Costco Vs Aldi: Which Store Actually Saves You More Money In 2025?

Aldi and Costco are both stores known for saving people money, although they do it in different ways. Aldi focuses primarily on providing private label products, whereas Costco focuses on bulk purchasing discounts. Both can help you save money versus traditional grocers, but which store will help you save more in 2025?

We had this question, too, so we set out to determine the answer. Daily Meal compared common items within major food categories to see which ended up being cheaper. This wasn't based on pure price point, but rather, the price per unit or price per ounce, as appropriate. All prices are based on the Costco and Aldi nearest Vineland, New Jersey, where this writer lives. However, it's important to note that the prices may vary slightly from one location to another and, in some instances, this may skew which products are best priced. 

Each store ended up being the better choice in different categories, so it may be worthwhile to visit both on your grocery shopping days if it's convenient. Alternatively, you could visit the store that saves you money in the most categories, as outlined below. However, if you don't want to head to multiple stores to do your shopping, you'll be happy to hear that one store was a clear overall winner when it came to low prices. Ready to discover whether Costco or Aldi will get you the most bang for your buck? Let's head down the aisles!

Out of five compared food items, Aldi had a better price or offering on three of them, whereas Costco had better pricing on two. This makes Aldi slightly cheaper for dairy products than the wholesale retailer.

A standard gallon of milk at Costco works out to $4.24, although you have to purchase them in twos. With a gallon of Friendly Farms Whole Milk being $4.29 at Aldi, Costco won this option by pennies. From there, we moved onto block cheddar cheese, where comparable options cost $1.99 for half a pound at Aldi and about $2.59 for half a pound at Costco.

Four pounds of Kirkland Signature Butter costs $16.99, bringing the price to $4.24 per pound; at Aldi, a pound of Countryside Creamery Butter costs $3.49 — another Aldi win. The cheapest vanilla ice cream at Aldi was Sundae Shoppe at $2.99 for 1.5 quarts, whereas the cheapest option at Costco was a gallon of ice cream for $18.99 (or approximately $7.12 per 1.5 quarts). Finally, we turned to heavy whipping cream, which is often used in baking and cooking. One 32 ounce container costs $4.29 at Aldi, whereas one 64 ounce container costs $12.99 at Costco — more than double the amount per ounce.

Out of four comparable pantry staple products, three were better priced at Aldi (and by a significant margin), making that store the more cost-effective option. However, flour was better priced at Costco.

At Costco, a two-pack of Kirkland Signature Organic Peanut Butter is $11.99, making it $5.99 per container, whereas a container of Peanut Delight Creamy Peanut Butter is only $1.99 at Aldi, making it the more cost-efficient choice. Flour costs 35 cents per pound at Costco, but 47 cents per pound at Aldi, making this a big (and obvious) win for the wholesale store. Finally, we have white rice, where one pound costs 99 cents at Costco and 66 cents at Aldi — another win for the latter.

Of five unique fresh produce products, three were cheaper at Costco, making it the overall more affordable store in this category. However, Aldi was considerably cheaper on bananas, so if that's the only product you need to be pick up, it may be worth heading to the private label retailer instead. It was also cheaper on spinach. 

At Aldi, a pound of Beefsteak Tomatoes is $1.99, while it's $1.49 per pound at Costco. Aldi sells bananas for 53 cents per pound, but Costco sells them for an average of 83 cents per pound — and you have to buy three pounds at a time. This is perfect for making no-cook banana pudding or for households who really love bananas, but may be a lot for the standard household.

Broccoli costs 19 cents an ounce at Aldi and 17 cents an ounce at Costco. The only available spinach option at Costco is a one pound bag for $5.99, while Aldi offers an 8 ounce bag for $1.99 — which would make it $3.98 per pound. Then we have strawberries, which may only be available in either store seasonally. When they are available, they cost $2.81 a pound at Aldi and $2.79 a pound at Costco.

Out of four beverages, Aldi was the cheaper option for three of them, with both stores being tied for store brand bottled water options. If you need to stock up on beverages, heading to your local Aldi will save you considerable money.

The cheapest container of standard coffee is $21.99 at Costco for 43.5 ounces, while a similar product at Aldi costs $9.99 for 30.5 ounces — at Costco, this works out to about 50 cents per ounce and at Aldi it works out to around 32 cents an ounce. Both stores offer Coca Cola products, with each can costing 85 cents at Costco and 66 cents at Aldi.

Each store brand water bottle in standard cases costs 12 cents at Costco and 12 cents at Aldi, making this product the first tie we have on our list. The cheapest 64 ounce bottle of juice at Aldi costs $1.99, while you get two 96-ounce bottles of similar juice at Costco for $9.49, making Aldi the winner by a significant margin.

