Comparing Grocery Buys at Kroger and Safeway, Section by Section

There are 2,782 retail grocery stores in 35 states that are under the Kroger brand family, while Safeway operates over 2,200 stores in 33 states and Washington, D.C. The scope of each grocery chain is comparable, but which one has the better prices? To find out GOBankingRates compared the prices at Kroger and Safeway up and down each grocery aisle, comparing both name-brand and store-brand products.

Click through to find out how the grocery buys compare.

One bunch of organic carrots at Kroger: $1.99One bunch of organic carrots at Safeway: $2.19

Large Granny Smith apples at Kroger: $1.49 eachExtra large Granny Smith apples at Safeway: 80 cents each

If you’re shopping for organic produce, head to Kroger. A bunch of organic carrots at Kroger costs less than organic carrots at Safeway. However, Safeway has the cheaper apples. An extra-large Granny Smith apple at Safeway costs a little more than half the cost of a smaller Granny Smith apple at Kroger. So far there’s no clear price winner.

One pint of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia Ice Cream at Kroger: $5.49One pint of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia Ice Cream at Safeway: $6.29

12-ounce bag of Kroger brand golden sweet corn at Kroger: $112-ounce bag of Signature Kitchens super sweet steam-in-bag corn at Safeway: $1.50

The same pint of ice cream costs 80 cents more at Safeway, and a bag of frozen corn is 50 cents more at Safeway. However, Safeway’s frozen corn can be cooked right in the bag, so that added convenience could be worth the extra money. Learn the best times to buy fresh vegetables, and the best times to buy frozen.

5-ounce can of Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Vegetable Oil at Kroger: $1.195-ounce can of Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Vegetable Oil at Safeway: $1.25

15-ounce can of Kroger brand yellow cling sliced peaches in extra light syrup at Kroger: 99 cents15-ounce can of Signature Select yellow cling sliced peaches in extra light syrup at Safeway: $1.50

The cost of name-brand tuna fish is comparable in both supermarkets, though it’s slightly cheaper at Kroger. Kroger also has the cheaper store brand canned peaches, so Kroger is the clear winner in this category. See which supermarket buys are a waste of money.

24-pack of 12-ounce cans of Sprite at Kroger: $8.3924-pack of 12-ounce cans of Sprite at Safeway: $9.59

64-ounce bottle of Kroger brand no sugar added 100 percent apple juice at Kroger: $1.3964-ounce bottle of Signature Kitchens apple juice at Safeway: $2.00

Kroger is the clear winner in the juice and beverages category. A 24-pack of Sprite is about $1.20 cheaper at Kroger, and store-brand apple juice is cheaper there as well. Stick with careful shopping habits to save hundreds on groceries.

17-ounce box of Honey Nut Cheerios at Kroger: $4.1917-ounce box of Honey Nut Cheerios at Safeway: $3.99

18.7-ounce box of Kroger Raisin Bran Crunchy Cereal at Kroger: $2.2918.7-ounce box of Signature Kitchens Raisin Bran cereal at Safeway: $2.99

Safeway has the less expensive name-brand cereal, while Kroger has the cheaper store-brand cereal. The supermarkets are a tie in the cereal aisle.

If you’re a grocery store member you’ll get even better deals, but retail analytics mean low prices come with a cost.

8-ounce bag of Cheetos Puffs at Kroger: $3.298-ounce bag of Cheetos Puffs at Safeway: $4.29

12-ounce bag of Kroger brand pretzel rods at Kroger: 99 cents10-ounce bag of The Snack Artist pretzel rods at Safeway: $1.79

Cheetos are $1 less at Kroger, and their store brand snacks are cheaper too. A bag of pretzel rods costs 80 cents less at Kroger, and you get two extra ounces for the price. Kroger is the clear winner in the snacks category.

24-ounce bag of Perdue Perfect Portions Italian Style Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts at Kroger: $8.9924-ounce bag of Perdue Perfect Portions Italian Style Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts at Safeway: $12.39

16-ounce Kroger brand sliced bacon at Kroger: $3.9916-ounce Signature Farms hickory smoked sliced bacon at Safeway: $4.99

Meat lovers should head to Kroger for their protein purchases. The store has Perdue chicken breasts for over $3 less than the cost at Safeway, and store-brand bacon is cheaper at Kroger as well.

