The Cheapest Grocery Store for Eggs, Milk, and Butter (I Went to 6 and Was Stunned!)

Eggs, milk, and butter are a few of the groceries that are always on my list. As an attentive and avid grocery shopper (and groceries editor), I keep a close eye on any and all changes in price and availability when I reach the dairy section at my store.

I, like many others, have been painfully aware of the shortages and price fluctuations of these items (and other types of dairy). There’s been continued disruptions in the supply chain due to environmental factors like bird flu, natural disasters, governmental policies, and more. It’s hard to keep up with the shift in prices and availability on a broad scale or know which grocery store has the best price and availability right now. 

That’s why I went to see what’s currently happening in one of my most-frequented aisles. I visited six grocery stores — Walmart, Whole Food’s, Lidl, Trader Joe’s, Target, and Publix — all within a 30-minute radius in Charlotte, North Carolina, on the same day to see which one has the cheapest eggs, whole milk, salted butter, Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese. And let me just say, I have a new go-to store of the moment. 

All six retailers had eggs in stock (yay!). Each carried some form of cage-free eggs, though a few, like Walmart, offered cheaper conventional options. At $3.85 for a dozen, Aldi’s Goldhen Large Cage-Free Eggs were the most affordable overall. Trader Joe’s came close, with a price only 14 cents higher.

• WINNER! Aldi Goldhen Large Cage-Free Eggs, $3.85 for a dozen eggs
• Lidl Organic Cage-Free Eggs, $4.79, for a dozen eggs 
• Publix Greenwise Large Cage-Free Eggs, 7.99 for a dozen eggs
• Trader Joe’s Cage-Free Eggs, $3.99, for a dozen eggs 
• Walmart Marketside Cage-Free Eggs, $5.12 for a dozen eggs 
• 365 Whole Foods Market Salted Butter, $5.49 for a dozen eggs 

Once again, Aldi emerged as the retailer with the most affordable container — just $1.52 for a half gallon. Prices varied in this category, and surprisingly Publix, which was the most expensive, was more than double the price.

• WINNER! Aldi Friendly Farms Whole Milk, $1.52 for half a gallon
• Lidl Whole Milk, $1.55 for half a gallon 
• Publix Greenwise Whole Milk, $4.40 for a half gallon 
• Trader Joe’s Whole Milk, $2.69, for a half gallon
• Walmart Great Value Whole Milk, $1.54 for a half gallon
• 365 Whole Foods Market Whole Milk, $2.79 for a half gallon 

Once again there was a wide range in prices for butter — from $2 up to $6. The cheapest in the bunch was Lidl, at $2.49 for 16 ounces (a whole dollar cheaper than the next cheapest, Aldi). It’s worth picking up a few extra blocks next time you’re at Lidl (butter freezes well, and we’re about to enter baking season).

• Aldi Countryside Creamery Sweet Cream Butter, $3.49 for 16 ounces 
• WINNER! Lidl Salted Sweet Cream Butter, $2.49 for 16 ounces 
• Publix Salted Sweet Cream Butter, $4.12 for 16 ounces 
• Trader Joe’s Organic Salted Butter, $6.29 for 16 ounces 
• Walmart Great Value Sweet Cream Butter, $3.96 for 16 ounces 
• 365 Whole Foods Market Salted Butter, $4.29 for 16 ounces 

If your household regularly goes through cottage cheese, Aldi is your best bet for a restock. While Walmart had the lowest overall price, Aldi offered more product for less per ounce making it the better deal at $0.12 per ounce compared to Walmart’s $0.14 per ounce. 

• WINNER! Aldi Friendly Farms Cottage Cheese, $2.79 for 24 ounces
• Lidl Daisy Cottage Cheese, $4.92 for 32 ounces 
• Publix 4% Milkfat Minimum Cottage Cheese, $2.62 for 16 ounces 
• Trader Joe’s 4% Milkfat Small Curd Cottage Cheese, $2.99 for 16 ounces 
• Walmart Great Value 4% Milkfat Cottage Cheese, $2.24 for 16 ounces 
• 365 Whole Foods Market Organic Cottage Cheese, $3.99 for 16 ounces 

I go through a lot of Greek yogurt in my home (I love a loaded yogurt bowl with peanut butter and chia seeds a few times a week), so I was really excited to see which grocery store has the cheapest tub. Trader Joe’s was the only one under $3, but after comparing the price per ounce, Lidl came out on top. It was just 11 cents per ounce. 

• Aldi Friendly Farms Plain Greek Yogurt, $3.75 for 32 ounces 
• WINNER! Lidl Vanilla Greek Yogurt, $3.62 for 32 ounces 
• Greenwise Greek Yogurt, $4.69 for 24 ounces  
• Trader Joe’s Plain Greek Yogurt, $2.99 for 16 ounces 
• Walmart Great Value Plain Greek Yogurt, $3.54 for 32 ounces 
• 365 Whole Foods Market Plain Greek Yogurt Butter, $4.79 for 32 ounces 

Each retailer has its strengths, so a side-by-side price comparison doesn’t capture the full picture. If you prioritize organic options, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods offer a strong selection of organic dairy and eggs. If you’re focused purely on price, Aldi and Lidl dominated the competition — with Aldi narrowly edging out Lidl as the cheapest overall for dairy and eggs.

Shockingly, Publix was consistently the most expensive brand (even more-so than Whole Foods), which surprised me, because that’s where my family usually shops.

Which store do you prefer? Tell us about it in the comments below.

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: The Cheapest Grocery Store for Eggs, Milk, and Butter (I Went to 6 and Was Stunned!)