Updated Feb. 26, 2026: Each week, we'll post a new weekly table of prices for 11 staple grocery items to help you compare across multiple Triangle area stores.
The goal is to help shoppers track the change in prices over time and make a decision about where to shop each week.
Other WRAL Top Stories
What are the top deals this week?
The average cost of our cart of items is $23.65, which is slightly higher than the average price last week ($23.15).
The store with the lowest price for all grocery staples is Food Lion, coming to about $20.62. Food Lion has chicken breast at $1.99 per pound this week.
WRAL Smart Shopper uses the specifications below to find the cheapest prices on the following staple items.
What food staple items is WRAL's SmartShopper tracking?
- Russet potatoes, price per pound (usually in a 5 to 10 lb bag)
- Carrots, baby cut and peeled, 1 lb. bag.
- Bananas, price per pound
- Iceberg lettuce, price per head
- Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, fresh (often sold in value packs). We'll report the price per pound.
- 80% lean ground beef (often sold in value packs). We'll report the price per pound.
- Eggs, Large, 1 dozen store brand
- Milk, 2%, 1 gallon
- White sandwich bread, 20-22 oz., usually store brand
- Peanut butter, 16-18 oz., usually store brand
- Grape Jelly (or other flavor if grape not avail.), 18-20 oz, usually store brand
What are some of the most popular grocery stores in the Triangle?
- ALDI
- Food Lion
- Harris Teeter
- Lowes Foods
- Walmart
- Wegmans
What are prices of grocery staples this week?
Grocery prices are for stores in the Raleigh and Cary area as of Feb. 26, 2026.
| Item | Food Lion | Harris Teeter | Lowes Foods | Wegmans | Walmart | Aldi | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gallon 2% milk | $2.39 | $2.99 | $2.39 | $2.79 | $2.43 | $2.39 | $2.56 |
| white bread | $1.59 | $1.99 | $2.00 | $1.49 | $1.48 | $1.65 | $1.70 |
| chicken breast -boneless, skinless, price per pound) | $1.99 | $2.99 | $2.49 | $2.89 | $2.57 | $2.29 | $2.54 |
| ground beef (80% lean, price per pound) | $4.49 | $4.99 | $4.99 | $5.49 | $4.75 | $5.49 | $5.03 |
| dozen eggs | $1.99 | $2.49 | $1.99 | $2.29 | $1.67 | $1.85 | $2.05 |
| potatoes (per lb in 5-10 lb bag) | $0.40 | $0.74 | $1.00 | $0.82 | $0.49 | $0.88 | $0.72 |
| baby carrots (price per 1 pound bag) | $1.19 | $1.99 | $2.00 | $1.19 | $1.17 | $1.89 | $1.57 |
| peanut butter (16-18 oz jar ) | $2.00 | $2.00 | $2.99 | $2.29 | $1.98 | $2.19 | $2.24 |
| grape jelly (18-20 oz jar) | $2.39 | $2.99 | $1.99 | $2.79 | $1.98 | $2.75 | $2.48 |
| bananas (price per pound) | $0.50 | $0.55 | $0.69 | $0.59 | $0.50 | $0.49 | $0.55 |
| iceberg lettuce | $1.69 | $1.59 | $2.49 | $2.59 | $2.28 | $2.55 | $2.20 |
| All items, total | $20.62 | $25.31 | $25.02 | $25.22 | $21.30 | $24.42 | $23.65 |
AVG. TOTAL PRICE BY WEEK
Comparing grocery prices over the past month for staple items sold at grocery stores in the Raleigh and Cary area.
| Item | Feb 4 | Feb. 12 | Feb. 19 | Feb. 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2% milk | $2.53 | $2.56 | $2.46 | $2.56 |
| white bread | $1.62 | $1.77 | $1.62 | $1.70 |
| chicken breast | $2.69 | $2.69 | $2.62 | $2.54 |
| ground beef | $5.25 | $5.22 | $5.20 | $5.03 |
| dozen eggs | $2.15 | $2.15 | $2.10 | $2.05 |
| potatoes per pound | $0.82 | $0.80 | $0.73 | $0.72 |
| baby carrots | $1.48 | $1.45 | $1.45 | $1.57 |
| peanut butter | $2.27 | $2.27 | $2.02 | $2.24 |
| grape jelly | $2.38 | $2.52 | $2.33 | $2.48 |
| bananas | $0.55 | $0.55 | $0.54 | $0.55 |
| iceberg lettuce | $2.09 | $2.13 | $2.08 | $2.20 |
| Avg. total | $23.83 | $24.10 | $23.15 | $23.65 |
Tracking methodology
Each week, we will track the prices from the stores mentioned above by using the store websites, online shopping portals or apps. Prices will be for stores in either Raleigh or Cary.
These prices are only valid at the specific Triangle area stores that were checked that week, and prices may vary from store to store even within the same chain in the same town. To verify the price at your store, head to the website or the app.
Here's how we find the prices each week:
ALDI prices were found by shopping online selecting pick-up at the Wake Forest Road location in Raleigh.
Food Lion prices were found on the Food Lion website at the store on Jones Franklin Road in Raleigh. Many of the prices are for the Food Lion brand or the "cha-ching" brand.
Harris Teeter prices were found on the Harris Teeter website for the Raleigh store at North Hills.
Lowes Foods prices were found on the Lowes Foods website in their online shopping portal for the Brier Creek location in Raleigh using the Pick-Up option.
Walmart prices were found on the Walmart website for the Raleigh store at 4431 New Bern Ave. for pick-up.
Wegmans prices were found on the Wegmans website for the Raleigh store at Wake Towne Drive for in-store shopping.
Additional considerations:
The prices in the tracker usually reflect store-brand items. The only time a non-store brand product was selected was when a store brand item was not available or a name brand item was a better price than the store brand. In that case, we selected the least expensive item.
Many grocery stores offer discounts when you join their reward/loyalty programs. To get the best price each week at the stores you shop, make sure you scan your reward card or use your phone number linked to your reward card at checkout.
Keep in mind that some grocery stores have fuel rewards programs that allow you to save money on gas at their stations when you buy groceries, which can help you decrease overall living expenses even more.
If the grocery store you shop at offers fuel rewards, be sure to take advantage of the additional savings.