Did you know which are the most expensive grocery store items?
We live in difficult times, and we do everything we can to adjust and face them as well as we can. 2023 was the year when inflation was at its peak, and although its rates are reportedly dropping, there are still crazy expensive grocery store items. The economic pressures on households are palpable, with rising energy and transportation costs directly impacting the price of every single item on the shelf. It’s a complex web of factors that leaves many consumers feeling the squeeze.
If you compare the prices for basic food items like milk, butter, eggs, bread, and apples, you’ll be shocked to notice that you’ll pay at least two times more than what you did a few years ago. In some cases, specialty or organic versions of these staples have seen even more dramatic increases, making once-affordable choices feel like luxury purchases. This sustained price elevation has fundamentally changed how many of us approach our weekly shopping.
To stay within our budgets, many of us have had to modify our weekly shopping schedules, and choosing the least expensive stores is the first step. But even if you go to the most affordable store, you’ll still find expensive grocery store items. Effective budgeting now involves more than just store selection; it requires meticulous meal planning, buying certain goods in bulk, leveraging coupons and loyalty programs, and consciously avoiding the siren song of impulse buys, which can quickly derail a carefully planned budget.
Generally speaking, the cost of convenience foods is usually higher than their affordability. These items are usually pre-sliced and peeled so that you won’t waste any time with those prepping steps. This category of products has exploded in recent years, catering to our increasingly busy lifestyles. The premium you pay covers the labor, specialized equipment, and sophisticated packaging required to get that ready-to-use product onto the shelf.
However, everything comes with a cost, and that extra label, the packing, or the additional ingredients can make your grocery bill way higher than you wanted. The price reflects not just the food itself, but the entire supply chain of preparation. Furthermore, these items often have a shorter shelf life, leading to higher rates of spoilage for the store, a cost that is inevitably passed on to the consumer in the form of a higher initial price tag.
If you want to stay within your budget and save money on these already expensive grocery store items, you need to decide if convenience is important to you or not. However, we don’t judge; everybody does what they think is best, but before you add many things to your cart, you should know that these are the most expensive grocery store items: For many, such as busy parents, students, or individuals with mobility challenges, convenience isn’t a luxury but a necessity. The goal here is simply to be an informed consumer, to understand the trade-offs, and to make choices that align with both your lifestyle and your wallet.
1. Pre-cut fruit
If you go to a grocery store and wander around in the produce aisle, you’ll notice lots of fruit slices in plastic containers, beautifully displayed in refrigerators. From pineapple, mango, or simply sliced apples, these tasty foods full of vitamins look appetizing, ready to be eaten, and tempting. The convenience is undeniable—no peeling, no chopping, no mess. It’s the perfect grab-and-go snack for a work lunch or a kid’s school bag, but this ease comes at a significant premium.
However, the cost of this convenience is quite high, and if you get multiple boxes of pre-cut fruit, it will have a big impact on your grocery bill. Beyond the price, pre-cut fruits can also lose some of their nutritional value, like vitamin C, more quickly due to their increased exposure to light and air. You are paying more for a product that might be less nutritious and generates more plastic waste than its whole counterpart. If you have a couple of minutes to spare and you want to save money on these expensive grocery store items, all you need is some patience, a cutting board, and a sharp knife, like this one from Amazon, which does a wonderful job. You can even prep your own “convenience” packs at home by spending 15 minutes on a Sunday cutting up a melon or pineapple and storing it in airtight containers for the week ahead.
2. Granola
Granola is very pricey and we all know it. Every time I go to the store to do some food shopping, I’m amazed by how many granola varieties there are available: from flavored ones, topped with chocolate pieces, spices, dried fruits, honey, or made with different types of grains, there are many options to choose from. The marketing is brilliant, presenting it as the ultimate healthy, wholesome breakfast, often packaged in rustic-looking bags with premium branding that justifies the higher price.
