Supermarket Sleuths: Easy strategies you can use to pay the lowest grocery prices possible

Grocery prices continue to swell, and it seems there is no limit to how high they will go.

This week, 9honey revealed Kellogg's cereal Coco Pops rose from $7.50 in 2023 to $10.80 in 2025, with the company confirming the price of Just Right and Sultana Bran had also increased.

Then there are increases in the price of eggs, when there is any stock – when I went grocery shopping this week, there was not – not to mention the increasing cost of fruits and vegetables and other supermarket staples.

READ MORE: Average coffee prices have risen by almost 40 per cent

A report by consumer advocacy group SEC Newgate found a basket of grocery essentials now cost $60 more than it did in 2022.

That includes items such as Moro Extra Virgin olive oil, Ardmona canned tomatoes, Pace Farm eggs, CSR white sugar, Golden circle orange juice, Moccona instant coffee, Masterfoods tomato sauce, Dairy Farmers milk and Wonder White bread.

Overall, Coles grocery essentials have risen the most by 36 per cent, followed by Woolworths at 30 per cent and then Aldi by 26 per cent.

READ MORE: Price increase for some of Australia's most popular cereals

While Australian grocery shoppers have felt the pinch of late, it's confronting to have the price increased confirmed in this way.

Not one to give up on saving at the supermarket checkout, I decided to try and find out where and how customers can save the most when it comes to these grocery essentials.

I headed to Coles, Woolworths and Aldi.

At Coles I compared the price of branded items with Coles' home brands and did the same at Woolworths.

Then I headed to Aldi, where they sell one version of each product, and calculated the total cost.

Here's what I found.

Coles branded items

Moro Olive Oil 1L: $27.00

Ardmona canned tomatoes: $2.10

CSR white sugar 2kg: $4.00

Golden Circle orange juice: 2L $6.50

Moccona coffee 200g: $13.60

Masterfoods tomato sauce: $4.20

Dairy Farmers full cream milk: 2L $3.95

Wonder White sliced bread: $4.50

TOTAL: $65.85

Coles home brands

Olive oil 1L: $18.00

Canned tomatoes: $1.10

White sugar 2kg: $2.85

Orange juice 2L: $5.00

Instant coffee 200g: $5.50

Tomato sauce: $2.10

Full cream milk 2L: $3.00

Sliced bread: $2.50

TOTAL: $40.05

Woolworths brands

Moro olive oil 1L: $27.00

Ardmona canned tomatoes: $2.10

CSR white sugar 2kg: $4.00

Golden Circle orange juice 2L: $6.50

Moccona medium roast coffee 200g: $19.50

Masterfoods tomato sauce: $4.20

Dairy Farmers full cream milk 2L: $3.95

Wonder White sliced bread: $4.50

TOTAL: $71.75

Woolworths homebrands

Olive oil 1L: $14.00

Canned tomatoes: $1.10

White sugar 2kg: $2.85

Orange juice 2L: $5.50

Instant coffee 200g: $8.00

Tomato sauce: $2.10

Full cream milk 2L: $3.00

Sliced bread: $3.60

TOTAL: $40.15

READ MORE: The A-Z list of the biggest brands spotted in Amazon's Big Smile Sale

Aldi

Olive oil 1L: $13.99

Canned tomatoes: $1.29

White sugar 2kg: $2.59

Orange juice 2L: $1.89

Instant coffee 200g: $7.78

Tomato sauce: $1.99

Full cream milk 2L: $2.99

Sliced bread: $2.39

TOTAL: $34.91

Results

Aldi had the lowest prices overall at $34.91.

What was clear from Coles and Woolies was that customers loyal to the major supermarkets can still make major savings by selecting home brands at each store.

At Coles, by swapping to home brands customers will save $25.80, and at Woolworths, by swapping to home brands, customers save $32.10.

While Woolworths was the most expensive overall for this price comparison, it had the most savings by switching to home brands.

** Prices are accurate at the time of publication as per Coles online, Woolworths online and Aldi Baulkham Hills, Sydney. Price comparison is subject to region and availability. Photos do not always reflect product prices contained in article.

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