Best Discount Grocery Store in Vancouver
Grocery prices in Metro Vancouver are among the highest in Canada. We priced the same basket at every major chain to find out where your money goes furthest. The gap between cheapest and most expensive is $18 on 10 items. That adds up fast.
Which grocery store is cheapest in Vancouver?
10 staples, regular shelf prices, Metro Vancouver stores, April 2026. No sale prices included.
| Item | Superstore | No Frills | Walmart | Save-On | Safeway |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground beef 1kg | $9.97 | $9.88 ✓ | $9.97 | $11.99 | $13.49 |
| Chicken thighs 1kg | $7.97 | $7.47 ✓ | $7.47 ✓ | $9.99 | $11.99 |
| Large eggs 12pk | $4.47 ✓ | $4.47 ✓ | $4.47 ✓ | $4.99 | $5.49 |
| Whole milk 4L | $7.47 ✓ | $7.47 ✓ | $7.47 ✓ | $7.49 | $7.49 |
| Butter 454g | $5.97 ✓ | $6.47 | $5.97 ✓ | $6.99 | $7.99 |
| Cheddar 400g | $6.47 ✓ | $6.47 ✓ | $6.47 ✓ | $7.49 | $8.49 |
| Bread 675g | $2.97 ✓ | $2.97 ✓ | $2.97 ✓ | $3.49 | $3.99 |
| Bananas 1kg | $1.49 | $1.49 | $1.47 ✓ | $1.79 | $1.99 |
| Potatoes 10lb | $5.97 ✓ | $6.47 | $5.97 ✓ | $7.99 | $8.99 |
| Pasta 900g | $2.47 ✓ | $2.47 ✓ | $2.47 ✓ | $2.99 | $3.49 |
| Total | $55.22 🏆 | $55.63 | $54.70 | $65.20 | $73.40 |
Real Canadian Superstore
Best all-round value in BCBurnaby, Richmond, Surrey, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Langley
Superstore is where most budget-conscious Vancouver shoppers land, and for good reason. It has better coverage than No Frills, a deep bench of PC and No Name private label products, and PC Optimum points that add up if you're paying attention. You can do your full weekly shop in one stop: produce, meat, pantry, household. Regular shelf prices beat Save-On-Foods across almost every category. It's not exciting, but it's consistently cheaper than most of the competition.
Make Superstore your default. When No Frills flyer deals on meat are running, those are worth a second stop. Outside of that, Superstore has it covered.
No Frills
Best flyer deals, limited coverageEast Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, Coquitlam (fewer locations than Ontario)
No Frills is thinner on the ground in Metro Vancouver than it is in Ontario. You may have one nearby, you may not. If you do, the weekly flyer is worth paying attention to: chicken thighs at $3.99/kg, ground beef for $5.49/kg, 10-for-$10 pantry runs. Regular shelf prices are fine but Superstore often matches them. The flyer is the whole point of going.
Check the flyer every Thursday. Good deal on something you buy regularly? Go. Nothing worth the trip? Superstore has you.
Walmart Supercentre
Best for pantry and shelf-stable goodsCoquitlam, Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, Langley
Walmart does one thing well in Vancouver: shelf-stable goods. Great Value private label on canned tomatoes, pasta, oil, coffee, and frozen food beats Save-On-Foods and Safeway by a wide margin. Fresh food is a different story. The produce and meat sections are fine, but they're not why you're here. A monthly Walmart pantry run paired with a weekly fresh shop at Superstore or No Frills is a better system than doing everything at one place.
Once a month for pantry restocking. Not for fresh produce or meat. Superstore and No Frills both do that better.
Save-On-Foods
Best mid-tier option, strong on freshCitywide, strong across Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland
Save-On-Foods is BC's grocery store the way Tim Hortons is BC's coffee. It's everywhere and people are loyal to it. Prices run 12-18% higher than Superstore on a full basket, but the produce section is better and more consistent. The More Rewards program is worth using if you shop there weekly. Save-On is worth paying a bit more for fresh food. It's not worth it for a box of pasta or a bottle of oil.
Go here when produce quality matters or when the Superstore and No Frills flyers have nothing. Skip it for anything shelf-stable.
Safeway
Most expensive major chain in Metro VancouverWest Van, North Shore, Yaletown, Kitsilano, Point Grey
Safeway is the Sobeys banner in BC and it costs more than everywhere else on this list. The locations in Kitsilano, West Vancouver, and the North Shore mean a lot of shoppers default to it without doing the math. That same $55 basket from Superstore runs $73 here. Scene+ points help if you're racking them up, but they don't close an 18-dollar gap. The stores are clean and convenient. That's what you're paying for.
Top-up shops when it's the closest option. Never worth it for a full week of groceries.
What's the best grocery shopping strategy in Vancouver?
Vancouver is an expensive city to buy groceries in. Real estate costs, distribution, and the general cost of doing business here all push prices up. That makes the flyer game matter more, not less. A loss leader at No Frills is worth more per dollar saved in Vancouver than it is in most Ontario cities.
The setup that works for most households: Superstore as the weekly default, with a No Frills run when the flyer has something worth going for. Switching from Save-On-Foods or Safeway as your default to that combination typically saves a Metro Vancouver household $1,200 to $1,800 a year. Not a rounding error.
The catch is you need to know when No Frills or Walmart has a deal worth the extra stop. CartIQ pulls live flyer data from every chain in Metro Vancouver by postal code so you can check who's cheapest this week, not last month.
See this week's deals in Vancouver
Live flyer prices from Superstore, No Frills, Save-On-Foods, Walmart, Safeway and more — enter your Vancouver postal code.
Check Vancouver deals now →Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest grocery store in Vancouver?
Real Canadian Superstore is the cheapest major grocery chain in Metro Vancouver on a 10-item basket of regular shelf prices, narrowly beating Walmart Supercentre. Save-On-Foods runs about $9 more, and Safeway is the most expensive major chain at about $18 more than Superstore.
Is Save-On-Foods cheaper than Superstore in Vancouver?
No. Save-On-Foods runs 12–18% higher than Real Canadian Superstore on a full basket in Metro Vancouver. The produce section is better and the More Rewards program helps regular shoppers, but the per-trip price gap is real.
How much more expensive is Safeway than Superstore in Vancouver?
Safeway runs about $18 more than Superstore on a 10-item basket of regular shelf prices in Metro Vancouver. Scene+ points offset some of that for loyal shoppers but do not close the gap.
Are there No Frills locations in Metro Vancouver?
Yes, but coverage is thinner than in Ontario. No Frills has locations in East Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, and Coquitlam. The weekly flyer is the main reason to shop there; regular shelf prices are competitive but often matched by Superstore.
Where should I shop for groceries in Vancouver on a budget?
Use Real Canadian Superstore as your weekly default. Check the No Frills flyer every Thursday and go when there's a meat deal worth the trip. Once a month, stop at Walmart for shelf-stable pantry restocking.
How much can a Vancouver household save by switching grocery stores?
Switching from a Save-On-Foods or Safeway default to a Superstore + No Frills combination typically saves a Metro Vancouver household $1,200 to $1,800 per year, depending on basket size and how often the flyer is checked.
Related
Prices are regular shelf prices observed at Metro Vancouver locations in April 2026. Prices vary by location and change frequently. Always verify in-store. CartIQ is not affiliated with any grocery chain mentioned.