We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (2024)

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Food

Maria Noyen and Talia Lakritz

2023-04-12T12:00:00Z

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (1)

Aldi, a German grocery-store retailer, operates over 10,000 stores in more than 10 countries.
Insider visited Aldi stores in the US and the UK to compare the prices of common grocery items.
Prices were generally higher at the Aldi we visited in the US, although some items were larger.

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Aldi is a German-founded grocery retailer with over 10,000 stores in more than 10 countries, including the US and the UK.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (2)

In both countries, amid rising food-price inflation throughout 2022, more shoppers have been flocking to Aldi for cheaper deals, according to reports fromReutersandthe BBC.

We were keen to find out just how cheap food prices at the German grocery store were, and how the prices compared between the US and the UK.

What's more, we — Maria Noyen, a lifestyle reporter who lives in London, and Talia Lakritz, a correspondent who lives in New York City — had never shopped at Aldi beforehand.

During our visits in February 2023, we found that prices in the grocery stores were relatively affordable. However, some items, like eggs, were significantly cheaper in the UK and, overall, our shopping list would cost us far less in the UK.

Here's a closer look at what we found.

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The UK store we visited is located in Maida Vale, a relatively quiet neighborhood in West London.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (3)

Noyen, who lives in Notting Hill, walked 25 minutes to get to her closest branch of Aldi in Maida Vale.

The grocery store is located near a relatively busy intersection within the otherwise quiet neighborhood. During a visit at 1 p.m. on a Friday, the grocery store was more crowded than expected. It was also smaller than we anticipated.

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In New York City, we visited an Aldi store located inside Broadway Plaza, a shopping center in the Bronx.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (4)

Lakritz, who lives in Manhattan, took a 20-minute subway ride to the Bronx.

The Broadway Plaza complex also featured stores such as Best Buy, TJ Maxx, Party City, and Bob's Discount Furniture.

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First up on our grocery list was eggs. In the UK, a family-sized carton of eggs at the Aldi we visited cost £2.29, or around $2.70.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (5)

The eggs, which came in a variety of carton sizes, were advertised as being free range from the UK.

Besides the family-size carton of eggs, which cost £2.29 ($2.70) for 15, there were two other cartons to choose from. The choice was either large or medium-sized eggs.

A pack of six large eggs cost £1.69 ($2) while a pack of six medium-sized eggs cost £1.29 ($1.70).

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In the US, at the store we visited, a carton of large eggs cost a whole dollar more at $3.79 — and that was for fewer eggs.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (6)

Unlike in the UK, where Aldi had several carton sizes to choose from, the Goldhen grade-A eggs were the only ones for sale at this particular store.

The $3.79 carton (£3.15) also contained 12 eggs, compared to the 15 eggs in the family-sized carton we saw in the UK.

Next on our shopping list was butter. In the UK, a package of Aldi's unsalted butter cost £1.99, or around $2.40, at the Maida Vale store.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (7)

For nearly £2, or around $2.40, you get around 250 grams of Aldi-brand butter in the UK store. An identical size of salted butter costs the same amount.

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Butter at the US store was priced at $3.98, but the package provided better value since it was almost twice as large.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (8)

Butter at the US Aldi cost $3.98 (£3.31) for 1 pound, or 453 grams. At $2.40 (£1.99) for 250 grams (a little over half a pound), the UK Aldi's butter proved slightly more expensive.

Bread is another grocery-shopping-list staple of ours. A loaf of wholemeal bread from the Aldi in the UK cost less than a £1.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (9)

The loaf cost £0.84 exactly, or around $1. A similar-sized loaf of white bread cost slightly less at £0.79, or around $0.90.

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Whole-wheat bread cost nearly twice as much at the store we visited in the US, although the loaves were larger.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (10)

At the Aldi we visited in New York City, a loaf of whole-wheat bread cost $1.95 (£1.62). White bread was slightly less expensive at $1.35 (£1.12). Both were slightly larger than the loaves at the UK Aldi.

