Aldi, Coles, Woolies or IGA? Surprising supermarket crowned cheapest for health foods
Aldi has been crowned Australia’s most affordable supermarket for healthy groceries in the latest price comparison by consumer advocacy group Choice.
The nationwide survey dispatched mystery shoppers across 104 locations including 27 Woolworths, Coles, and IGA stores, alongside 23 Aldi locations, to track the real-world cost of filling a basket with healthy staples.
Aldi has been crowned Australia’s most affordable supermarket for healthy groceries. Nine
To test how much a healthy diet costs, Choice surveyed two distinct sets of products.
These were a “base basket” of everyday essentials – apples, bananas, strawberries, potatoes, avocados, milk, basmati rice and beef mince – alongside a “spotlight health basket” packed with staples like baby spinach, broccoli, carrots, chicken breast, corn thins, Greek-style yoghurt, hummus, tinned chickpeas and rolled oats.
Aldi took the crown as the best value option for health-conscious shoppers, with its healthy basket totaling $28.79 at the checkout.
Woolworths followed in second place at $33.52, while Coles landed in third at $34.25. Independent retailer IGA was the most expensive option, reaching $42.27 for the same selection.
Prices are rising everywhere
Balancing household budgets with healthy eating is proving harder than ever for Australian families.
Soaring prices continue to squeeze shoppers who are trying to prioritise nutritious checkout choices, with brand-new data from Choice revealing grocery costs have climbed across all four major retailers since their previous price comparison in June.
Despite holding its ground as the cheapest retailer overall, Aldi recorded the second-highest percentage price increase, proving no checkout is immune to current inflation pressures. Choice highlighted that shoppers are ultimately paying more for everyday staples regardless of where they choose to shop.
To test how much a healthy diet costs, Choice surveyed two distinct sets of products. Choice
“Our latest survey found prices for the base basket of eight items without specials rose the most at IGA by 11 per cent, with the basket costing $50.42, compared to $45.42 in our last survey,” explained Choice CEO Monique Perry.
“While Aldi’s basket was still the cheapest of the four stores we surveyed, they did have the second-biggest increase, with their base basket costing $40.10 – an upswing of eight per cent or $2.96.”
Coles were next in line, recording a six per cent increase (up $2.44), while Woolworths recorded the lowest price surge for its base basket, rising two per cent or $0.87.
The findings closely mirror mounting financial anxiety across the country.
Balancing household budgets with healthy eating is proving harder than ever for Australian families. Jo Abi
In a recent Choice Consumer Pulse survey, a staggering 82 per cent of Australian shoppers named the price of food and everyday groceries a “major pressure” on their household finances, reinforcing just how difficult maintaining a healthy lifestyle on a budget has become.
