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Several supermarkets with a large New Jersey presence are among the nation’s cheapest and priciest grocery chains, according to a new ranking.

Consumer Reports worked with New York City-based Strategic Resource Group to determine its list. Last summer, the collaborators compared prices on baskets of commonly purchased items at dozens of retailers in six regions across the U.S.

Membership warehouse clubs and discount grocers emerged as the most budget-friendly options. Meanwhile, popular mainstream chains landed at the higher end of the spectrum. Overall, a 33% difference in prices emerged between the most expensive and least expensive stores, the magazine said.

Compared with prices at the nation’s largest grocery retailer, Walmart, these local chains tended to have cheaper costs on average, according to Consumer Reports:

• Costco Wholesale about 21.4% lower
• BJ’s Wholesale Club about 21% lower
• Lidl about 8.5% lower
• Aldi about 8.3% lower

Local chains at the pricier end relative to Walmart are:

• Whole Foods Market 39.7% higher
• Trader Joe’s 25% higher
• Stop & Shop 22.2% higher
• Wegmans 7.6% higher
• Target 5.9% higher

Rising food costs

Consumer Reports noted that the final numbers consider sale prices and discounts available to shoppers using free store loyalty cards. However, the data does not factor in manufacturer coupons or savings from smartphone apps.

“The comparisons were most robust for mainstream retailers carrying a wide selection of identical national-brand goods that could be compared across supermarkets. The comparison baskets were smaller for the stores that focus on private-label brands or specialty goods, which have fewer items in common with Walmart, our baseline retailer,” the magazine wrote.

The Consumer Reports study comes as the prices of dairy beef and pork products are at – or near – record highs.

According to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of food at home rose 29.4% between March 2020 and December 2025. As a result, the average monthly household grocery budget has climbed to nearly $700.

Moreover, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Price Outlook projects a 2.3% increase in grocery prices in 2026.