You're Better Off Buying These Items At Aldi Vs Costco

True budget shoppers know that saving money is about more than simply choosing one store and eschewing all others. Certain supermarkets offer different things. Aldi might be the cheapest grocery store in America, sure. Then again, the must-try items at Costco are truly special. Is there one you should always shop over the other? No, of course not. You have to consider quality, value, and — most importantly — how many people are going to be eating.

For example, both Aldi and Costco sell larger quantities of fresh produce than the average supermarket. Eating a variety of fresh fruits and veggies is a good thing to do, and given how long those tasty plants last, it's a good rule of thumb to replenish your stock at least once a week. Buying produce in bulk is certainly a way to save money, but you run the risk of wasting a lot of food. That's one broad example, but supermarkets are bigger than one section. Luckily, we're here to help with the rest of the shopping list. Here are some items you should skip at Costco but definitely pick up at Aldi.

Give us this day our daily bread, in this economy? Bread is one of those staples that nearly everyone is picking up each grocery run, so good deals are a godsend. If you're looking for a bargain on sandwich shelving, look to Aldi. A 20-ounce loaf of honey wheat is $2.05. At Costco, they'll give you two loaves instead of one, but charge you $5.44. Same deal for white bread: A loaf of L'oven fresh white bread at Aldi sells for $1.29, whereas Costco charges $3.73 for a two-pack of Bimbo white bread. Stick with Aldi for bread. If your local Aldi has an in-store bakery, even better.

Both Aldi and Costco are known for high-quality private label brands. Some people might think a private label is, by nature, lesser quality than a big name brand. This simply isn't true. For one thing, you can find people on Reddit praising all different types of Aldi-brand bread. Using private labels is a way for supermarkets to keep costs down. In Aldi's case, private label products often come from more local sources. If you haven't tried a loaf of L'Oven bread (maybe you're a Sara Lee loyalist; it's understandable), do yourself a favor on your next Aldi run.

Canola oil is an absolute kitchen necessity. It's neutral-flavored, it stands up to high-heat cooking, and it works for just about every type of cuisine. Not only is canola oil versatile, it's often the most inexpensive of the neutral oils. Costco has the more affordable canola oil, offering a two-pack of three-quart bottles for $13.61, or seven cents per ounce. Aldi sells a 48-ounce bottle of canola oil for $4.15, or nine cents per ounce. Given canola oil's versatility and virtues, you want to load up on huge bottles of the stuff, right?

Here's the thing: It's very easy to forget how long canola oil has been in your pantry. This particular type of liquid gold is good for about a year. It's also rarely a selling point for a dish — canola oil is more like a dependable utility infielder than a home run-hitting star. These two qualities mean that your oil's expiration date is not always at the forefront of your mind. Few things are as crushing as going to start cooking and learning that your canola oil has gone rancid. Unless you're absolutely sure you can get through two big bottles of canola oil in a year, spend a little extra at Aldi. You're buying peace of mind.

No matter when you're reading this, the price of eggs has probably been in the news recently. Maybe that means you went out and got yourself some hens — congratulations! You can skip this entry. The rest of us will be here, trying to fit eggs into our budgets. At Aldi, a 12-pack of USDA Grade A large eggs is $2.99. Costco, on the other hand, sells an 18-pack of USDA Grade A large eggs for $4.53. That's roughly 25 cents per egg in both places, with Aldi's value being fractionally better.

This is a time when you have to ask whether bulk eggs are worth it. Will you eat 18 eggs before they go bad? Or is 12 more realistic? The answer depends on lots of factors, like what you're eating in the next week, if someone in your house is going through a baking phase, or if it's your turn to bring deviled eggs to the potluck this weekend. The point is that value is not simply a matter of more stuff for less money. You want to be aware of your eating habits, because there's no value in food waste.

This isn't a specific product. We're suggesting you buy any raw chicken at Aldi rather than Costco. Breasts, thighs, drumsticks, wings, whole birds, all of it. If you search forums like Reddit about what to avoid at Costco, chicken inevitably comes up. Some commenters complain about the packaging leaking raw chicken juice into grocery bags and all over car back seats. Other posters complain about so-called "spaghetti" chicken. If that sounds gnarly, well, we're sorry that we have to tell you about it. Spaghetti chicken is a phenomenon where muscle fibers lose integrity and the raw bird cuts look stringy and unappetizing — yet another revolting byproduct of factory farming. Neither leaky packages nor spaghetti chicken are welcome anywhere near your kitchen.

