Final Results: Logan / Avondale Grocery Price Survey
Thanks to everyone who has been following this survey since June. Our goal has been to create useful information for our community— at a time when working families are feeling the pinch of rising prices.
Each month, Keepgoing’s data assistant Elijah Yonker and I visited all ten stores, walked the aisles, and collected the real-world prices ourselves. Along the way, we noticed consistent differences between in-store prices and what shoppers see online—before even factoring in any delivery fees. Want to save money? Go to the store yourself.
Looking ahead, the Chicago City Council will begin working in September to address the city’s projected $1.2 billion shortfall in the 2026 budget. The Mayor’s Office has already started floating new revenue ideas, including a rumored City Grocery Tax. The State of Illinois Grocery Tax is set to expire on December 31, 2025.
Working families already spend up to a third of their income on groceries. We urge the City Council to not create a new city grocery tax that will hurt our neighbors who can least afford it. Find the money somewhere else. It might not seem like much to some, but to working families, every dollar matters.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics released the July 2025 Consumer Price Index report last week that showed annual inflation was holding steady at 2.7% This was in line with Wall Street expectations which lead to a market rally, but we all know that Wall Street and Fullerton Avenue are two different realities. That 2.7% is on top of the over 23% increase in grocery prices since 2020.
Our August survey was conducted on Saturday August 9th. We visited the following ten grocery stores and if you’re curious, we did buy groceries at each of the stores.
Aldi at 4030 W. Wrightwood
Armitage Produce at 3334 W Armitage
Carnicerias Guanajuato at 3410 N. California
Carnicerias Jimenez at 3850 W. Fullerton
Cermak Fresh Market at 4000 W. Diversey
Fresh Thyme Market at 2500 W. Elston
Jewel-Osco at 3570 N. Elston
Rico Fresh at 3552 W. Armitage
Tony's Fresh Market at 3607 W. Fullerton
Walmart Supercenter at 4626 W. Diversey
We recorded the in-store prices on a basket of eight items. Some the items were more general like milk, eggs, and ground beef, while other items were more specific like a Home Run Inn cheese pizza. And if you have been following our survey for the past three months, we will only give a store credit for stocking large RIPE avocados., not the hard a rock avocados some stores have been carrying. It’s a thing for us. Just a reminder: this is not a recipe, and we’re not endorsing any store. We’re just trying to offer useful info for our community.
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 Gala apples
1 can of La Preferida pinto beans
The ten stores surveyed are in alphabetical order, followed by a summary of our findings—including the average price for each item and how that compares to previous month. The best price we found in August is underlined in orange, and the second-best is underlined in blue.
Here we go!
Aldi
4030 W. Wrightwood
Gallon Whole Milk - $2.63
El Milagro Tortillas - 0.65¢
Large Avocado - (unripe) 0.85¢/lb
Home Run Inn Cheese Pizza - $6.89
1lb Ground Beef 80/20 - $5.49
Dozen Eggs - $2.72
1lb Gala Apples - 0.99¢
La Preferida Pinto Beans - Not Available
Armitage Produce
3334 W Armitage
Gallon Whole Milk - $4.99
El Milagro Tortillas - .66¢
Large Ripe Avocado - $1.99 per
Home Run Inn Cheese Pizza - Not Available
1lb Ground Beef 80/20 - $4.39
Dozen Eggs - $4.99
1lb Gala Apples - $1.19
La Preferida Pinto Beans - $1.29
Carnicerias Guanajuato
3410 N. California
Gallon Whole Milk - $5.49
El Milagro Tortillas - 0.69¢
Large Ripe Avocado - $1.99
Home Run Inn Cheese Pizza - Not Available
1lb Ground Beef 80/20 - $3.99
Dozen Eggs - $4.69
1lb Gala Apples - $1.49
La Preferida Pinto Beans - $1.49
Carnicerias Jimenez
3850 W. Fullerton
Gallon Whole Milk - $5.49
El Milagro Tortillas - 0.69¢
Large Ripe Avocado - $1.39 per
Home Run Inn Cheese Pizza - Not Available
1lb Ground Beef 80/20 - $4.99
Dozen Eggs - $4.99
1lb Gala Apples - $.99
La Preferida Pinto Beans - $1.39
Cermak Fresh Market
4000 W. Diversey
Gallon Whole Milk - $4.49
El Milagro Tortillas - 0.60¢
Large Ripe Avocado - $1.49 per
Home Run Inn Cheese Pizza - $9.99
1lb Ground Beef 80/20 - $5.99
Dozen Eggs - $2.79
1lb Gala Apples - 0.99¢
La Preferida Pinto Beans - $1.49
Fresh Thyme Market
2500 N. Elston
Gallon Whole Milk - $5.49
El Milagro Tortillas - Not Available
Large Ripe Avocado - $1.99 per
Home Run Inn Cheese Pizza - $10.49
1lb Ground Beef 80/20 - $6.49
Dozen Eggs - $2.99
1lb Gala Apples - $1.99
La Preferida Pinto Beans - $2.19
Jewel-Osco
3570 N. Elston
Gallon Whole Milk - $2.99
El Milagro Tortillas - 0.59¢
Large Ripe Avocado - $1.99
Home Run Inn Cheese Pizza - $8.99