1 pound farm-raised Atlantic salmon fillets at Kroger: $8.991 pound Atlantic salmon fillets at Safeway: $7.99

Two 1-pound bags of Kroger brand large raw shell-on shrimp at Kroger: $31.962-pound bag of waterfrontBISTRO large raw tail- and shell-on shrimp at Safeway: $30.18

Head to Safeway for your seafood. Salmon fillets are a dollar cheaper at Safeway, and the grocery store also has better prices for raw shrimp on a per-pound basis.

12 Eggland’s Best Grade A large eggs at Kroger: $2.8912 Eggland’s Best Grade A large eggs at Safeway: $3.69

Kroger beats out Safeway when it comes to the price of eggs, with a dozen Eggland’s Best eggs costing 80 cents less at Kroger. Use an egg to spice up a boring meal.

20-ounce loaf of Nature’s Own Honey Wheat bread at Kroger: $3.2920-ounce loaf of Nature’s Own Honey Wheat bread at Safeway: $3.89

15-ounce package of Kroger ChipMates chewy chocolate chip cookies at Kroger: $1.4913-ounce package of Signature Kitchens chewy Treasure Chips cookies at Safeway: $2.50

Save some dough by buying bread and baked goods at Kroger. The store has brand-name honey wheat bread for 60 cents less than at Safeway, and their store brand chewy chocolate chip cookies are over a dollar cheaper. You’ll also get an extra two ounces of cookies at Kroger.

12-ounce package of Kraft American Cheese Singles at Kroger: $3.19
12-ounce package of Kraft American Cheese Singles at Safeway: $4.99

1 gallon of Kroger-brand fat-free skim milk at Kroger: $1.691 gallon Pantry Essentials fat-free milk at Safeway: $3.99

The next time you run out of milk, head to Kroger instead of Safeway. A gallon of fat-free milk costs $2.30 less there, and if you find yourself going through a gallon a week, those savings would add up to $119.60 a year. Cheese is also cheaper at Kroger, with Kraft Singles selling for almost $2 less than at Safeway.

16-ounce box of Barilla spaghetti at Kroger: $1.29
16-ounce box of Barilla spaghetti at Safeway: $2.19

16-ounce box of Kroger-brand penne rigate pasta at Kroger: $116-ounce box of Signature select penne rigate pasta at Safeway: $1

Both supermarkets have low prices on pasta, especially if you’re buying store brand. If you’d rather buy a name-brand spaghetti, Kroger has the cheaper option.

4-count Land O’ Lakes salted butter at Kroger: $4.594-count Land O’ Lakes salted butter at Safeway: $6.79

5-pound bag of Kroger brand all-purpose enriched flour at Kroger: $1.295-pound bag of Signature Kitchens all-purpose pre-sifted enriched flour at Safeway: $3

Before you bake your next cake or batch of cookies, be sure you’re buying your supplies at Kroger instead of Safeway. Land O’ Lakes butter is over $2 cheaper at Kroger, and flour is less than half the price there compared to Safeway.

48-ounce bottle of Wesson canola oil at Kroger: $3.8948-ounce bottle of Wesson canola oil at Safeway: $4.99

25.5-ounce bottle of Kroger brand extra virgin olive oil at Kroger: $4.4925.4-ounce bottle of Signature Select extra virgin at Safeway: $9.49

Kroger is the better bet for cooking oils. A bottle of Wesson canola oil is more than $1 cheaper at Kroger, and store-brand olive oil is $5 less at Kroger, too.

Although Safeway beat out Kroger with better prices on some items, Kroger is the overall winner. The total cost of a grocery haul that includes all the products previously listed is $116.12 at Kroger and $140.45 at Safeway — that’s a difference of $24.33. So even if you’re a bit closer to a Safeway store, it’s probably worth the extra drive to head to Kroger for your next shopping trip.

Click through to learn the grocery-shopping hacks from insiders that will save you money.

GOBankingRates sourced online prices at the nearest Kroger and Safeway stores to the Washington, D.C. zip code 20035. Prices were sourced from the Mechanicsville, Va. location of Kroger and the Washington, D.C. location of Safeway on March 26, 2018. Store prices vary by region and location.