10 staples. Four stores. Real prices.
We priced 10 household staples at Coles, Woolworths, ALDI and Harris Farm. Here's what a basic shop costs at each store this week.
Pinch tracks real grocery prices at Coles, Woolworths, ALDI and Harris Farm, with 52 weeks of price history on 74,000+ products. We picked 10 items that appear on almost every Australian shopping list and priced them at all four retailers. No specials, no loyalty cards, no catalogue deals. Just what you'd pay walking in today.
...and the verdict?
Total at ALDI: $46.82. Coles: $38.95. Woolies: $42.46. Harris Farm: $43.42.
The 10 staples.
Milk, bread, eggs, bananas, chicken breast, cheese, butter, pasta, tinned tomatoes, rice. These aren't exotic. They're the baseline of an Australian household shop. If you can't get these right, nothing else matters.
| Item | Size | ALDI | Coles | Woolies | Harris Farm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full cream milk | 2L | $3.55 | $3.55 | $3.55 | $3.10 |
| White bread | 650g | $2.39 | $2.80 | $2.50 | $3.19 |
| Free range eggs | 12pk | $5.99 | $5.00 | $6.20 | $5.99 |
| Bananas | 1kg | $4.49 | $4.30 | $4.53 | $4.29 |
| Chicken breast | ~1kg | $10.99 | $8.70 | $9.43 | $5.39 |
| Cheddar cheese | 500g | $6.99 | $6.00 | $7.70 | $9.50 |
| Butter | 500g | $6.99 | $4.80 | $4.90 | $4.29 |
| Pasta (spaghetti) | 500g | $0.89 | $0.90 | $0.90 | $1.69 |
| Tinned tomatoes | 400g | $0.95 | $1.10 | $0.95 | $1.69 |
| Long grain rice | 1kg | $3.59 | $1.80 | $1.80 | $4.29 |
| Total | $46.82 | $38.95 | $42.46 | $43.42 |
The unit price picture.
Sticker price tells you what you'll spend at the checkout. Unit price tells you what you're actually getting. On these 10 items, the sticker and unit price winners match for most products. But two are worth noting:
- Chicken breast: Harris Farm works out to $8.99/kg. Coles and Woolworths sell smaller packs at $14.50/kg, nearly double per kilo. If you buy chicken regularly, the retailer you choose matters more here than almost anywhere else.
- Cheese: Coles has the lowest sticker price ($6.00) but ALDI has the best unit rate ($1.40/100g vs $2.40/100g at Coles). Different pack sizes make the sticker misleading.
What this tells you about where to shop.
For a pure staples run, Coles is cheapest overall at $38.95. Harris Farm wins the most individual items (4 out of 10), driven by sharp pricing on chicken, butter, milk, and bananas. But winning the most items is not the same as winning the basket.
The more useful question is: which store is cheapest for your list? That's what Pinch does. Paste a recipe or build a shopping list, and it prices the whole thing at every store automatically.
How these prices move.
This is a snapshot. Grocery prices aren't fixed. Milk and eggs are relatively stable (within 5-10% across a year). Fresh produce moves with seasons and supply. Chicken breast fluctuates with promotional cycles at Coles and Woolworths.
ALDI tends to hold prices flat for longer periods. Coles and Woolworths cycle more aggressively, which means you'll occasionally catch a lower price during a promotional window, but you'll pay more the rest of the time. See our hi-lo pricing analysis for the full pattern.
Track prices before you shop
Pinch shows you 52 weeks of price history across Coles, Woolworths, ALDI, and Harris Farm. Know when to buy, know when to skip.
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Methodology
- Products: 10 common household staples, cheapest own-brand or national brand equivalent per retailer
- Pricing date: 27 May 2026, sourced from Pinch's database
- Retailers: ALDI, Coles, Woolworths, Harris Farm Markets
- Pack sizes: Closest equivalent size per retailer. Where sizes differ, unit price is calculated for comparison.
- Exclusions: No loyalty discounts, catalogue specials, or membership prices applied