grocery prices canada

Here's how prices compare at three of Ontario's cheaper supermarket chains

Like many Canadians, you might be on the hunt for the cheapest grocery prices to save a buck or two, but how do the costs at some of the more affordable stores compare?

To find out, we decided to conduct our own experiment, comparing the prices of 11 basic grocery items from Food Basics (owned by Metro), No Frills (owned by Loblaws) and Walmart. Food Basics only has stores in Ontario.

All of these grocery banners are often seen as options that offer lower prices to customers.

For this haul, we tried to find the same brands for as many items as we could, and we compared regular prices only.

Here's what we found, and some of the results might surprise you.

White bread

Food Basics: $3.79. $0.37/100g
No Frills: $4.49. $0.88/100g
Walmart: $3.97. $0.59/100g
Winner: Food Basics

Large eggs

Food Basics: $3.88 per dozen
No Frills: $4.12 per dozen
Walmart: $3.87 per dozen
Winner: Walmart

Chicken breast

Food Basics: $17.10 for a four-pack or $8.76 per pound
No Frills: $20.80 for a four-pack or $7.99 per pound
Walmart: $14 for a four-pack or $6.84 per pound
Winner: Walmart

Liberte plain Greek yogurt

Food Basics: $7.49 for 750g
No Frills: $7.19 for 750g
Walmart: $7.18 for 750g
Winner: Walmart

Lays Classic chips (family size)

Food Basics: $3.99 per 235g bag
No Frills: $3.49 per 235g bag
Walmart: $3.97 per 235g bag
Winner: No Frills

Armstrong cheddar cheese

Food Basics: $7.99 for 400g
No Frills: $7.99 for 400g
Walmart: $7.97 for 400g
Winner: Food Basics and No Frills are tied

Primo pasta sauce

FoodBasics: $2.49 for a 680 ml can
No Frills: $2.49 for a 680 ml can
Walmart: $1.97 for a 680 ml can
Winner: Walmart

Spaghetti noodles

Not all of the stores had the the same spaghetti brand.
Food Basics: $2.29
No Frills: $2.29 for the No Name brand spaghetti
Walmart: $1.97 for the Primo brand
Winner: Walmart

Kraft Smooth Peanut Butter

Food Basics: $6.99 for a 1kg container
No Frills: $6.99 for a 1kg container
Walmart: $6.77 for a 1kg container
Winner: Walmart

Black beans

The stores didn't carry the same brand of canned beans. We chose Life Smart for Food Basics.
Food Basics: $1.49 for a 540 ml can
No Frills: $1.49 for the No Name brand 540 ml can
Walmart: $1.47 for the Great Value 540 ml can
Winner: Walmart

Jam

Food Basics: $5.99 for a 500 ml jar
No Frills: $6.29 for a 500 ml jar
Walmart: $4.97 for a 500 ml jar
Winner: Walmart

At the end of the haul, the total bill at No Frills came out to $67.63. The Food Basics bill was $63.49 and Walmart's added up to $58.11. While No Frills and Food Basics were pretty similar in price, significant savings were seen at Walmart.

Lead photo by

Icatnews/Shutterstock


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