Aldi, on the other hand, has consistently good deals on both regular and family-size packages of chicken. In fact, the family-size chicken packages are a great way to stealthily buy in bulk, depending on how many people you're feeding and how much freezer space you have. If you've got a household of four or smaller, you can often stretch family-size packages into two meals. The chicken tastes good, too, and shouldn't leak all over your trunk. Shopping on a budget should not mean putting up with bad poultry. 

Like the chicken, Aldi's beef is private label. Stocking private label products is one reason why Aldi's meat is so cheap, but the advantage here isn't purely based on monetary value. Look on Reddit, and you'll find commenters praising the quality of Aldi's vacuum-sealed steaks. Having that vacuum seal extends the shelf life of the beef. The selection here includes massive chuck roasts, thinly-shaved ribeye, and every cut in between. 

The biggest issue that comes with Costco beef is mechanical or blade tenderization. This is a process where a bunch of tiny needles poke at raw beef before it is packaged, tenderizing the meat before it even hits store shelves. Sounds convenient, right? Well, convenience always comes with a price. Turns out, this process pushes harmful bacteria into the center of the meat.

The good news is that all of that bacteria can be cooked out. The bad news is that you have to cook the beef to a level of doneness that you might not want. Some say blade-tenderized meat should be cooked to a minimum of 145 degrees Fahrenheit (that means your steak is medium), while others recommend cooking to 160 (pushing your steak into well-done territory). If you're a person who likes medium rare steak? Costco is not the place for you. Aldi, on the other hand, has a wide selection of quality steaks at good prices.

Every good grocery store should have a good salad kit selection. Salad kits are the easiest way to ensure that all of the ingredients in the bowl are not only portioned properly, but all fresh at the same time. It's hard to make mistakes with Caesar salad when the whole thing's already been ratioed out for you. A good bowl of this stuff pairs well with anything from grilled chicken to pasta with red sauce. At Aldi, a Caesar salad goes for $3.09 for a 10-ounce bag, or 31 cents per ounce. At Costco, a 24-ounce bag of Caesar salad sells for $10.20, or 43 cents per ounce.

Not only is Aldi a significantly better deal, the volume is much easier to consume, especially if you're feeding between one and four people. Salad is delicious, but 10 ounces goes further than you think. It's not exactly the same as buying so much fresh produce that you can't eat it all before it spoils, but it's worth noting that having leftover bagged salad is kind of annoying. If you've already tossed everything together, the dressing will make the lettuce soggy in the fridge. If you haven't already tossed everything together, you have to find containers for each separate ingredient. Better to pick up the bag that you know you'll eat in one sitting.

Avocados are wonderful. They're famously good on toast and pack a nutritional punch full of fiber, protein, and the sorts of vitamins and minerals that boost immunity and fight inflammation. Both Aldi and Costco sell avocados in bulk, which is great for anyone trying to get more of these fruits in their diet. Aldi sells a four-pack of avocados for $4.75, or $1.19 per fruit. Costco sells a six-pack of avocados for $9.64, or $1.61 each. Even if you're eating a lot of avocados in a short period of time, the deal Aldi offers is significantly better, value-wise. That's not the only factor to consider when bulk-buying avocados, though.

Avocados are finicky fruits. They go from rock hard and inedible to ripe to rotten with no set schedule. Buying Costco avocados seems to come with a higher risk of bringing home a disappointing batch. Reddit is rife with people complaining about Costco avocados going bad too quickly. Not only will Aldi sell you a bag of avocados at a better monetary value, but you're more likely to actually eat all of the avocados you buy from Aldi.

A lineup of tasty pre-made ravioli is another thing any supermarket worth its salt should keep well-stocked. Both Aldi and Costco sell packaged ravioli under private label brands — Priano for the former, and Kirkland Signature for the latter. The determining factor for this one is less about price and more about quality. Both Aldi and Costco ravioli comes in at about 34 cents per ounce, give or take. Only one of those stores, however, stocks two types of ravioli that won Product of the Year awards in 2024. Aldi's award-winning ravioli is definitely something you'll want to introduce to your meal rotation. 

Aldi's Priano brand ravioli is beloved for a reason. The pasta is good, for starters. There's also a solid selection of cheesy, meaty, and vegetarian options. Ravioli is one of those dishes that many people won't do the tedious work of making from scratch. That's a lot of careful stuffing, folding, and cutting. So it's worth highlighting when a grocery chain sells a good ravioli. Next time it's pasta night, give Aldi a try.