Costco vs. Walmart vs. Superstore: Where can you get the most savings?

Which is better Walmart, Superstore, or Costco?

Now that inflation is raging and we are trying to cut back on spending. I was searching the internet and found the article “Costco Price Comparison: Is Costco worth it?” written in 2011 it was my inspiration for this blog post.

We are all looking for a better deal.

I stayed away from Costco for a long time. It’s just not convenient for me to shop there. But this year my daughter received a Costco membership card as a gift, and we went there to purchase a few items.

To be honest I was shocked by the total (it was more than I anticipated) of our purchase and decided to investigate.

Is Costco, Superstore, or Walmart cheaper in Canada?

Walmart, Real Canadian Superstore, and Costco remained three of the most popular retailers in Canada. All three are well known for low prices and selling selected items in balk.

The question is: Which one offers a better deal?
And the answer? Costco

So, I did a Costco price comparison experiment to see if shopping at Costco is cheaper when compared to my local Walmart and Real Canadian Superstore, I leave in Great Toronto Area.

Now comparing Costco Wholesale Club prices to those at a regular grocery chain is like comparing apples with oranges. For example, Costco offers fewer brands and sells its products in bulk.

So, to do a fair price check, I had to do a little math with some scientific rules.

I eat an anti-inflammatory diet and am not a very exciting food shopper. I don’t buy a lot of packaged products and my grocery list generally contains real food. But I wanted to get a good sampling of fresh, frozen, and packaged food to determine (based on unit price) if Costco really offers a better deal to consumers.

Sample List: Comparing Costco to Walmart to Superstore

If you’re purchasing household staples like cheese in bulk, then Costco is a better choice. The same holds true for bulk produce items, like fruits and vegetables, as well as meats.

But Walmart can be very competitive on things like toilet paper.

Ultimately, both Costco and Walmart offer competitive prices. You really can’t go wrong with either one if your goal is to save as much as possible in the course of your shopping. 

While you might pay a slightly lower price per pound or unit at Costco, you may also not need a box of diced tomato cans. Rather, Walmart’s low-cost 1 can might suffice. 

Is Costco or Superstore cheaper in Canada?

Follow the green cells to see the product winner in each category. Based on my sample food bill, you would have spent $41.71 more at Superstore — that’s almost 25% more at Superstore on a nearly hundred-fifty-dollar food bill than at Costco.

Paper towels are cheaper in Superstore, but the quality is better at Costco. More about paper towels later…

I frequently shop at Superstore, but I’m not blind to its defects and prices, but at least it’s a Canadian operation, and I collect points redeemable for groceries using a free Optimum card. I like to redeem them at Christmas time.

Is Costco or Walmart cheaper in Canada?

Based on a sample food bill, you would have paid $28.38 more at Walmart — that’s almost 17% more than at Costco on a nearly hundred-fifty-dollar food bill.

With this difference, you will make the Costco card fee of $60 back in no time.

Which store should you shop at Costco or Walmart?

If you’re really torn, you may want to consider the proximity of each store to your home. If visiting one store means doing twice as much driving as the other, that alone could be your deciding factor. 

Sign up for their email. It often comes with info about what will be on sale this week in-store. That way, you can pace your trips for the best results.

Let’s look at the bigger picture.

My random observations about Costco

My random observations about Costco.

In the book “Mindless Eating” Dr. Brian Wasink makes a good case for the fact that when you have large quantities of something, you use it up about 25% faster. So even if the stuff costs you less in the store, you will go through it faster, so it isn’t really a good saving.

Also, many customers buy products at Costco at a lower price but because they end up throwing out around half the product they actually are losing a lot of money. If only I could track how much people throw out and waste both the product and their money. Most customers are NOT smart when they buy in bulk.

Is toilet paper cheaper at Costco, Walmart, or Real Canadian Superstores?

After the toilet paper shortage in 2020 many shoppers like to stock up on toilet paper for peace of mind and also to save money.

When I did the math Walmart is 9% cheaper at the regular price than Costco, which is $2.02 in savings.

The price for a pack of “Cashmere” toilet paper at Costco is $25.99. At 250 sheets per roll, it’s 141% cheaper than at Walmart and 100% cheaper than at Superstore.

If Cashmere toilet paper is your favorite, buy it at Costco.

Is paper towels cheaper at Costco, Walmart, or Real Canadian Superstores?

If you calculate the price per sheet in the paper towel roll, Costco is 50% cheaper for paper towels than Walmart or Superstore.

I don’t think of Costco as grocery shopping but as a monthly trip. It’s fantastic for items such as paper towels, kleenex and toilet paper, garbage bags, and other disposable items which you know you will always use and won’t mind buying in bulk. Paper towels especially are SO much cheaper at Costco. Cleaning products such as dish soap and laundry detergent are at MUCH lower than retail prices provided you can store them.

READ NEXT: Make life easier by limiting the time you spend doing laundry.

Is meat cheaper at Costco?

Lean ground beef costs $9.99 at Costco, while the same at Walmart costs $12.06, which is a $2.07 difference.

I can buy a 3 pack of rib steaks for $20-25. I single steak at the local butcher runs the same price. I can’t tell the difference. I pack of back ribs is pretty similar to Loblaws per pound, but the amount of meat on the bones at Costco is much more. – [Costco Price Comparison: Is Costco worth it?]

best prices on produce?

Produce at Costco is always good quality, fresh, and delicious. You can see from the table above, that saving on staple products like onions, potatoes, eggs, and milk are minimal at $0.38 cents. The biggest savings come from pantry products Pecan Halves and hummus.

I’d also like to add that when it’s just one-three people, it can be tough to eat the bulk-sized fruits and veggies before they go bad…and I LOATHE wasting food. 

For the best prices on produce, I find that the ethnic grocery stores are often the best, especially the Chinese ones (T&T, Ocean, Nations), but you have to examine the quality closely.

How To Shop at Costco If You’re Single.

I think I am the only person I know who doesn’t worship at the Costco church. I am trying to shop at Costco but honestly, the place just sucks the life out of me. I continue shopping at regular grocery stores because usually, they aren’t mad houses like Costco and Walmart.

I find that my grocery bills are higher simply because of the fact that I buy “bulk”.

I found Costco’s bulk sizes even buying for 3 people hard to use prior to going bad.

Your freezer is your best friend when you’re single.

• Buy the ground beef, chicken, and steaks from Costco and then freeze them individually. This requires you to plan what you eat the day before so that you can take whatever meat out of the freezer and put it in the fridge in time.
• ALWAYS pick up a rotisserie chicken! It’s $7.99 and gives you a week’s worth of chicken meat and bones for broth!
• Shelf-stable items can be good in bulk if you’ll use them all and have space to store them. If you won’t, then you’re not usually saving money by wasting food.

It really depends on WHAT YOU EAT and NEED to buy.

Costco has fewer brand options per item, so at times it only carries nicer stuff. At Walmart, you can find a less fancy version of the item for cheaper or stuff you won’t be able to consume fully before it spoils.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Each Costco is different, each local/national grocery chain is different, and what people BUY is different.

Do a price comparison check every few months to make sure you are getting the best value for your food dollar. A better deal may be found elsewhere. 

It doesn’t take long to be aware of say ground beef $10 per 1kg may be good or maybe it will be better on sale somewhere else and you can stock up your freezer.

If you save a dollar on each item, imagine what you save over a year.

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