The six grocery items Aussie shoppers are happy to pay more for
Saving at the supermarket is more challenging than ever.
While most Aussie shoppers are managing to make ends meet by choosing cheaper versions of all their staples, there are some grocery items consumers aren’t happy to scrimp on.
There are some grocery items Aussie shoppers aren't happy to scrimp on. Getty
According to ING’s Sense of Us 2026 report, one in five are willing to swap any product for a cheaper version to boost their savings and 55 per cent say they’ve changed dietary habits to cut costs.
Others are less willing to compromise on meat and fish (27 per cent), tea and coffee (27 per cent), and fruit or veggies (25 per cent), according to their findings.
We spoke to Aussie shoppers to find out which items they are happy to pay more for and while some agreed with the items above, others had more personal preferences.
Mel said she’ll always buy potatoes over instant mash, regardless of the price.
Potato prices have increased in price by 20-30 per cent over the past four years due to extreme weather events in growing regions and skyrocketing production costs.
Lisa’s family will only eat one brand of frozen pizza: “According to my boys, McCain’s is the only one for them,” she said.
Kath will spend more on bread and noodles, while Sam is happy to pay top price for better quality beef mince, and Doritos chips.
The items include beef mince, fruit and vegetables, tea and coffee. Getty
Jen pays more for “meat, dairy, butter, eggs” which she said “need to be organic”.
That being said, supermarket shoppers are also happy to hunt around for the best deals on their favourite grocery items.
Eighty-eight per cent of those surveyed reported an increase in grocery costs in the past year.
Shoppers have reported an average of $169 spent on groceries each week, up from an average of $162 in 2023.
ING said this “relatively modest increase compared to broader grocery inflation could suggest Australians are actively adjusting their behaviour to manage costs”.
This includes switching to more affordable cuts of meat, to exploring alternative protein sources and making more deliberate decisions at the checkout.
