Costco vs No Frills:
Is the Membership Actually Worth It?
Every Canadian has this argument at some point. Your neighbour swears Costco saves them thousands. Your coworker says No Frills is just as cheap without the $65 annual fee. We grabbed a cart at both stores and did the math.
Costco
10
items cheaper per unit
No Frills
5
items cheaper per unit
Is Costco actually cheaper than No Frills?
Costco wins on per-unit price for most items. That part isn't really debatable. Where it gets interesting is everything else: the $65 membership fee, the fact that you're buying three loaves of bread when you only needed one, and how easy it is to leave that store having spent way more than you planned.
No Frills won't give you that problem. It's ugly, it's no-nonsense, and it lets you buy exactly what you need in normal human quantities.
So the real question isn't "which store is cheaper per gram?" It's "which store is cheaper for the way you actually shop?"
How do per-unit prices compare at Costco vs No Frills?
Regular prices at Canadian locations, April 2026. Per-unit costs calculated from package sizes shown. Sale prices excluded.
| Item | Costco | No Frills |
|---|---|---|
| Eggs (per dozen) 30 eggs · $8.29 vs 12 eggs · $3.97 | $3.33 ✓ | $3.97 |
| Milk 2% (per litre) 4L jug · $9.19 vs 4L bag · $6.97 | $2.30 | $1.74 ✓ |
| Butter (per 454g) 4×454g · $19.99 vs 454g · $5.97 | $4.99 ✓ | $5.97 |
| Bread (per loaf) 3×675g · $6.99 vs 675g · $2.97 | $2.33 ✓ | $2.97 |
| Chicken breast (per kg) ~3kg · $46.19 vs ~1kg · $17.60 | $15.40 ✓ | $17.60 |
| Ground beef (per kg) ~2kg · $21.99 vs 1kg · $8.88 | $10.99 | $8.88 ✓ |
| Cheddar cheese (per 100g) 1kg · $20.99 vs 400g · $12.79 | $2.09 ✓ | $3.20 |
| Greek yogurt (per 100g) 2kg · $10.49 vs 750g · $5.97 | $0.53 ✓ | $0.80 |
| Coffee (per 100g) 907g · $18.99 vs 925g · $11.97 | $2.09 | $1.29 ✓ |
| Olive oil (per litre) 3L · $33.99 vs 1L · $10.99 | $11.33 | $10.99 ✓ |
| Rice (per kg) 8kg · $18.99 vs 2kg · $5.97 | $2.40 ✓ | $2.97 |
| Pasta (per 100g) 6×450g · $5.89 vs 900g · $2.47 | $0.22 ✓ | $0.27 |
| Toilet paper (per roll) 30 rolls · $19.99 vs 12 rolls · $10.99 | $0.67 ✓ | $0.92 |
| Laundry detergent (per load) 110 loads · $17.99 vs 46 loads · $11.49 | $0.16 ✓ | $0.25 |
| Bananas (per kg) ~1.4kg · $2.19 vs per kg · $1.49 | $1.52 | $1.49 ✓ |
Where does Costco beat No Frills?
Cheese.This one isn't even close. A kilo of Balderson extra old cheddar at Costco is $20.99 — that's $2.09 per 100g. At No Frills, you're paying $3.20 or more per 100g for comparable cheese. If your family eats a lot of cheese (and if you're Canadian, you probably do), Costco pays for the membership on cheese alone.
Yogurt and butter.The Kirkland Greek yogurt tub is two kilograms for about $10.49, versus $5.97 for 750g at No Frills. That's 34% cheaper per gram. Butter is similar. Buying the 4-pack at Costco saves you about a dollar per block.
Household stuff. Toilet paper, laundry detergent, paper towel, garbage bags. Kirkland toilet paper is about $0.67/roll versus $0.92 at No Frills. Detergent is $0.16/load versus $0.25. These savings add up, especially for a family.
Where does No Frills beat or match Costco?
Ground beef.No Frills regularly stocks lean ground beef at $8.88/kg. Costco's bulk trays are around $10.99/kg. And when No Frills runs a flyer deal, ground beef drops to $5.49/kg some weeks.
Milk.The 4L bag at No Frills is $6.97. Costco's 4L jug runs $9.19. Same amount of milk, over two bucks more. This one catches people off guard because they assume Costco is cheaper on everything.
Coffee.If you drink drip coffee from a can, No Frills has the edge. A 925g can for $11.97 beats Costco's $18.99 bag at 907g. K-cups are the opposite though. Costco is roughly half the per-pod price.
Bananas, olive oil, produce in general.Basically tied or slightly cheaper at No Frills, and you're not forced to buy 3 lbs at once.
Is the Costco membership fee worth it?
Costco Gold Star is $65/year. The Executive card is $130 but gives you 2% cashback, so you break even if you spend $3,000/year at Costco (about $250/month). Most families hit that easily.
