Price Comparison

HEB vs. Walmart Price Comparison: The Battle Between Texas’s Favorite Grocer and International Superstore Walmart

Rebecca Choi

May 6, 2022

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It’s safe to say that HEB is the most popular and well-loved grocery store in Texas, but how does HEB stand up to Walmart when it comes to the lowest prices?

That’s what we’re here to find out.

HEB is a beloved grocery store in Texas, and in 2021, HEB ranked fifth on Forbes’ list of America’s Largest Private Companies. The fact that HEB landed that spot is even more impressive when you consider that all 340 HEB locations are within Texas’ borders.

Compared to the 4,742 Walmart stores in the US, HEB may seem like a smaller company–but they actually rank way higher in financial success and consumer satisfaction.

But when it comes to prices, is Walmart really cheaper than HEB–or could you save more by shopping at HEB instead of Walmart? Let’s dive in to reveal all the answers.

Comparison Methodology: How We Compared Walmart and HEB

In this price comparison between Walmart, the champion of low prices, and H-E-B, the loyal Texas grocery mogul, we looked at 80+ items across nine different categories. By examining the data this way, we can explore which store is cheaper overall, which store is best for specific categories, and what price trends you need to know when shopping.

Now, if you don’t live in Texas, you may want to check out a different price comparison article since you’ll only find H-E-B grocery stores in The Lone Star State.

To keep things fair, the prices you’ll see here are from the Victoria Walmart Supercenter and the Victoria H-E-B Plus. These stores are located just two miles apart.

It’s also important to know that we completed this price comparison in April 2022. The prices you see here will likely differ from the prices you can find at stores near you because prices often change based on location and time.

This price comparison also doesn’t consider any special sales, deals, or rollbacks that you might be able to find at the Walmart or HEB near you–so don’t let this price comparison overshadow any money-saving offers you can find!

When comparing prices, you’ll find a mix of popular brand-name items and the cheapest store-brand items available. You might be surprised by what this technique reveals!

Now, without further adieu, here’s the summary of what we discovered in this HEB vs. Walmart price comparison.

HEB vs. Walmart Price Comparison Summary

It’s no secret that Walmart offers the lowest prices around. In this comprehensive price comparison between HEB and Walmart, we proved that Walmart will help you save money overall–but not necessarily on every item or every category of products.

Walmart offered lower prices than HEB in nearly every category. Only in the personal care and home essentials sections did we save money by choosing HEB instead of Walmart.

Overall, we saved about $20 at Walmart, which equals just 4.3% in savings. But is the quality drop from choosing Walmart instead of HEB worth it? That’s up to you. In some categories, like meat, we say no way. In others, it doesn’t make as much of a difference.

If you want to learn more about the nitty-gritty details of how you can save more money, read on–or skip to our final thoughts, where we break down exactly who should shop at Walmart and who are better off shopping at HEB.

HEB vs. Walmart: Fresh Produce Groceries Price Comparison

Buying fresh produce is one of the best things you can do for your and your family’s health and happiness. But which store offers lower prices on the fruits and veggies you eat the most?

In the fresh produce section, Walmart offered lower prices 10/10 times. Nothing was cheaper at HEB–but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Walmart is a better place to buy produce.

Why? Money isn’t the only factor.

If you only care about saving money, Walmart is probably the best store for you. But, according to Consumer Reports, Walmart ranks 67 out of 68 for stores with the worst produce. That’s a tough statistic to swallow.

And there’s lots of evidence that you should steer clear of Walmart’s produce–especially the organic stuff. If you’ve ever bought produce from Walmart, you already know that the selection often ranges from poor to horrible.

Is that worth it to save about 13%? For just a few dollars, upgrading to HEB’s produce seems like a good deal to me. After all, Business Insider claims that their produce section is one thing that makes HEB “the best grocery store in America.”

