Best value supermarket in the UK: the 2026 price rankings and what they mean

Which? tracks prices every month using an independent price comparison site, averages each item across the month and adds up the basket. These were the results for September 2026, published in October:

Source: Which?, cheapest supermarket of the month, September 2026. Aldi has topped this table month after month, and the gap between the discounters and the rest has been fairly stable, so the order rarely changes much from one month to the next even when the exact totals do.

Before you switch shops on the strength of one table, it helps to know how it is built:

The 93-item basket is not a typical weekly shop, but the percentage gap is a fair guide. Aldi's basket was about 15% cheaper than Tesco with Clubcard and about 18% cheaper than Sainsbury's without Nectar. Applied to your own spending, that looks like this:

These are illustrations, not guarantees. You will only get close to them if the discounter stocks most of what you buy and you do not add extra trips. Branded favourites, specialist dietary products and household goods can narrow the gap.

In September 2026 Which? found loyalty prices cut the basket by about 3.1% at Sainsbury's (£6.06) and about 3% at Tesco (£5.74). At Lidl the saving was about 0.2% and at Morrisons about 0.1%. So if you shop at Tesco or Sainsbury's, the card is free money and you should always scan it, but it does not close the gap with Aldi or Lidl.

Points schemes add a little on top: Clubcard points can be turned into vouchers and Nectar points spent at the till. Our guide to supermarket loyalty schemes compares how each one works and how to avoid being nudged into buying things you did not plan.

The national table is a starting point. To find the cheapest option for you, run a simple two-week test:

1. Write your usual list. Take your last two receipts and list the 20 to 30 things you buy most often.
2. Price it online. Most chains show prices on their websites; build the same basket at two or three stores near you. Use the price per kilo or per litre on the shelf label, not the pack price.
3. Count the real cost of getting there. An extra 6-mile round trip in a petrol car costs roughly 80p to £1 in fuel, and a second shop often means a second set of impulse buys.
4. Check your local branch. Smaller "Express" and "Local" convenience formats usually charge more than the large stores in the rankings.
5. Try it for two weeks and compare your total spend with the previous fortnight, not just the till receipt for one trip.

Many households land on a hybrid: a main shop at Aldi or Lidl and a smaller top-up at a big four store for the branded items they will not swap. Our supermarket switching guide covers that approach in detail.

Ocado and Waitrose sit at the bottom of the price table, and Aldi's online offer is limited, so price-conscious shoppers who need delivery usually end up at Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's or Morrisons. Delivery can still save money if it stops impulse buys: you see a running total, and nothing goes in the basket by accident.

Watch the extras. Delivery charges, minimum spend thresholds and substitutions all change the real cost. If you order weekly, compare the cost of a delivery saver pass with the per-delivery charges you currently pay, and cancel it if you stop using it.

A cheaper shop only helps if the money does not quietly disappear elsewhere. Once you know your new weekly food figure, update your budget planner and move the difference into savings on the same day each week. If you have a goal in mind, the savings goal calculator shows how quickly an extra £10 or £15 a week gets you there.

That is where SYM fits in: it tells you how much to put aside today and one tap logs it, so the money you save at the till becomes money you have actually saved. For more ways to bring the bill down, see how to save on food shopping and reducing food waste.