But here's the thing people forget to calculate: the overspend.A 2024 Dalhousie University survey found that Costco shoppers spend an average of $168 per trip. No Frills shoppers averaged around $85. You're saving per unit, but buying more units. Some of that is smart stocking up. Some of it is impulse buys because you didn't know you needed a 2kg bag of pistachios until you saw them.
If you have the freezer space and the discipline to stick to your list, the membership pays for itself multiple times over. If you're the type who "just pops in for a few things," No Frills is probably saving you more by keeping your total bill lower.
Is Kirkland Signature cheaper than No Name?
Costco has a rule: they won't put the Kirkland label on something unless it's at least 20% cheaper than the equivalent name brand. And some Kirkland products are made by the name brand. Their olive oil, laundry pods, and diapers are all produced by the big guys, just at a lower price.
No Name at No Frills plays a different game. It's about being the absolute cheapest option, not matching premium quality. No Name peanut butter isn't trying to be Kraft. It's trying to be $3.49.
Both strategies work. If you care about quality-to-price ratio, Kirkland is genuinely excellent. If you care about the lowest possible number on the receipt, No Name wins.
How much food do you waste shopping at Costco?
You bought 3 loaves of bread at Costco because the per-loaf price was great. You froze two. One got freezer burn. You threw it out. That "savings" is gone.
Produce, bread, dairy, anything perishable is a gamble at Costco quantities unless you have a big family or a real plan to use it. A single person or a couple will almost always waste less at No Frills, where you can buy one pepper instead of a six-pack.
Who should shop at Costco vs No Frills?
Costco makes sense if you:
- Have a family of 3+ (the bulk sizes actually get used)
- Own a chest freezer or have decent pantry space
- Buy a lot of cheese, yogurt, butter, or household items
- Can stick to your list and not wander
- Also use it for gas, tires, pharmacy, or the food court
No Frills makes sense if you:
- Shop for 1-2 people
- Don't have much freezer or storage space
- Check the weekly flyer and shop the deals (this is where No Frills really shines)
- Prefer buying fresh produce in normal quantities
- Want to get in and out in 20 minutes
Can you save money by shopping at both Costco and No Frills?
The smartest Canadian grocery shoppers we know do a Costco run once a month for cheese, butter, yogurt, meat (freeze it), toilet paper, and detergent. Then they hit No Frills weekly for produce, milk, bread, and whatever's on sale in the flyer.
That combo consistently beats doing all your shopping at either store. The monthly Costco trip covers the high-value bulk items where per-unit savings are massive. The weekly No Frills trip keeps your produce fresh and your spending controlled.
CartIQ tracks flyer deals across both stores (plus Superstore, Sobeys, Metro, Walmart, and 20+ more). Punch in your postal code and see what's actually on sale near you right now — not what was on sale when some blog post was written three months ago.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Costco membership worth it in Canada?
It depends on household size and storage space. The $65 Gold Star annual fee pays off when you have a family of 3 or more, a chest freezer or decent pantry space, and use bulk sizes within their shelf life. For singles, couples, or apartment dwellers, the bulk-size waste typically erases the per-unit savings.
Is Costco actually cheaper than No Frills?
On per-unit price, Costco beats No Frills on roughly half of common staples — butter, eggs (in 30-packs), bread, cheese, and most pantry items. No Frills wins on milk, smaller produce quantities, and anything you only need a single unit of. The full comparison depends on what you actually consume before it spoils.
How much do you need to spend at Costco to break even on the membership?
At roughly 8–12% per-unit savings versus No Frills on items where Costco wins, you need to spend around $650–$800 per year on those items at Costco to break even on the $65 Gold Star fee. The Executive tier ($130) needs roughly double that, but adds a 2% rebate on most purchases.
Should I shop at Costco if I live alone?
Generally no. The bulk sizes that drive Costco's per-unit savings only work if you finish them before they expire. For a single person, a 4-pack of butter, a 3-loaf bread bundle, or a 2kg cheese block usually means waste, which erases the savings. No Frills or Food Basics is a better fit.
Is Kirkland Signature cheaper than No Name?
Kirkland Signature typically wins on per-unit price for shelf-stable staples (coffee, oil, nuts, cleaning supplies, paper goods) thanks to bulk packaging. No Name wins on flexibility — you can buy a single unit instead of a 4-pack. Quality is comparable on most overlapping categories, with Kirkland often having better-quality ingredients.
How much food gets wasted shopping at Costco?
Industry studies estimate Canadian households waste roughly 14% of food purchased annually; bulk shopping tends to push that higher when buying perishables. If you cannot freeze or finish bulk produce, dairy, or bakery items, factor 10–20% waste into your Costco math when comparing per-unit prices to No Frills.
See what's on sale near you right now
CartIQ pulls live flyer prices from No Frills, Costco, Walmart, and 20+ Canadian grocery stores.
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Prices are regular shelf prices at Canadian locations as of April 2026. Costco prices reflect Kirkland or best-available equivalent. No Frills prices reflect No Name or best-available equivalent. Prices vary by location and change frequently. Always verify in-store. CartIQ is not affiliated with Costco or No Frills.