We compared prices of 12 items at Ontario grocery stores to find the cheapest products
One store is clearly the winner! 👀
Frozen blueberries at Longo's. Right: McCafe coffee at Metro.
We checked the prices of a dozen items at Ontario grocery stores to find where you get the most bang for your buck.
So, here's what you need to know about which store has the cheapest products and the cheapest total basket cost.
There are a few local grocery chains only in Ontario, and some chains that have locations in Ontario but not across Canada.
Because of that, we chose Metro, Longo's and Fortinos for this comparison.
Then, we checked flyers and store shelves and used the regular prices, not the weekly sale prices, of a dozen staple groceries.
Since some products come in different sizes at different stores, we also broke down the "price per" cost for each item.
Now, let's get into how prices compare for 12 staple items at these Ontario grocery stores, along with the total costs and the "price per" costs.
Sliced bread
Metro: $3.99 for a 675-gram loaf of Dempster's bread — $0.59 per 100 grams
Longo's: $3.99 for a 675-gram loaf of Dempster's bread — $0.59 per 100 grams
Fortinos: $4.49 for a 675-gram loaf of Dempster's bread — $0.66 per 100 grams
Deli meat
Metro: $16.79 for a 375-gram pack of Maple Leaf sliced deli meat — $4.47 per 100 grams
Longo's: $16.99 for a 375-gram pack of Maple Leaf sliced deli meat — $4.53 per 100 grams
Fortinos: $15.99 for a 375-gram pack of Maple Leaf sliced deli meat — $4.26 per 100 grams
Cheese
Metro: $7.99 for a 400-gram block of Black Diamond cheese — $1.99 per 100 grams
Longo's: $7.99 for a 400-gram block of Black Diamond cheese — $1.99 per 100 grams
Fortinos: $7.99 for a 400-gram block of Cracker Barrel cheese — $1.99 per 100 grams
Eggs
Metro: $3.99 for a pack of 12 large eggs — $0.33 per egg
Longo's: $3.99 for a pack of 12 large eggs — $0.33 per egg
Fortinos: $3.99 for a pack of 12 large eggs — $0.33 per egg
Frozen blueberries
Metro: $10 for two 600-gram bags of frozen blueberries — $0.83 per 100 grams
Longo's: $18.99 for a 2.25-kilogram pack of frozen blueberries — $0.84 per 100 grams
Fortinos: $19.99 for a two-kilogram bag of frozen blueberries — $0.99 per 100 grams
Fresh berries
Metro: $4.99 for a 170-gram pack of raspberries or blackberries — $2.93 per 100 grams
Longo's: $2.99 for a 170-gram pack of raspberries or blackberries — $1.75 per 100 grams
Fortinos: $4.99 for a 170-gram pack of raspberries or blackberries — $2.93 per 100 grams
Bell peppers
Metro: $8.99 for a 1.13-kilogram bag of peppers — $0.79 per 100 grams
Longo's: $5.99 for a 567-gram bag of bell peppers — $1.05 per 100 grams
Fortinos: $5.99 for a 450-gram bag of bell peppers — $1.33 per 100 grams
Olive oil
Metro: $11.99 for a one-litre bottle of Selection extra virgin olive oil — $1.19 per 100 millilitres
Longo's: $13.49 for a 500-millilitre bottle of Longo's Curato extra virgin olive oil — $2.69 per 100 millilitres
Fortinos: $16.99 for a one-litre bottle of President's Choice extra virgin olive oil — $1.69 per 100 millilitres
Granola bars
Metro: $14.99 for a 960-gram box of Quaker Chewy granola bars — $1.56 per 100 grams
Longo's: $16.99 for a 960-gram box of Quaker Chewy granola bars — $1.76 per 100 grams
Fortinos: $14.99 for a 960-gram box of Quaker Chewy granola bars — $1.56 per 100 grams
Cereal
Metro: $10.99 for a 1.3-kilogram box of Kellogg's cereal — $0.84 per 100 grams
Longo's: $7.99 for a 725-gram box of Kellogg's cereal — $1.10 per 100 grams
Fortinos: $7.99 for a 725-gram box of Kellogg's cereal — $1.10 per 100 grams
Ground coffee
Metro: $33.99 for an 875-gram canister of McCafe ground coffee — $3.88 per 100 grams
Longo's: $34.99 for an 875-gram canister of McCafe ground coffee — $3.99 per 100 grams
Fortinos: $29.99 for an 875-gram canister of McCafe ground coffee — $3.42 per 100 grams
Sparkling water
Metro: $12.49 for six one-litre bottles of San Pellegrino carbonated water — $0.20 per 100 millilitres
Longo's: $12.99 for six one-litre bottles of San Pellegrino carbonated water — $0.21 per 100 millilitres
Fortinos: $8.99 for six 500-millilitre bottles of San Pellegrino carbonated water — $0.29 per 100 millilitres
TOTALS
Now, let's get into the totals, including the total basket cost, the total "price per" cost, and which products are cheapest at each store.
Before taxes, the total cost of a basket with these 12 items at each store is:
- Metro: $141.19
- Longo's: $147.38
- Fortinos: $142.38
Metro has the cheapest total, which is $6.23 less than the total cost at Longo's and $1.19 less than the total for this basket of groceries at Fortinos.
Since some products are different sizes, here is the total "price per" cost at each store:
- Metro: $19.60
- Longo's: $20.83
- Fortinos: $20.55
Metro is still the cheapest store, but the difference between the "price per" totals at these three stores is much smaller than the total basket price.
It only costs $1.23 and $0.95 more at Longo's and Fortinos, respectively.
The products that are cheapest at Metro are bell peppers, frozen blueberries, olive oil, cereal and water.
The products that are cheapest at Fortinos are sliced deli meat and ground coffee.
Metro and Longo's are both cheapest for bread, while Metro and Fortinos are both cheapest for fresh berries and granola bars.
All three stores have the same price for cheese and eggs.
Each of these Ontario grocery stores has products that are cheaper when compared to the others.
But Metro has the largest amount of the cheapest products, along with the cheapest basket total and the cheapest "price per" total.
So, it looks like you get the most bang for your buck at Metro with this basket of a dozen items!
These prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time. Taxes and fees may not be included.