The Costco Items That Offer the Biggest Savings

In return for buying a $65 annual membership, Costco cardholders can stock up on a huge variety of groceries and home or business products at warehouse prices, in addition to other advantages.

Headline pricing and the exclusivity of membership have made the store’s name synonymous with bargain goods. But the annual fee, narrow product range and a comparative lack of local stores (fewer than one Costco for every seven Walmarts in the U.S.) leave some consumers wondering whether it’s worth the effort: “We’ve never been big on convenience,” says Costco CFO Richard Galanti. “Our success has been based on price and value, quality and quantity at the lowest possible price.”

Indeed, Costco’s lack of variety within each product category enables it to develop relationships with brand-name suppliers and ensure the quality of its own-brand Kirkland products. All the same, the amount you can save depends on what’s on your shopping list and how much you buy.

To help you save money, we uncovered the items that offer the biggest bang for your buck by comparing Costco prices for essential groceries to those of Walmart, Kroger and Target.

Key Findings: The best things to buy at Costco.

• The item with the biggest savings at Costco is Red Vines candy, which averages 52.1% less than other top supermarkets.
• Five of the ten items with the biggest savings at Costco vs. other supermarkets are breakfast items, such as Croissants (49.3% less at Costco) and Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake Mix (46.4%).
• Nature Valley Oats ‘n Honey is 47.4% cheaper at Costco than at its rivals — but no other snack is more than 34% cheaper.
• The best savings on meat at Costco is Chicken Thighs, which are 44.3% cheaper than the average across Walmart, Kroger and Target.

Breakfast and candy products offer biggest savings at Costco.

We found 16 products where you can expect to save more than one-third at Costco against average competitor prices. Five of them are breakfast items, and four are candy products. In fact, the classic red licorice candy Red Vines are less than half price at Costco ($0.17 per ounce) compared to Walmart, Kroger and Target (average $0.36 per ounce). With its niche inventory, part of the appeal to regular customers is that there are certain favorites that they can get cheaper or exclusively at Costco, whether from the shelf or the store’s bargain food court.

Sweet snacks offer greater savings than savory at Costco.

Nature Valley Oats ‘n Honey bars are 47.4% cheaper at Costco than at its competitors, with a single bar costing $0.25 against an average of $0.48 elsewhere. Costco takes no prisoners when pricing celebrated snack brands against its supermarket rivals: Nutella dips, Lotus biscuits and Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies are also at least one-fifth cheaper than the average of Walmart, Kroger and Target. The store is also known to offer special limited treats to entice customers, such as February 2025’s Costco-exclusive cotton candy-flavored Kit Kat bar.

Costco’s Kirkland croissants are nearly half the price of those at other supermarkets.

Costco stocks nine breakfast products that work out over a quarter cheaper than the average across its rivals, including six that are over one-third cheaper. Croissants offer the second biggest saving in any category, costing $0.24 per ounce at Costco against $0.47 on average at Walmart, Kroger and Target. Costco’s Kirkland Signature Butter Croissants are renowned for their size and are reputed to perform much better when reheated at home.

Many branded candy products are more than 25% cheaper at Costco.

Red Vines may offer the biggest savings in our study, being 52.1% cheaper at Costco than elsewhere, but the savings on other candies stack up, too. The ten biggest savers all come at upwards of 25% less than Costco’s rivals. And Jelly Belly Jelly Beans, M&M’s Milk Chocolate Candy and Ferrero Rocher all offer savings of over one-third. However, in the case of the Jelly Beans, you’d need to buy the 64-oz barrel to unlock the savings.

Chicken thighs are 44.3% cheaper at Costco, but Sirloin steak only 5.2%.

Savings on meat at Costco are variable. Minimally processed goods like Chicken Thighs, Pork Chops and Chicken Drumsticks offer savings of 25-44.3% compared to the average at rival stores, but beef cuts like New York Steak and Sirloin Steak or Beef Burgers deliver slimmer returns. These are all Costco’s own Kirkland label products, and it is worth noting that the chain built its own beef-processing plant in 1993, where they test the meat every 15 minutes to ensure it is uncontaminated.

Citrus fruits offer best savings in Costco produce aisle.

As a bulk buyer, Costco necessarily deals with a higher level of waste, and organic fruit, in particular, tends to be relatively pricey since it turns more quickly. You may also find that buying fresh fruit in large packets leaves you wasting more fruit at home. Lemons and Limes, perhaps because they’re more durable, work out 42.9% and 34.0% cheaper, respectively, when compared to Walmart, Kroger and Target. However, fresh fruit may be tastier and more nutritious and organic fruit and veg may be cheaper when bought from the farmer’s market.

How to save money on your Costco shop.

Popular grocery products may be up to around 50% cheaper than other supermarkets when bought in bulk at Costco. But making the most of your grocery dollars requires strategic shopping. Here are some principles to remember when planning to shop for groceries at Costco.

• Buy big and infrequently. One study found savings of 33% on a year’s worth of groceries when buying in bulk at Costco. Fewer trips also mean spending less on gas or public transit.
• Avoid buying perishables in bulk. Fill your freezer, but go easy on your fruit bowl. Food that expires before you can eat it is dollars wasted.
• Consider Kirkland products. Many of Costco’s own-brand Kirkland products are supplied by recognized brands, meaning the quality is the same at a lower price.
• Use membership advantages… with care. Costco offers its $130/year Executive Membership at twice the price of the regular membership, offering perks like a 2% reward on your annual spend. However, like the store’s app deals and promotional emails, this perk is ultimately intended to make you spend more in total, even as you make greater savings.

As this last point illustrates, the bottom line is that Costco is a business, and the proprietors are well aware that saving can be addictive. So while the store maintains highly competitive prices on most products — even the tag on its gold bars rose by only 64% across a 19-month period as gold market prices soared by over 70% — Costco should be seen as just one money-saving option in your broader home budget toolkit.

Methodology

We compared the price per ounce of Costco items to the average across three competitors: Walmart, Kroger and Target. Then, we ranked items overall and by category based on the biggest savings at Costco.

To make a fair comparison, we input the same ZIP code for all stores to compare like for like (accounting for regional price differences within the same supermarket chain). For each item, we selected the cheapest option available based on the price per ounce (i.e., if there were jumbo-sized options for a chocolate bar that worked out cheaper per ounce than the regular size, we selected that for comparison).

The data is correct as of May 2025.

DISCLAIMER: This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, tax or legal advice.