1lb Ground Beef 80/20 - $7.49
Dozen Eggs - $4.99
1lb Gala Apples - $1.99
La Preferida Pinto Beans - $2.49
Rico Fresh
3552 W Armitage
Gallon Whole Milk - $4.99
El Milagro Tortillas - .89¢
Large Ripe Avocado - $1.49 per
Home Run Inn Cheese Pizza - Not Available
1lb Ground Beef 80/20 - $4.49
Dozen Eggs - $4.29
1lb Gala Apples - $1.29
La Preferida Pinto Beans - $1.39
Tony's Fresh Market
3607 W. Fullerton
Gallon Whole Milk - $3.49
El Milagro Tortillas - 0.69¢
Large Ripe Avocado - Not Available (only unripe)
Home Run Inn Cheese Pizza - $7.99
1lb Ground Beef 80/20 - $5.79
Dozen Eggs - $3.79
1lb Gala Apples - $.99
La Preferida Pinto Beans - $1.99
Walmart Supercenter
4626 W. Diversey
Gallon Whole Milk - $2.64
El Milagro Tortillas - 0.66¢
Large Ripe Avocado - Not Available (only unripe)
Home Run Inn Cheese Pizza - $6.98
1lb Ground Beef 80/20 - $6.49
Dozen Eggs - $2.96
1lb Gala Apples - $1.37
La Preferida Pinto Beans - $1.42
August 2025 Average
Prices for Each Item
Gallon Whole Milk - $4.27 Up 4.1%
El Milagro Tortillas - 0.68¢ Up 3.0%
Large Ripe Avocado - $1.51 Down 13.7%
Home Run Inn Cheese Pizza - $8.56 Down 1.8%
1lb Ground Beef 80/20 - $5.56 Up 4.1%
Dozen Eggs - $3.92 Down 1.0%
1lb Gala Apples - $1.33 Down 11.9%
La Preferida Pinto Beans - $1.68 Down 3.4%
Final Results of Our Survey
The average prices of the two produce items in our basket (avocados and apples) went down in August. The peak season for US grown avocados is May through August, so it looks like those US avocados helped offset some of increases we saw earlier in the year caused by the current administration’s tariffs on Mexican imports. Apples are also in season in late summer.
The average price of ground beef was up 4.1% in August and was up 1.4% over June when we began our survey. The most affordable meat prices in our survey were found at Carnicerias Guanajuato and Carnicerias Jimenez. The price of ground beef (carne molida) at Carnicerias Guanajuato was 46% lower than Jewel’s price ($3.99 vs $7.49). If you are a carnivore you should check out the carnicerias in our neighborhood.
The larger grocery store chains like Aldi, Walmart, and Jewel consistently had lower prices on milk and eggs. These are larger chains that have the scale to be able negotiate lower prices with food wholesalers. If you eat a vegetarian diet centered around dairy and eggs (lacto-ovo) and are on a budget, you may want to consider these stores.
To determine the final results of our three-month survey, we compared the price of each item in our basket at each store to that item's average monthly price. For every item a store had below the monthly average, it earned one point. We then totaled the points (for July & August) and grouped the stores into three categories: Super Savers, Mid Markets, and Must Be Nice.
Only one store in our survey was in the Must Be Nice category (0-4 points) and that was Fresh Thyme. This was survey on affordability, not selection. Stores like Fresh Thyme offer a wide selection of higher end groceries but it would be difficult for a family on a budget to shop there consistently.
Six of the ten stores in our survey ended up in the Mid Markets category (5-9 points). They are in order : Tony’s (5), Jewel (5), Guanajuato (5), Rico Fresh (7), Jimenez (8), and Armitage Produce (9). They all had first and second place finishes over the course of the survey and a balance of items in our basket that were over or under the monthly average. They are all solid average grocery stores.
The three standout stores in our survey were the Super Savers—those earning 10 points or more. Cermak Fresh Market (10 points) didn’t have many first-place finishes, but many of its basket items were priced consistently below the monthly average. The Walmart Supercenter on Diversey (11 points) also had few first-place finishes, but its prices were regularly under the average as well. Again, this study focused on affordability.
The store in our community (roughly Logan Square, Avondale, and Kelvyn Park) that offered the most affordable groceries was the Aldi at 4030 W. Wrightwood. Aldi led this survey from start to finish, offering the lowest prices on our basket items nine times and prices below the monthly average thirteen times (13 points). The location was also remodeled over the past few years. You just have to remember to bring your own bags and a quarter for the cart.
Thanks so much for following along over the past three months. This survey idea came to me while I was bouncing from store to store, trying to find the most affordable groceries. I wanted to base my shopping decisions on real data—not just habit or assumptions. I hope you found it helpful! If you did, feel free to share it with your neighbors and hit the button below to sign up for our monthly newsletter. Enjoy the rest of your summer, and we’ll see you next month. – G