Lazy Sunday Roast: Save Up to $35 Choosing the Right Store

There's something quietly satisfying about a Sunday roast. Chicken crisping in the oven, potatoes going golden, the whole house smelling like dinner. But the weekly grocery bill doesn't care about vibes. And right now, with Australian households spending an average of $178 a week on groceries according to Canstar Blue's 2025 survey, every basket comparison counts.

So we priced this exact Lazy Sunday Roast basket across all four big supermarkets. Eleven items. One meal. Very different totals.

What Does a Sunday Roast Actually Cost in 2025?

Here's what we found:

• Coles: $51.87
• Woolworths: $69.73
• Aldi: $34.71 (three items not available in-store)
• IGA: $65.22
• Cherry-picked cheapest per item: $44.66

The spread between Aldi and Woolies is a full $35.02. That's not a rounding error. That's basically a free chicken, a bag of potatoes, and change left over.

Aldi wins on total price, full stop. But there's a catch: three items in this basket aren't reliably available at Aldi, which means you'll need a backup plan if you're going full-Aldi. More on that below.

Where the Biggest Savings Are

The most interesting price gaps are across three items.

Whole chicken (1.6 kg): Aldi has it at $7.58. That's a genuinely good price for a bird that size, and chicken is the most expensive item in this basket by a margin. If Aldi has it in stock, it's a no-brainer. Coles comes in noticeably higher, and Woolies higher still.

Olive oil (500 ml): Woolies wins here at $4.00, which is actually one of the few categories where Woolies beats the field. Olive oil prices have been volatile globally, so locking in $4.00 when you see it is smart.

Gravy granules (200 g): IGA comes in cheapest at $5.10, which is a bit surprising given IGA typically runs higher across the board. It's not enough to justify a dedicated IGA trip, but if you're already in there for something else, grab your gravy there.

Dinner rolls (6 pack): IGA again, at $1.30. Bakery is often where IGAs compete well against the big two, and this is a good example. Coles and Woolies both charge more for what is, let's be honest, a pretty simple product.

Where Prices Are Basically the Same

Not everything has a dramatic spread. A few items are close enough across stores that it genuinely doesn't matter where you buy them.

Brown onions (1 kg): The cheapest is $2.50 at Woolies, but the other stores aren't far off. If you're already at Coles for the bulk of your shop, don't stress about the onions.

Pumpkin (1 each): Coles has it at $1.60, which is the cheapest in the basket. Pumpkin pricing tends to vary more by season than by store, and right now it's reasonable across the board.

Garlic (3 pack): $1.85 at Coles. This is a category where the price gap between stores is small enough that you'll spend more in petrol savings than you'd gain in garlic savings.

Mint sauce (250 ml): Coles wins at $3.80. The difference to Woolies and IGA is a dollar or less. Call it a coin flip.

Is the Cherry-Pick Worth an Extra Trip?

Cherry-picking the cheapest item at each store brings the total down to $44.66, a saving of $7.21 compared to buying everything at Coles, which is the cheapest single-store option after Aldi.

Honest answer: for most households, no. Seven dollars doesn't justify the fuel, the time, and the mental overhead of coordinating multiple shops. If you're within walking distance of an Aldi and a Woolies, you might grab your chicken at Aldi and your olive oil and carrots at Woolies on the same trip. That's a reasonable split. But a four-store run for a Sunday roast? You've spent the savings before you've even left the car park.

The Coles number is $51.87 and you get everything in one place. For families who want a low-effort, single-trolley shop, that's the realistic sweet spot.

Who Should Shop Where

Retirees and couples on a fixed budget: Aldi, if there's one near you and you're comfortable with the occasional "not in stock today" situation. The $34.71 total is genuinely hard to beat, and the chicken quality is solid. You might need Coles or Woolies as a backup for the three items Aldi doesn't carry.

Busy families doing one big weekly shop: Coles at $51.87. You'll get everything, the app is easy, and if you're on Flybuys you're at least collecting something back. Woolies at $69.73 for this basket is hard to justify when Coles is more than $17 cheaper.

Shoppers who already pass multiple stores: The Aldi-plus-Woolies combo works well here. Grab the chicken, pumpkin, peas, and garlic at Aldi, then pick up carrots, olive oil, and onions at Woolies where they're cheapest. You'll land under $44 without going out of your way.

Regional shoppers: IGA is often the only option, and $65.22 isn't a disaster for a full roast basket. The dinner rolls and gravy granules are actually good value at IGA, so at least those line items work in your favour.

A Sunday roast used to be a budget meal. At Aldi, it still is. Everywhere else, you're paying for the convenience of not driving to a different suburb.