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We’ve been going to Trader Joe’s for years whenever we want to get a fanciful bagged lettuce or inexpensive yet gourmet-tasting snack. But there’s a new discount store in town, one that promises many of the same perks as Trader Joe’s, minus some of the frills.

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Aldi is a European grocery store, but it’s been rapidly expanding throughout the US. It’s pretty bare-bones — Aldi tends to have fewer employees in the store and shorter hours of operation and has a few other quirks. For example, you have to “rent” your shopping cart for 25 cents and you have to bring your own bags and bag your purchases yourself.

Similar to Trader Joe’s, Aldi sells a lot of in-house brands that are super-cheap compared to what you might see at a regular grocery store. There’s a large selection of affordable wine too.

But I started wondering — if I only have time to go to Aldi or Trader Joe’s, which should it be? I went to each store (both located in Santa Clarita, California) to see how exactly the prices of some of my most commonly purchased ingredients matched up.

While each store has its strengths — Aldi is better for bulk buying; Trader Joe’s is better for buying specialty items — the prices in the following slides tell their own story.

• Hummus

  

  Aldi: Hummus quartet, $3.99Trader Joe’s: Hummus trio, $3.49Winner: Trader Joe’s

• Canned chickpeas

  

  Aldi: $0.65Trader Joe’s: $0.79Winner: Aldi

• Dark chocolate sea salt caramels

  

  Aldi: $2.99Trader Joe’s: $2.99Winner: Tie

• Eggs, one dozen

  

  Aldi: $0.79Trader Joe’s: $1.79Winner: Aldi

• 90/10 ground beef

  

  Aldi: $4.19 per poundTrader Joe’s: $5.99 per poundWinner: Aldi

• Frozen pizza

  

  Aldi: Supreme pizza, $2.49Trader Joe’s: Pepperoni pizza, $4.99Winner: Aldi

• Wine

  

  Aldi: Winking Owl, $2.39Trader Joe’s: Charles Shaw, $2.99Winner: Aldi

• Whole milk, gallon

  

  Aldi: $2.75Trader Joe’s: $2.99Winner: Aldi

• Onions

  

  Aldi: $0.99 for 3 poundsTrader Joe’s: $0.59 eachWinner: Aldi

• Bananas

  

  Aldi: $0.44 per poundTrader Joe’s: $0.19 eachWinner: Aldi

• Riced cauliflower

  

  Aldi: $2.29Trader Joe’s: $2.49Winner: Aldi

• Almonds

  

  Aldi: 14 ounces for $5.19Trader Joe’s: 16 ounces for $5.99Winner: Aldi by a fraction of a cent

• Boneless, skinless chicken breast

  

  Aldi: $1.89 per poundTrader Joe’s: $2.69 per poundWinner: Aldi

• Organic extra-virgin olive oil

  

  Aldi: $3.99Trader Joe’s: $5.99Winner: Aldi

• Brioche

  

  Aldi: Chocolate chip brioche, $3.99Trader Joe’s: Plain brioche, $3.99Winner: Tie

• Almond milk, half gallon

  

  Aldi: $1.99Trader Joe’s: $2.99Winner: Aldi

• Cheddar cheese

  

  Aldi: Kerrygold, $3.49Trader Joe’s: Unexpected Cheddar, $3.99Winner: Aldi

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