Which Grocery Store Offers the Best Prices?
According to the USDA, working families now spend up to a third of their income on food—and grocery prices have jumped more than 23% since 2020. This rise is driven by several factors: pandemic-related supply chain disruptions, outbreaks like the Avian Flu, and the broad tariffs imposed by the current administration in Washington, to name a few.
Last year, during our grassroots campaign for State Senate, we knocked on thousands of doors. We asked people what was keeping them up at night—and one of the most common answers was: the rising cost of groceries.
That’s why ending Illinois’ grocery tax was a key part of our Action Plan for Working Families. So when Governor Pritzker adopted the same idea and included it in this year’s state budget, we were incredibly proud.
Starting January 1, 2026, Illinois’ state sales tax on groceries will be gone.
But here’s the catch: just because the state eliminated the tax doesn’t mean other levels of government won’t bring it back. Right now, the Chicago City Council is considering reinstating a local grocery tax. We strongly urge city leaders not to revive this regressive tax—because it hits working families the hardest.
This issue matters to me personally because I do the grocery shopping for my family. And if you’re someone who runs into the store and is out in five minutes—you should never shop with me. I break everything down to the ounce, to the pound, and I’ll walk out of a store if the math doesn’t add up.
As prices have risen, I’ve started going to multiple stores to find the best deals. It’s not easy—prices change all the time, and not every store stocks the same items. So I decided to take a more systematic approach.
Inspired by the Consumer Price Index, I created a standard “basket of goods” to track average prices at grocery stores in our neighborhood. I chose common items that most stores carry. This is not supposed to be a recipe, and I’m not endorsing any store. I’m just trying to provide useful information for our community.
Here’s what’s in the basket:
1 gallon of whole milk
1 package of El Milagro corn tortillas
1 large ripe avocado
1 Home Run Inn frozen cheese pizza
1 pound of ground beef (80/20)
1 dozen eggs
1 pound of apples
1 can of La Preferida pinto beans
Below, you’ll find the prices for these items at eight neighborhood grocery stores (in alphabetical order) followed by a summary of our findings. The best price found in our June test will be underlined in orange. The second best price will be underlined in blue.
All the prices were gathered on the same day—Thursday, June 5, 2025—to ensure consistency.
We’ll be updating these numbers again in July and August to look for trends. Make sure to share this info with your neighbors and to check our July and August updates for the complete results.
Aldi
4030 W. Wrightwood
Gallon Whole Milk - Friendly Farms $2.42
El Milagro Tortillas - 0.65¢
Large Avocado - (Hass) 0.85¢/lb
Home Run Inn Cheese Pizza - $6.79
1lb Ground Beef 80/20 - $4.69
Dozen Eggs - $2.96
1lb Apples - Red Delicious 0.83¢
La Preferida Pinto Beans - Not Available
Carnicerias Guanajuato
3410 N. California
Gallon Whole Milk - Prairie Farms $4.99
El Milagro Tortillas - 0.69¢
Large Avocado - (Ripe) $2.49/item
Home Run Inn Cheese Pizza - not available
1lb Ground Beef 80/20 - $3.99 (Carne Molido)
Dozen Eggs - $4.79
Cheapest Apples - Green 0.99¢
La Preferida Pinto Beans - $1.49
Carnicerias Jimenez
3850 W. Fullerton
Gallon Whole Milk - Dairy Farmers of America $5.49
El Milagro Tortillas - 0.69¢
Large Avocado - (Ripe) $1.79/item
Home Run Inn Cheese Pizza - Not Available
1lb Ground Beef 80/20 - $4.99
Dozen Eggs - $3.49
Cheapest Apples - Fuji 0.89¢
La Preferida Pinto Beans - $1.39
Cermak Fresh Market
4000 W. Diversey
Gallon Whole Milk - Kemps $4.99
El Milagro Tortillas - 0.60¢
Large Avocado - (Hass) $1.99/item
Home Run Inn Cheese Pizza - $9.99
1lb Ground Beef 80/20 - $6.69
Dozen Eggs - $3.69
Cheapest Apples - Gala 0.99¢
La Preferida Pinto Beans - $1.29
Fresh Thyme Market
2500 N. Elston
Gallon Whole Milk - Prairie Farms $4.99
El Milagro Tortillas - Not Available
Large Avocado - (Hass) $1.95/item
Home Run Inn Cheese Pizza - $10.49
1lb Ground Beef 80/20 - $5.99
Dozen Eggs - $3.99
Cheapest Apples - (All) $1.49
La Preferida Pinto Beans - $2.19
Jewel-Osco
3570 N. Elston
Gallon Whole Milk - Store Brand $2.99
El Milagro Tortillas - 0.59¢
Large Avocado - (Hass) 0.39¢/lb
Home Run Inn Cheese Pizza - $7.99
1lb Ground Beef 80/20 - $6.99
Dozen Eggs - $2.99
Cheapest Apples - Red Delicious 0.99¢
La Preferida Pinto Beans - $1.99
Tony's Fresh Market
3607 W. Fullerton
Gallon Whole Milk - Country Dairy $3.99
El Milagro Tortillas - 0.69¢
Large Avocado - (Hass) $2.99/item
Home Run Inn Cheese Pizza - $10.99
1lb Ground Beef 80/20 - $5.99
Dozen Eggs - $3.99
Cheapest Apples - (All) $1.99
La Preferida Pinto Beans - $2.49
Walmart Supercenter
4626 W. Diversey
Gallon Whole Milk - Prairie Farms $5.32
El Milagro Tortillas - 0.66¢
Large Avocado - (Hass) 0.97¢/lb
Home Run Inn Cheese Pizza - $6.97
1lb Ground Beef 80/20 - $5.75
Dozen Eggs - $2.96
Cheapest Apples - Red Delicious $2.96
La Preferida Pinto Beans - $1.42
Our Findings For June
The Aldi at 4030 W. Wrightwood had best prices for the items in our basket and is the winner for June. The had the lowest prices for milk, eggs, apples, and the Home Run Inn Cheese Pizza, plus a second place finish for ground beef.
Honorable mentions to Canicerias Jimenez and Canicerias Guanajuato for their butcher counters, competitive meat prices, and actually ripe (not Hass) avocados. The old reliable Jewel also had many prices that were below our test averages.
The only big box store in our test, Walmart recorded two second place finishes, in pizza and eggs.
Fresh Thyme and Tony’s Finer Foods on Fullerton did not record and a first or second place finish in our June test. We’ll see what happens in July and August.
Do you have a go-to grocery store in Logan Square, Avondale, Hermosa, or a nearby neighborhood? Please let us know and we’ll add it to our July and August survey. I also wanted to thank Elijah Yonker for contributing to this project. Be safe and keepgoing. - G