Savannah Born conducted a walmart costco price comparison by taking the same 32-item grocery list to both stores to compare price per ounce and value. She noted a Consumer Reports finding that Costco ran 21.4% less expensive than Walmart, and she calculated her own haul would cost 25.6% more at Walmart.
Born detailed item-level differences across produce, dairy, meat, snacks, pantry staples, and beverages. Her Costco produce haul cost $33.05 and included 10 pounds of red potatoes, 4 pounds of honeycrisp apples, 2 pounds of strawberries, 6 romaine hearts, and one watermelon. At Costco those prices worked out to about $0.60 per pound for potatoes, $2.17 per pound for apples, $2.25 per pound for strawberries, $0.82 per romaine heart, and $8.99 for the watermelon.
She compared Walmart produce prices and found lower unit prices for some items, including a $0.84 per pound potato, $1.75 per pound apple, $2.87 per pound strawberry, $0.71 per romaine heart, and a $4.48 watermelon that was smaller than Costco’s. Born said Walmart’s apples and strawberries appeared more vibrant, but other produce items looked less fresh.
On dairy and refrigerated goods, milk was near parity at $2.09 a gallon at Costco and $2.12 at Walmart. Costco’s shredded cheese and butter commanded clear savings, with a 5-pound bag of shredded Mexican-style cheese at $2.60 per pound versus $3.46 at Walmart, and Kirkland butter at $2.12 per pound versus Great Value at $3.23 per pound, though Costco sold butter in a 16-stick pack while Walmart offered smaller four-stick packs.
Membership Size Effects And Shopping Choices
Born found other notable gaps. Costco sold Zevia at about $0.60 a can versus $0.94 per can at Walmart, and Kirkland decaf coffee at $0.48 per ounce compared with Great Value at $0.59 per ounce. Snack and cereal savings at Costco included Lesser Evil popcorn at $0.43 per ounce versus $0.72 at Walmart, Simple Mills crackers at $0.50 versus $1.08 per ounce, and Cheerios at $0.17 per ounce versus $0.25 per ounce on Walmart family-size boxes.
Pantry staples tended to favor Costco on a per-unit basis, with a 25-pound bag of flour at $0.32 per pound and a 10-pound sugar bag at $0.58 per pound, while Walmart’s comparable items cost $0.43 per pound for flour and $0.80 per pound for sugar. Olive oil cost $0.19 per ounce at Costco versus $0.30 per ounce at Walmart, while canned tuna was about a penny per ounce cheaper at Walmart.
Born concluded Costco offered clear per-unit savings when buyers can use bulk quantities, but Walmart provided greater variety, smaller package sizes, and niche items such as oat flour and specialty sweeteners. She said she will buy most groceries at Costco going forward, but will still shop at Walmart for items that require smaller portions or that Costco does not carry. She noted that Costco’s bulk format and a $65 annual membership mean the value depends on household size and consumption patterns.
