• A Consumer Reports study found that grocery prices can vary by more than 33% between different supermarket chains.
• In Tennessee, most grocery stores are more expensive than Walmart, with Costco, Aldi, and BJ's Wholesale being the exceptions.
• Whole Foods was ranked as the most expensive grocery store, with prices nearly 40% higher than Walmart.

A new report found which grocery stores are more or less expensive than Walmart on average, and Tennessee's grocery stores tend to be much pricier.

A recent Consumer Reports study revealed that shoppers encounter varying prices depending on the supermarket chain they choose. Researchers used Walmart, the nation's largest grocery seller, as a baseline for their price comparisons across major retailers.

The publication found price gaps of more than 33% between the cheapest and most expensive stores.

Across the country, food prices rose 25.5 percent from December 2020 to December 2024, according to an examination of Bureau of Labor Statistics data by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Here are the most expensive grocery stores in Tennessee.

Which grocery stores are the most expensive in Tennessee?

Of the measured grocery stores, Tennessee is home to 12 stores, and only three are less expensive than Walmart.

Costco was the lowest-priced grocery store in both Tennessee and the nation as a whole. Compared to Walmart, Costco was 21.4% cheaper. Other stores in Tennessee that were cheaper than Walmart included Aldi and BJ's Wholesale.

All other grocery stores listed that were in Tennessee were more expensive than Walmart. This includes:

• Target
• Food Lion
• Kroger
• Save A Lot
• Publix
• Piggly Wiggly
• Trader Joe's
• Whole Foods

What are the most expensive grocery stores?

Here's how major grocery chains compare to Walmart, from cheapest to most expensive, according to Consumer Reports:

• Costco Wholesale: -21.4%
• BJ's Wholesale Club: -21.0%
• Lidl: -8.5%
• Aldi: -8.3%
• WinCo: -3.3%
• H-E-B: -0.2%
• Walmart (baseline)
• Market Basket: +1.2%
• Target: +5.9%
• Wegmans: +7.6%
• King Soopers: +7.9%
• Safeway: +8.8%
• Food 4 Less: +9.0%
• Meijer: +9.9%
• Food Lion: +12.5%
• Hannaford: +13.2%
• Kroger: +14.8%
• Stater Bros.: +15.6%
• Save A Lot: +19.3%
• Publix: +20.3%
• Fiesta: +21.7%
• Ralphs: +21.9%
• Stop & Shop: +22.2%
• Piggly Wiggly: +22.6%
• Harris Teeter: +23.5%
• Trader Joe's: +24.6%
• Albertsons: +24.8%
• Tom Thumb: +25.4%
• Big Y: +26.2%
• Vons: +26.6%
• Mariano's: +27.6%
• Jewel-Osco: +29.7%
• El Rancho: +30.1%
• Shaw's: +31.9%
• Whole Foods: +39.7%

Methodology

Consumer Reports collaborated with Strategic Resource Group to rank national-brand items at grocery chains in six U.S. cities: Boston, Chicago, Denver, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, and Virginia Beach. Prices were collected in person from store shelves in late summer 2025, according to the report.

Jordan Green covers trending news for The Commercial Appeal and Tennessee. She can be reached at jordan.green@commercialappeal.com.