Two UK pints of whole milk, which is just over a liter, at the British Aldi cost £1.30, or around $1.56.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (11)

Meanwhile, a bottle of semi-skimmed milk — sold in a quantity of 4 pints — was slightly more expensive. It cost £1.65, or around $2.

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In the US store, a gallon of whole milk (just under 4 liters) cost $4.74 (£3.94).

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (12)

Skim and 2% milk cost the same amount. Like with butter, the larger size at Aldi in the US provided better value.

A 500-gram (about 1 pound) pack of macaroni-shaped pasta in the UK cost £0.90, or around $1.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (13)

All of the pasta is sold under Aldi's own brand, Cucina. Different shapes included spaghetti, gnocchi, and tortellini.

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A 2-pound box of macaroni, which is just under double the amount sold at the UK Aldi, was priced at $2.19 (£1.82) at Aldi in the US.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (14)

Aldi's US pasta brand, Reggano, also offered lasagna noodles and shapes like cavatappi.

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A pack of chicken-breast fillets at the Aldi in the UK cost £4.49, or around $5.40.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (15)

The pack was 0.65 kilograms, or 1.4 pounds.

We also noted there was no hot-food section available in the stores we visited. Produce such as chicken could either be bought refrigerated or frozen, but not in the form of a hot rotisserie.

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A pack of three cutlets cost $11.13 at the store in the US, although they were bigger.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (16)

Prices vary based on the size of the chicken breasts, which cost $3.99 (£3.32) per pound.

In the UK store, a pack of mixed-leaf salad cost £0.92, or $1.11.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (17)

Noyen felt it was pretty reasonably priced for a bag of greens for a salad that would likely feed two people.

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But a similarly sized salad mix cost twice as much in the US store.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (18)

A bag of spring mix cost $2.49 (£2.07).

At the Aldi in the UK, canned tuna cost £0.78, or around $0.90.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (19)

Shoppers can choose from either canned tuna in spring water or tuna in brine – both cost the same.

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In the US, a single can of tuna was more expensive at $1.35 (£1.12).

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (20)

It took Lakritz a few tries walking up and down the canned-goods aisle to find the tuna since it was stored on the shelf in a nondescript blue box.

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Apples were one of the last items on our shopping list. A pack of six Granny Smith apples in the UK cost £1.49, or around $1.80, at the store we visited.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (21)

There was a variety of apples to choose from at Aldi in the UK, and they were all located close to the entrance of the store.

Besides the Granny Smiths, there were also Royal Gala apples, which originate from New Zealand. They cost £1.39, or around $1.70.

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The price of apples was much steeper in the US. A bag of six Granny Smith apples cost $4.29 at the New York City store.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (22)

Most of the apple varieties cost between $3.29 and $3.99 (£2.73-£3.32) per bag, but Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples featured a higher price tag of $4.29 (£3.57).

No good trip to the grocery store ends without checking out the dessert section. In the UK, a tub of soft-scoop vanilla ice cream cost £1.55, or around $1.80.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (23)

The ice-cream sandwiches cost £1.69, or around $2.

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A tub of vanilla ice cream at the US Aldi cost $2.49, or just over £2, for a larger amount.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (24)

All of the ice-cream flavors, including chocolate, mint chocolate chip, and butter pecan, cost the same.

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With a few exceptions, we discovered that prices at the Aldi we visited in the UK were significantly lower than at the Aldi in the US.

We visited Aldi in the US and the UK and found that everyday grocery staples, like eggs and bread, were much more expensive in America (25)

While some dairy products, such as milk and butter, were slightly cheaper in the US, grocery shopping at Aldi in the UK proved much less expensive.

Excluding tax, our UK grocery trip would have totaled £21.48, or $25.83, while in the US, we would have spent $38.40 (£31.91) for the items. It means that shopping in the US store would cost us almost 50% more than in the UK store for the items on our list.

Aldi did not respond to Insider's request for comment.