Grocery Price Index: Aldi wins at $225.27
Aldi takes the cheapest full basket this week at $225.27, $6.03 under Woolies ($231.30) and $6.75 under Coles ($232.02). Cherry-picking the cheapest price on each item across all four stores cuts the total to $186.75, a $44.55 saving over Woolies alone.
Aldi is the cheapest full basket this week at $225.27. Woolies comes in at $231.30 and Coles at $232.02. IGA's total is $255.25, though two items weren't available there, so that figure isn't directly comparable. Coles and Aldi are also each missing one item from their basket, so treat those totals with the same caveat.
All four stores crept up from last week. Aldi rose $1.61, Coles $1.66, and Woolies $1.93. IGA's jump was much steeper at +$18.59, from $236.66 to $255.25. We don't have a confirmed reason for that movement, so we're reporting it as-is rather than guessing.
What moved the most this week
A few price gaps stand out across the basket.
Chicken breast fillets is the most extreme: $3.25 at IGA versus $15.40 at Coles. That's almost a five-to-one ratio on the same item. If you're buying protein this week, that one swap alone matters.
Beef sausages runs $3.89 at Aldi and $9.00 at Woolies. Pasta sauce is $1.59 at Aldi and $4.00 at IGA. Corn flakes cost $2.45 at Coles and $6.90 at IGA. Dishwasher tablets are $4.00 at Woolies and $11.50 at IGA.
Not every gap favours Aldi. Weet-Bix is $7.00 at Coles but $15.96 at Aldi (that's a branded product vs. Aldi's own equivalent, so the comparison has limits). Long grain rice is $1.80 at Coles and $3.59 at Aldi. Plain flour is $1.30 at Coles and $2.39 at Aldi. Shampoo is $2.20 at Coles and $5.99 at Aldi.
The cherry-pick number
If you bought each item at whichever store had it cheapest this week, the basket comes to $186.75. That's $44.55 less than buying everything at Woolies, and $38.52 less than Aldi's full basket total. Whether that saving is worth splitting a shop across multiple stores depends on your time, your fuel, and how close the stores are to each other. The full item-by-item price table is on the Cuugo Grocery Price Index hub page.
The ACCC's supermarket inquiry found that Woolies and Coles have "limited incentive" to compete vigorously on price, a finding that broadly tracks with what we see week to week: the two majors rarely stray far from each other, while Aldi consistently undercuts them and IGA trends higher.
Frequently asked questions
What's in the Cuugo Grocery Price Index basket?
The basket holds 15 core staples tracked every Friday across Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, and IGA. The items stay fixed week to week so the trend is meaningful. You can see the full methodology and running chart on the Cuugo Grocery Price Index hub page.
Which supermarket is cheapest in Australia right now?
Based on this week's index, Aldi is cheapest for a full comparable basket at $225.27, followed by Woolworths at $231.30 and Coles at $232.02. IGA came in at $255.25, though two items weren't available so that total isn't directly comparable.