Even though the main ingredient for this crunchy and delicious food is rolled oats, other ingredients can be expensive. Premium nuts like pecans and almonds, exotic dried fruits such as goji berries, and natural sweeteners like pure maple syrup all contribute to the inflated cost. If you love eating oats as a snack or at breakfast, you can stock up on those because they’re still affordable (especially when they come from generic brands) even in the face of inflation. A large canister of plain rolled oats is one of the best bargains in the entire store.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money on these expensive grocery store items when you can easily make them at home. For some delicious granola, you could bake your favorite oats and grains with nuts and seeds and then top them with other amazing things. By making your own, you have complete control over the ingredients. You can reduce the sugar content, use healthier oils, and create custom flavor combinations like apple-cinnamon or tropical coconut-mango. They’ll have less sugar, be tastier, and be more affordable.
3. Trail mix
Nuts are already among the most expensive grocery store items, but something about pairing them with a handful of raisins and other dried fruit makes them even more costly. This is a classic case of value-added pricing; the individual components are marked up significantly once they are combined and marketed as a specialized snack product. The packaging is often designed for single servings, which dramatically increases the cost per ounce.
While trail mix is an amazingly sweet and healthy snack, getting one from the store will only have a couple of serving sizes, but the price tag will surely be double-digit. You might pay five or six dollars for a small bag that contains just a handful of almonds, a few cashews, and a scattering of raisins and M&Ms. The value proposition is often quite poor when you break it down.
But why spend a ton of money on trail mix from the grocery store when you can make a fantastic one at home? Get your favorite nuts and seeds from the farmers market or the store, combine them with fruit, add some cacao nibs if you want a chocolatey flavor, and enjoy. The possibilities are endless: try a savory mix with wasabi peas and sesame sticks, or a sweet version with dried cherries and dark chocolate chunks. You can make a huge batch for the same price as two small store-bought bags.
If you’re looking for some delicious almonds to add to your trail mixes, I recommend you check out these from Amazon. They’re slightly roasted and salted, and they taste wonderful combined with other things as well as on their own. Buying nuts in larger quantities like this is the key to making your homemade trail mix incredibly cost-effective.
4. Guacamole
Many people like to buy pre-guacamole due to its convenience, but this delicious dip isn’t the most affordable one. Avocados can be quite expensive on their own, especially the organic ones or those that are ready to eat, so why not make this green dip at home? The pre-made versions also often contain preservatives and fillers to maintain that vibrant green color and extend shelf life, which can sometimes result in a less fresh, slightly artificial taste.
The ingredients aren’t exactly skyrocket high, and all you need is cilantro, onions, a few chunks of delicious tomatoes, half a lemon, and some garlic powder. You could also add a finely chopped jalapeño for heat or a dash of cumin for a smokier flavor. Even if the cost is similar and it will take you around 15-20 minutes to prep your zesty dip, you’ll have a larger quantity of fresh guacamole to savor with your loved ones. Plus, you get to control the texture—whether you like it chunky or smooth—and the exact flavor balance.
Get a bag of nacho chips from the store, serve them with your tasty homemade guacamole, and enjoy a fabulous movie night with your family. To save even more, you can often find bags of avocados that are slightly smaller or need a day or two to ripen for a much lower price than the perfectly ripe single ones. Planning ahead is key!
Can you name other expensive grocery store items? How do you manage to fit them within your budget?
5. Rice mixes
Rice can be found in many different forms and is an important ingredient in cuisines all around the world. Depending on the dish you’re making, you might be tempted to purchase boxes or bags of rice that have been seasoned with extra flavorings. These products, like rice pilaf or Spanish rice mixes, promise a flavorful side dish with minimal effort, a tempting offer on a busy weeknight.
My wife told me that she thought it was a wise decision to put that box in the cart when she was in the grain aisle and saw boxes marked down to just a few bucks. However, little did she know that rice mixes are actually among the most expensive grocery store items. It’s an easy mistake to make; the low price on the box seems like a great deal at a glance, but the real story is in the unit price.
