I compared prices of Trader Joe's items to those of Whole Foods 365 Everyday Value — here's what I found
Kathleen Elkins/Business Insider
Whole Foods is notoriously expensive, and Trader Joe's has a reputation for being pretty cheap. But just how big is the price discrepancy?
I scoured the aisles and compared the prices of 24 items at Trader Joe's to Whole Foods' private label, 365 Everyday Value, which aims to offer value prices every day of the year. Expecting the Whole Foods prices to be really high, I was pleasantly surprised at how comparable some items were. And it turns out that the specialty grocer has a few hidden deals.
In general, you'll get the most bang for your buck at Trader Joe's, but check out the price breakdown yourself. Keep in mind that some of the Whole Foods 365 items are offered only in organic form, while Trader Joe's typically offers both an organic and regular option. I chose to highlight the cheapest option I could find at both chains:
Yogurt
Trader Joe's: $3.19 per 32-ounce container
Whole Foods 365: $3.19 per 32-ounce container
My first pleasant surprise came in the yogurt aisle, where I found the same size container of organic yogurt for the same price.
Milk
Trader Joe's: $2.29 per half-gallon
Whole Foods 365: $3.99 per half-gallon
Milk at Whole Foods was noticeably pricier. If you went through a half-gallon of milk a week, you'd be saving about $90 a year if you shopped at Trader Joe's.
Note that the Whole Foods milk is organic.
Almond milk
Trader Joe's: $2.99 per half-gallon
Whole Foods 365: $3.69 per half-gallon
If you're more of an almond-milk person, shopping at Trader Joe's would save you about $35 a year if you went through one carton a week.
Note that Whole Foods' almond milk is organic.
Orange juice
Trader Joe's: $2.29 per half-gallon
Whole Foods 365: $2.99 per half-gallon
As with almond milk, you'd save about $35 a year if you shopped for OJ at Trader Joe's, assuming you went through a carton a week.
Gouda cheese
Trader Joe's: $2.99 per 8-ounce bag
Whole Foods 365: $7.99 per 12-ounce bag
While Whole Foods' bag of cheese was bigger, there's still a significant price discrepancy. The Whole Foods 365 Gouda comes out to about $5.33 for 8 ounces.
Note that Whole Foods' Gouda is organic.
Cheddar cheese
Trader Joe's: $3.99 per 12-ounce bag
Whole Foods 365: $4.99 per 12-ounce bag
Cheese was one of the noticeably more expensive products at Whole Foods. Trader Joe's was a clear winner across the board.
Note that Whole Foods' cheddar is organic.
Turkey breast
Trader Joe's: $3.29 per 7-ounce package
Whole Foods 365: $5.99 per 6-ounce package
The other large price discrepancy I noticed was between meat. There weren't too many 365 Everyday Value meat options to begin with. If you bought a package of turkey each week for a year, you'd spend $140 more shopping at Whole Foods — and you'd have 52 fewer ounces!
Note that Whole Foods' turkey is organic.
Hummus
Trader Joe's: $1.99 per 8-ounce container
Whole Foods 365: $2.19 per 8-ounce container
Surprisingly, the price difference between hummus was essentially negligible.
Butter
Trader Joe's: $2.99 per pound
Whole Foods 365: $3.49 per pound
While there was a $0.50 difference between the two options, a pound of butter can last a while — if you went through a box every two weeks, you would only save $13 over the course of the year by shopping at Trader Joe's.
Eggs
Trader Joe's: $1.49 per dozen
Whole Foods 365: $3.49 per dozen and a half
At Whole Foods you'll get the best value with the 18-count egg carton; it comes out to about $2.33 per dozen. But your best bet is heading to Trader Joe's, where the eggs are reliably $1.49 (or 12 cents an egg!).
Note that the Whole Foods eggs are cage-free.
Ice cream
Trader Joe's: $5.99 per 64-ounce container
Whole Foods 365: $5.99 per 56-ounce container
You'll get slightly more bang for your buck at Trader Joe's, but not much.
Bagged salad
Trader Joe's: $1.99 per 5-ounce bag
Whole Foods 365: $1.99 per 4-ounce bag
You'll get just one more ounce of lettuce with your $2 at Trader Joe's; plus, the Whole Foods bag is organic.
Frozen broccoli
Trader Joe's: $1.49 per pound
Whole Foods 365: $1.69 per pound
The frozen vegetable prices varied depending on veggie, from $0.99 to $1.99. Trader Joe's tended to be cheaper, but not by much.
Frozen pizza
Trader Joe's: $4.49 per pizza
Whole Foods 365: $3.99 per pizza
Trader Joe's did offer one pizza for $3.99 (the arugula pizza), but all the other frozen pizza options were $4.49 or $4.99. Whole Foods, on the other hand, offered options for $3.99.
Peanut butter
Trader Joe's: $1.99 per 16-ounce jar
Whole Foods 365: $2.49 per 16-ounce jar
Trader Joe's now offers a $1.99 jar of peanut butter, but the popular spread is affordable at both chains.
Peanuts
Trader Joe's: $3.29 per 16-ounce bag
Whole Foods 365: $3.49 per 16-ounce bag
Peanuts are one of the cheapest nuts out there — you can get them for essentially the same price at the two supermarkets.
Almonds
Trader Joe's: $6.49 per 16-ounce bag
Whole Foods 365: $7.99 per 16-ounce bag
While the price discrepancy between peanuts was nearly negligible, if you're buying almonds, head to Trader Joe's.
Oats
Trader Joe's: $2.49 per 18-ounce container
Whole Foods 365: $3.19 per 18-ounce container
Trader Joe's also offer a bigger, 32-ounce bag of rolled oats, which comes out to about $2.24 per 18 ounces.
Cereal
Trader Joe's: $2.99 per 20-ounce box
Whole Foods 365: $2.99 per 16-ounce box
You'll get four more ounces of cereal at Trader Joe's with your $3.
Cereal bars
Trader Joe's: $1.99 per 8-ounce box
Whole Foods 365: $2.29 per 8-ounce box
Cereal bars were also similar in price.
Popcorn
Trader Joe's: $1.99 per 5-ounce bag
Whole Foods 365: $2.29 per 6-ounce bag
Whole Foods popcorn is slightly cheaper; five ounces would cost about $1.90, compared to $1.99 at Trader Joe's.
Marinara sauce
Trader Joe's: $1.39 per 18-ounce jar
Whole Foods 365: $2.99 per 25-ounce jar
While the Whole Foods jar is slightly larger, it still costs more per ounce; 18 ounces of the Whole Foods 365 marinara sauce would be about $2.15.
Note that the Whole Foods marinara sauce is organic.
Pasta
Trader Joe's: $0.99 per pound
Whole Foods 365: $1.09 per pound
No matter where you shop, pasta will always be one of the most economical options.
Olive oil
Trader Joe's: $5.99 per 17-ounce jar
Whole Foods 365: $6.99 per 17-ounce jar
Olive oil tends to be on the pricier side no matter where you shop, but you'll save a buck at Trader Joe's.
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