Grocery Price Index: Aldi Wins at $221.46
Aldi is the cheapest complete basket this week at $221.46, sitting $7.21 below Coles ($232.67) and $6.60 below Woolies ($228.06), though all four stores are missing at least one item so no total is directly comparable.
Aldi is the cheapest store again this week, but every store is missing at least one item from the basket, so the totals can't be compared cleanly. Take the numbers as a strong guide, not a perfect like-for-like.
The theoretical best-of-basket, picking the cheapest price per item regardless of store, comes to $196.24.
This week's basket totals
| Store | Total | Week-on-week |
|---|---|---|
| Aldi | $221.46 | +$5.32 |
| Woolworths | $228.06 | -$1.15 |
| Coles | $232.67 | +$2.62 |
| IGA | $258.15 | +$8.65 |
Each store is missing at least one basket item. IGA is missing three.
Aldi climbed the most in dollar terms this week, up $5.32, but it's still the cheapest by a clear margin. IGA had the biggest jump: up $8.65 to $258.15, which is $36.69 above Aldi on the same basket. Woolies is the only store that actually got cheaper, dropping $1.15 to $228.06.
The items with the biggest price gaps
A few products are worth singling out because the spread between cheapest and dearest is genuinely large.
Beef mince runs from $6.49 at Aldi to $11.00 at IGA. That's a $4.51 gap on a single product. Pasta sauce is $1.59 at Aldi and $4.00 at IGA. Chicken breast fillets are $13.00 at Aldi and $15.00 at Coles.
Aldi wins on most fresh produce too. Apples are $3.69 at Aldi versus $7.90 at IGA. Pumpkin is $2.49 at Aldi and $5.90 at Woolies. Navel oranges are $5.49 at Aldi and $8.50 at Woolies.
A couple of items flip the pattern. Long grain rice is cheapest at Coles ($1.80) versus $3.59 at Aldi. Plain flour is $1.30 at Coles versus $2.39 at Aldi. White sugar is cheapest at Woolies ($1.80). So if you're baking this week, Coles or Woolies is worth a look for pantry staples.
The Weet-Bix gap is notable: $7.00 at Coles versus $15.96 at Aldi. Aldi stocks its own brand, not Sanitarium, which accounts for the apparent reversal, you're not comparing identical products there.
Dishwasher tablets have the single largest dollar gap in the whole basket: $4.00 at Woolies versus $11.50 at IGA. That's the kind of item worth buying at the big two even if you mostly shop at IGA.
The cherry-pick verdict: shop Aldi for meat, produce, dairy and most household basics. Grab rice, flour, sugar and tea bags at Coles or Woolies. Skip IGA for the big shop unless it's your only local option.
Frequently asked questions
What's in the Cuugo grocery price index basket?
The basket has 15 everyday staples tracked every Friday across Woolworths, Coles, Aldi and IGA. The same items are priced each week so you can see genuine price trends over time. The full methodology and item list are on the Cuugo Price Index hub page.
Why are the store totals not directly comparable this week?
Each store was missing at least one basket item this week, IGA was missing three. When a store doesn't stock an item, its total is lower by default, not because it's cheaper on that item. The 'cheapest at each store' figure of $196.24 is built from the best available price per item across all stores.