Costs and the increasing price of the food in our shopping baskets has become a major concern for shoppers. The topic is especially important since the start of the cost of living crisis, so finding the cheapest supermarket for our essentials has grown more salient as the months have gone on.
October's winner for the title of UK's cheapest UK supermarket has now been named and for the fifth month running it is Aldi that has scooped the title. According to the latest Which? price comparison, shoppers at the budget discounter paid, on average, £75.79 for a basket of 48 grocery items last month.
Closely behind though is Lidl, which came in at second place. The equivalent shop at this retailer totalled £77.68 - a difference of £1.89 compared to Aldi. In third place was Asda, where the basket of items cost £84.98. Tesco followed at £86.21.
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The results were reported by the Mirror, which said that Sainsbury’s shoppers paid £86.36 on average last month, while Morrisons customers forked out £97.72 and Ocado shoppers £93.99. Waitrose was once again the most expensive supermarket, coming in at £101.17 - which is £25.38 more expensive than Aldi.
In the research, Which? also compared the cost of a larger trolley of 148 items - the original 48 plus 100 more - at all the big supermarkets, excluding Aldi and Lidl. Aldi and Lidl are never included in the larger shop comparison, as many brands can’t be found at the discounters. As an example, the larger trolley of goods included items such as Andrex toilet paper and Cathedral City cheese.
The results of this trolley saw Asda crowned as the cheapest again at £348.38, followed by Sainsbury’s on £355.65 and Morrisons where it cost £367.12. Tesco came fourth in the larger shop with the average spend being £370.38, while Ocado shoppers paid £382.30. Waitrose was most expensive at £392.94.
Reena Sewraz, Which? money expert, said: “Food prices everywhere have surged lately but, month after month, our research shows there is money to be saved on the basics if you can get to one of the cheaper supermarkets. Shopping around, checking grocery prices per unit, and writing a list of what you need beforehand are good ways to help you budget.
“Supermarkets have a crucial role to play in helping their customers navigate the tough months ahead so it’s important budget ranges are widely available and pricing is clear.”
Winning brand managing director of buying, Julie Ashfield, at Aldi, said: “As we get closer to Christmas, families across the nation will be looking for ways to cut costs. This can be a challenging period for many in the best of years, but never more so than right now, which is why we remain committed to supporting our customers in every way we can.
“We strive to provide the highest quality products at the best possible price and we’re thrilled that this dedication has been recognised yet again by Which?.”
Here's how the supermarkets scored at a glance
Cheapest supermarket for a basket of 48 items
- Aldi - £75.79
- Lidl - £77.68
- Asda - £84.98
- Tesco - £86.21
- Sainsbury’s - £86.36
- Morrisons - £92.72
- Ocado - £93.99
- Waitrose - £101.17
Cheapest supermarket for a basket of 148 items
- Asda - £348.38
- Sainsbury's - £355.65
- Morrisons - £367.12
- Tesco - £370.38
- Ocado - £382.30
- Waitrose - £392.94
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