According to the latest report by consumer advocacy group Choice, Aldi has once again been recognised as the most affordable supermarket for Australians. The quarterly government-funded survey, which compares grocery prices across multiple supermarkets, shows Aldi offering a significantly cheaper basket of groceries compared to its competitors.
As the cost of living continues to weigh heavily on Australian households, the findings provide valuable insights into where consumers can save the most.
Aldi Maintains Its Lead in Grocery Pricing
The Choice report compared the prices of 14 essential grocery items across four major supermarkets—Aldi, Woolworths, Coles, and IGA. Without accounting for special offers or promotions, Aldi emerged as the least expensive option. The total cost for a basket of goods at Aldi was $55.35, a stark contrast to IGA’s more expensive $69.74.
While Aldi was the cheapest overall, there were some notable exceptions in specific categories. For instance, Coles was found to offer the best price for apples, Woolworths was cheapest for chicken breasts and pumpkin, and IGA offered the lowest prices for carrots and garlic.
Despite these differences, Aldi consistently provided the most competitive prices for the majority of items in the basket.
The report’s methodology this year placed more emphasis on fresh foods, which led to slight changes in how the supermarkets compared. The basket of goods included winter essentials such as hot chocolate and porridge, catering to seasonal demand. The items purchased at each supermarket were:
- Bulk pack of chicken breasts
- Carrots
- Royal Gala apples
- Cavendish bananas
- Strawberries
- Butternut pumpkin
- Garlic
- Brown onions
- Sanitarium Weet-Bix
- Full-cream milk
- Drinking chocolate
- Vegetable stock
- Sour cream
- Quick oat sachets
Price Variations Across Australia
The survey also revealed that grocery prices vary significantly across Australia’s states and territories. In the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), for example, Aldi’s basket cost $53.57, while IGA’s basket reached $67.46.
In other states like Queensland and Victoria, Aldi still emerged as the cheaper option, though the price differences between Aldi and its competitors varied slightly depending on location.
The analysis covered 104 supermarkets across 27 locations, carefully chosen to represent diverse socio-economic and geographic demographics. Choice’s CEO, Ashley de Silva, pointed out that although the methodology remained unchanged, the addition of more fresh foods was a key factor influencing the price discrepancies observed this year.