A box of garlic and herb pilaf costs less than a huge bag of plain rice, but let’s compare these things, shall we? When you calculate the price per pound, which is the most useful level of measurement, those seasoned rice boxes might be almost 5–6 times more expensive. A five-ounce box for $2.50 is vastly more expensive per serving than a five-pound bag of plain rice for $5.00. Those little boxes contain mostly rice and some inexpensive powdered seasonings and dehydrated vegetables.
Just add some of your spices to plain rice if you’re on a budget, pair them with steamed or grilled veggies and some lean protein, and you’ll have the tastiest dish ever. You can easily replicate the flavors by cooking plain rice in chicken or vegetable broth and adding your own garlic powder, onion powder, and dried parsley. It’s cheaper, healthier (as you control the sodium), and just as delicious.
6. Berries
Transportation is another factor responsible for the significantly increased grocery costs. During the off-season, plenty of Americans (including my family) get their much-needed fruits and veggies from farms located far away. The journey requires refrigerated trucks, substantial fuel consumption, and careful logistics to prevent spoilage, all of which are costs baked into that final price you see on the clamshell container.
As you already know, transporting fresh produce is more expensive the more delicate it is. Believe it or not, berries are the smallest package that contains the largest budget buster. Their soft skins make them prone to bruising and mold, meaning a certain percentage of every shipment will be lost. The price of the good berries must cover the cost of the discarded ones.
If they’re not in season where you live, your tasty berries are probably imported from warmer climates south of the US border. Given the large transportation costs, your fruit might end up among the most expensive grocery store items. That small container of raspberries in January has likely traveled thousands of miles to reach your shopping cart, which is reflected in its hefty price tag.
Keep in mind that these fruits can go bad quickly, and you’ll pay a ton of money for a small portion size. If you crave berries or need them for a sweet recipe, you’d better get them frozen when they’re off-season. Frozen berries are picked and flash-frozen at their peak of ripeness, often making them more nutritious and flavorful than the “fresh” off-season alternatives. They’ll be more affordable and are perfect for smoothies, oatmeal, and baking.
7. Bone broth
Contrary to popular belief, bone broth is also among the most expensive grocery store items. Many people think that this drink has wonderful health benefits, thanks to the collagen from animal bones. While bone broth can indeed add more richness to soups and sauces, the ones you get from the supermarket might not be the healthiest. It has been marketed as a superfood, which has allowed brands to charge a premium price for what is essentially well-seasoned stock.
Researchers studied different kinds of bone broths available in several grocery stores, and they discovered that these “wonderful foods” don’t have as much collagen as lots of customers think. The actual protein content can vary wildly between brands, and some are little more than glorified, and expensive, chicken or beef broth with clever packaging. It’s often high in sodium as well.
Moreover, the cost-benefit ratio is not worth the money either, with some broth brands costing around four times more per pound than standard stock. You can easily make your own for a fraction of the cost by simmering leftover chicken carcasses or beef bones from a butcher. Using a slow cooker makes the process incredibly simple—just add the bones, some vegetable scraps (like onion peels and carrot ends), cover with water, and let it simmer all day. If you don’t have time to make your bone broth from scratch, the most affordable option from the store is Better Than Bouillon.
Each eight-ounce container can make 32 cups of broth, which is a good option for those who want to add some nutrients to their meals without breaking the bank. Concentrates like this provide a fantastic middle ground, offering deeper flavor than bouillon cubes at a much better price than pre-made liquid broths, and they last for a very long time in the refrigerator.
Do you know any other expensive grocery store items? Leave them in the comments below, and let’s talk about it! We’d love to hear your own tips for navigating high prices, like your secret for making amazing homemade trail mix or how you keep produce fresh longer. If you liked reading this article from The Price Makers and you’d love to check out something else from us, here’s a good post for you: 13 Collection Items That Are Now Worthless