Out of five meat and seafood categories, Aldi was better priced in all five, making the private label grocer the better overall option. If you need to restock your freezer with meat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, head to Aldi to get the best prices.

Comparable items of ground beef cost $6.99 a pound at Costco and $6.89 a pound at Aldi. The cheapest chicken breast is $3.69 at Costco, but only $2.49 at Aldi. Of course, not everyone uses boneless, skinless chicken breast, but may instead prefer chicken thighs for their meals. If this is you, chicken thighs cost $2.19 per pound at Costco and $1.55 a pound at Aldi.

For breakfast meat, we compared bacon prices and saw that Costco charges $6.24 for a one-pound package, while Aldi charges $4.49. Finally, for seafood, we compared the prices of shrimp — at Costco, the price per pound is $9.49, while at Aldi, the price per pound is $6.99.

Out of three popular snack items, Aldi ends up being the cheaper option for two of them. The exception was gummy snacks, where Costco's option is three cents cheaper per ounce.

Gummy snacks are an especially popular snack item for children and adults alike. At Aldi, you pay 25 cents an ounce for their larger size of gummy snacks, whereas at Costco it's only 22 cents an ounce. Saving three cents an ounce can really add up when you're buying in bulk. 

Aldi offers a 10 ounce bag of standard potato chips for $1.74, while a much larger 28 ounce bag at Costco costs $9.99 — Aldi ends up being the better deal here, even though it's not a bulk purchase. Finally, bagged popcorn runs $7.99 at Costco and a similarly sized bag is only $1.99 at Aldi, making the latter an obvious better bargain.

Aldi is cheaper in three out of five frozen food categories and, in some cases, by a significant margin. However, Costco is better priced on frozen fruit and pre-made frozen meals.

A bag of frozen broccoli florets at Aldi costs $1.30, while you get four bags at Costco for $10.99 — this comes out to $2.74 each. Frozen breakfast sandwiches, a popular option for hectic mornings, comes out to $1.24 per sandwich when bought at Aldi or $1.49 at Costco. Non-identical pre-made frozen meals that are similar in size and quality cost $9.99 per pound at Aldi and $8.62 per pound at Costco.

The cheapest box of popsicles at Aldi costs $5.99, whereas a slightly lager size at Costco costs $15.99. A bag of frozen berry medley at Aldi comes out to $3.99 a pound but a similar option at Costco only costs $3.39 a pound.

Aldi ended up being cheaper for four baked goods products and tying with Costco on the final one. Although some products were closely matched, others had Aldi winning by an astonishing landslide.

For our purposes, baked goods referred to bread, fresh baked goods, and boxed baked goods. A loaf of white bread comes out to $3.49 at Costco and only $1.29 at Aldi. Hawaiian sweet rolls come out to 28 cents a roll at Costco and 19 cents a roll at Aldi. Fresh baked cookies at Aldi are 39 cents a cookie, while at Costco, they're 49 cents each.

Fresh croissants cost 72 cents each at Costco and 66 cents each at Aldi. A box of mini muffin snacks at Aldi are $2.59, while they cost $10.99 at Costco — which both works out to 33 cents an ounce, making this a tie. It also appears that Aldi has a much wider assortment of mini muffins, which is great if those are one of your household's go-to snacks.

Out of four canned good products, Aldi ends up being cheaper for all of them. Canned goods are something most people keep stocked in their pantry, so cost savings in this category could end up being significant over the course of a year.

A can of green beans at Costco costs $1.16 but will run you 91 cents at Aldi. A can of black beans at Costco comes in at $1.24, while that same can at Aldi only comes in at 99 cents. Then, we have canned tomato products. Standard canned tomatoes cost $1.37 at Costco and 92 cents at Aldi. A can of tomato sauce costs $1.33 at Costco but only 56 cents at Aldi. The canned tomato products are both organic options because no non-organic options could be found. While this isn't an entirely fair price comparison, they do represent the cheapest available options at either store. 

The numbers are in and it's obvious that Aldi will save you more money than Costco in 2025, hands down. Costco was the better overall option in one category, while Aldi took home the prize in an astonishing eight categories. This wasn't a close call by any means, but a win by a landslide.

That being said, there were a few specific products that were vastly cheaper at Costco, as detailed above. If you're going to the store for a specific product (or a select few products), it may sometimes be worthwhile to shop at Costco instead. Plus, there are some foods under $5 at Costco that weren't covered here that are great deals.

But, if you're doing a complete shopping haul, head to Aldi — and if you're not sure what to pick up while you're there, our writers have lots to say on the topic! Start by checking out the must-have Aldi finds that can save you money, and then discover the hidden gem Aldi snacks you need to try.