The Cheapest Grocery Store in Every State, According to New Data

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Every señora knows the quiet math of running a household: the same trip to the store costs more than it did last year, and the year before that. It’s not in your head. The price of food is expected to rise another 3.2% this year, according to the USDA — and the average American household now spends more than $6,000 a year on groceries, up 34% from 2019, per WalletHub. That’s roughly $519 a month walking out the door in paper bags.

So where you shop matters more than it used to. New analysis from Freedom Debt Relief broke down the most affordable major grocery chain in each state, and the results are worth a look — because the cheapest option near you may not be the one you’ve been driving to.

Aldi wins most of the country

The headline finding: Aldi is the most affordable major grocery chain in 31 states. If you’ve been Aldi-curious but never made the trip — the quarter-for-a-cart, bring-your-own-bag, no-frills operation — the numbers say it’s worth it. On the other end, Whole Foods came out as the most expensive chain in 41 states, which will surprise approximately no one who has bought organic berries there.

But Aldi doesn’t win everywhere. In a handful of states, the cheapest cart belongs to Lidl, Walmart, or WinCo Foods.

The cheapest grocery store in every state

Here’s the full list, alphabetically. Keep in mind these reflect each chain’s national average price position, not a store-by-store audit of your exact neighborhood.

• Alabama: Aldi
• Alaska: Walmart
• Arizona: Aldi
• Arkansas: Aldi
• California: Aldi
• Colorado: Walmart
• Connecticut: Aldi
• Delaware: Lidl
• Florida: Aldi
• Georgia: Lidl
• Hawaii: Walmart
• Idaho: WinCo Foods
• Illinois: Aldi
• Indiana: Aldi
• Iowa: Aldi
• Kansas: Aldi
• Kentucky: Aldi
• Louisiana: Aldi
• Maine: Aldi
• Maryland: Aldi
• Massachusetts: Aldi
• Michigan: Aldi
• Minnesota: Aldi
• Mississippi: Aldi
• Missouri: Aldi
• Montana: WinCo Foods
• Nebraska: Aldi
• Nevada: Aldi
• New Hampshire: Aldi
• New Jersey: Lidl
• New Mexico: Walmart
• New York: Lidl
• North Carolina: Lidl
• North Dakota: Aldi
• Ohio: Aldi
• Oklahoma: Aldi
• Oregon: WinCo Foods
• Pennsylvania: Lidl
• Rhode Island: Aldi
• South Carolina: Lidl
• South Dakota: Aldi
• Tennessee: Aldi
• Texas: Aldi
• Utah: WinCo Foods
• Vermont: Aldi
• Virginia: Lidl
• Washington: WinCo Foods
• West Virginia: Aldi
• Wisconsin: Aldi
• Wyoming: Walmart

How the ranking was done

For the curious: Freedom Debt Relief built its list from Consumer Reports’ 2026 grocery price comparison, which ranks retailers against Walmart on the cost of common groceries. They then looked at which chains actually operate in each state, sorted them lowest to highest, and calculated the gap between them. Warehouse clubs like Costco were left out, since membership fees and bulk sizes make them hard to compare fairly.

The señora footnote

A list like this is useful, but our grandmothers would remind us it’s only half the story. The cheapest store only saves you money if you shop it the way they shopped: a list made before you leave, a full pantry of beans and rice doing the heavy lifting, cooking at home more nights than not, and letting very little go to waste. The store is the tool. The habits are the savings.

Still — if one of these chains is near you and you haven’t tried it, that’s an easy trip to make this week.