made me skeptical of Costco's budget-friendly reputation — especially when compared to Aldi, my go-to discount chain.
I questioned whether my groceries were actually cheaper at Costco, or if it was simply an illusion of shopping wholesale.
So, I took the same list to Costco and Aldi to see how each category measured up.
Costco had a great selection of fruits and vegetables, and my basket came out cheaper.
Savannah Born
When I buy produce at Costco, I never worry about my purchases being mushy, overripe, or rotten. The quality and variety consistently impress me.
During my recent trip, I got a 5-pound bag of sweet potatoes, a 2-pound container of strawberries, a 4-pound bag of organic carrots, and 2 pints of raspberries.
Between the $0.05 per ounce for sweet potatoes, $0.27 for strawberries, $0.09 for organic carrots, and $0.40 for raspberries, my Costco produce basket came to $22.86.
Prices were similar at Aldi, though its produce selection was smaller and seemed to be of mixed quality. At $0.04 per ounce for sweet potatoes, $0.26 for strawberries, $0.11 for organic carrots, and $0.39 for raspberries, I would've paid about $23.11 for the same haul.
Though I saved a few cents at Costco, buying produce in bulk isn't always ideal for a two-person household like mine.
I try to avoid food waste, but warehouse-size portions are difficult to use up before they spoil, with berries and pre-cut veggies posing the biggest challenges.
Aldi's produce, on the other hand, comes in standard-size packaging that's more manageable for couples and small families. Even so, I'd choose Costco's produce almost every time.
In terms of the dairy section, Costco mostly won me over.
Savannah Born
Aldi's Friendly Farms Greek yogurt is consistently my top pick for value and taste.
It's only $1.60 per pound, compared to the cheapest similar offering available at my Costco, which was organic Kirkland Signature Greek yogurt priced at $2.33 per pound.
I got a bag of shredded mozzarella cheese for $0.17 per ounce, whereas Aldi's Friendly Farms variety was $0.21 per ounce.
I also purchased a six-pack of cream cheese at Costco, which came out to $1.17 per 8-ounce block. Aldi's 8-ounce blocks of cream cheese were on sale when I visited, but they were still $1.49 each.
The cost of 2% milk was comparable at both retailers, but organic almond milk gave Costco the upper hand.
Kirkland Signature almond milk is shelf-stable and much easier for me to store, plus it was $0.04 per ounce. At Aldi, organic almond milk cost $0.05 per ounce.
I was utterly unimpressed by Costco's ground beef … or lack thereof.
Savannah Born
During my Costco trip, I found only two ground-beef options — neither was grass-fed, and neither had a fat content above 85/15.
The 4-pound pack of organic ground beef seemed like the best bet, even though it was divided into awkward 1.34-pound portions.
I bought it for the sake of convenience, but I wish I'd held off until a later trip to Aldi.
My local Aldi seemed to have every ratio under the sun, plus organic grass-fed ground beef, which is my preference.
Grass-fed beef is typically more expensive, but Aldi's was actually one cent cheaper per pound than Costco's non-grass-fed version.
Additionally, it comes in recipe-ready 1-pound packages that I love using for weeknight dinners.
I didn't buy chicken this time, but if I did, I'd get it from Aldi.
Savannah Born
Costco's Kirkland Signature organic chicken breast was priced at $5.99 per pound. Aldi's Simply Nature organic chicken breast was $0.20 less per pound and is also free-range, a bonus for eco-conscious consumers.
The non-organic chicken breasts had an even more drastic price difference — they were $0.50 more per pound at Costco than at Aldi.
Bagels were double the price at Costco.
Savannah Born
Bread, buns, and wraps were priced similarly at both stores, but bagels were a different story. Twelve bagels would've cost me a whopping $4 more at Costco.
Kirkland Signature bagels cost $0.67 each, more than double the $0.33 per piece for Aldi's L'oven Fresh. So, I'll continue purchasing bagels at Aldi.
Both stores carried affordable eggs and egg whites.
Savannah Born
Considering the cheapest eggs came to just under $0.16 each at Costco and just over $0.16 at Aldi, the best deal depends on how many you'd realistically use.
For me, it'd be a single dozen at Aldi. I'd have to buy a carton of 60 at Costco to get that affordable price, and I don't have the space, time, or stomach to use five dozen eggs.
Egg whites, a staple in my fridge, had a slightly lower sticker price at Aldi.
Costco had some unbeatable cereal prices.
Savannah Born
With a variety of trendy high-protein cereals and classics, Costco's cereal aisle was a breakfast lover's dream.
A nearly 50-ounce bag of Cinnamon Toast Crunch was just $0.16 an ounce. Meanwhile, Aldi's cheapest (and much smaller) box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch came to $0.26 an ounce.
There's a clear better deal, though the true value depends on whether your household consumes a lot of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Costco's 160-ounce pack of Quaker old-fashioned oats came to just $0.05 an ounce — the best value I've ever seen. Even Aldi's in-house brand of Millville oats were $0.10 an ounce, double the price.
Since oats are quite shelf-stable, I'd definitely buy them at Costco.
Several of my pantry staples were more expensive at Costco.
Savannah Born
I expected my pantry staples, such as marinara sauce and canned beans, to be a great bargain at Costco. This wasn't exactly the case.
Aldi had organic marinara sauce priced at $0.09 an ounce and organic black beans at $0.06 an ounce.
Meanwhile, the cheapest organic marinara sauce I could find at Costco was $0.14 an ounce, and organic black beans $0.07 an ounce.
However, the frozen-veggie aisle was a different story.
Savannah Born
I got organic frozen broccoli for just $0.16 an ounce at Costco, a great deal for someone who goes through several pounds of the vegetable every week.
At Aldi, organic frozen broccoli was priced at $0.20 an ounce
Theoretically and by ounce, my Costco haul would've cost a few bucks more at Aldi.
Savannah Born
My Costco haul came to $148.33. Using price-per-ounce math, if I'd been able to purchase the same items in identical weights and quantities, my cart would've cost $4.79 more at Aldi.
Interestingly, 10 of the 17 items I bought were cheaper per ounce at Aldi. However, the low-cost mozzarella cheese, almond milk, frozen veggies, and cereal really skewed the total in Costco's favor.
Of course, this math is theoretical. I can't control the sizes of packages available for purchase at either store.
It's also worth noting that shopping at Aldi is free, but doing so at Costco requires a membership, the cheapest of which is $65 a year.
Now that I generally know which items to buy at each store, I feel equipped to maximize my savings at both locations.
Savannah Born
If I only shopped at Costco, I'd pay too much for bagels, waste a lot of eggs, miss out on Aldi's grass-fed ground beef, and overpay for some pantry staples.
Based on the price per ounce, I'd save money on meat, canned goods, bread, and conventional produce at Aldi.
Costco, however, is my ideal pick for lower prices on dairy, cereal, organic produce, and packaged snacks like chips and cookies. (For example, I noticed Oreos were $0.25 an ounce at Aldi and only $0.18 an ounce at Costco.)
This logic isn't foolproof, as prices and sales can vary by location and are subject to change; however, I feel fairly confident about where to shop for what.
Still, I must admit that realizing Costco isn't the clear frontrunner for cheap groceries has me reevaluating my $65-a-year membership.
As much as I love shopping there and find its gas prices unbeatable, my small household doesn't consume food quickly enough for buying in bulk to be a significant advantage.
Ultimately, the value of a membership comes down to household size, fridge and freezer space, what you buy, and how quickly you move through bulk groceries.
For larger families who consume more produce, packaged snacks, and cereals, the membership could quickly pay off.