HEB vs. Walmart: Price Comparison for Meat, Dairy, Eggs, and Bread

Meat, dairy, eggs, and bread are staples that most households buy every week. They also tend to be pricer than other regular purchases like fruits and veggies–which means the items in this section could save you (or cost you) lots of money.

After comparing 13 different items, we saved over $10 and almost 20% by choosing Walmart over HEB. But will we face the same problem with product quality on these items?

The answer is yes.

There are many complaints against Walmart’s meat selection, particularly their ground beef, which buyers frequently call “disgusting.” Walmart doesn’t have on-site butchers, so their ground beef is packaged and shipped–which is probably why the quality is poor.

Meanwhile, HEB ensures that their ground beef is freshly ground every day, and their meat doesn’t contain additives. And if you look above, HEB’s ground beef is cheaper, anyway.

While we wouldn’t recommend any Great Value brand items for their quality, Walmart does offer slightly lower prices on some name-brand items in this section, namely the Breyers Ice Cream, Kraft Cheese, and Hellman’s Mayo.

So, if you want to save money, choose Walmart for these items, especially if you’re buying name-brand items instead of their Great Value brand.

If you’re more concerned with quality and a good experience, then you might want to pay a little more at HEB.

HEB vs. Walmart: Pantry Items and Canned Goods Price Comparison

Next up: canned goods and pantry staples. These non-perishable groceries are essential for any home–but which store should you stock up at, Walmart or HEB?

As you can see, there was no clear pattern that could help us determine which items would be cheaper at HEB and which ones were cheaper at Walmart.

While most items only saw a price difference of 11 cents or less, there were two items with a significant price gap: the flour and the oats. At Walmart, you can get their Great Value flour for 87 cents cheaper, but at HEB, you can score their H-E-B Select Ingredients overnight oats for 78 cents less.

After all was said and done, we did end up saving 36 cents on non-perishable groceries at Walmart.

For this section, our conclusion is that the price difference is so insignificant that it doesn’t really matter where you stock up at. However, HEB does have higher quality products, so it may be the better choice.

HEB vs. Walmart: Frozen Foods Price Comparison

After your pantry is full, it’s time to stock up your freezer. Whether you like to keep frozen meat on hand for dinner or frozen waffles for breakfast, you’re about to find out who offers lower prices on your favorite frozen goods.

Walmart offered lower prices on every single item in the frozen foods category. After shopping for 8 items, we saved about 20% and $6 by choosing Walmart instead of HEB.

When it comes to frozen foods, Walmart’s quality doesn’t decrease significantly. It’s probably a safe bet to say that HEB still offers higher quality foods in their frozen section, but 20% savings are hard to beat for a smaller margin of quality difference.

HEB vs. Walmart: Beverages and Snacks Price Comparison

Whether you’re hosting a game night, celebrating a birthday, or just enjoying a weekend cookout, you’re going to need some snacks and drinks.

Does HEB or Walmart offer better deals on drinks and snacks?

In the snacks and drinks section, Walmart offered us a lower price overall, and Walmart had 8 price wins against HEB’s 5 price wins for this category.

HEB offered lower prices on store-brand bottled water, store brand orange juice, Starbucks coffee, Welch’s fruit snacks, and Chips Ahoy! cookies. 

Even after those price wins for HEB, Walmart beat it out for the lowest overall price, saving us nearly $1.

If you want lower prices on snacks and drinks, choose Walmart–but shop carefully. To save the most money, you’ll need to compare prices with your local HEB or another grocer.

HEB vs. Walmart: Personal Care Products Price Comparison

Groceries aren’t the only thing you need when grocery shopping. Here, we look at the prices of 8 personal care products to determine if Walmart or HEB sells cheaper items for all your personal hygiene needs.

In contrast to our expectations, HEB offered lower prices than Walmart overall. Let’s explore why.

Walmart offered lower prices on 7 out of 8 items in this category, but the average savings across these items was just 22 cents. Compare that to the savings on the one cheaper item offered by HEB–the Skintimate shaving cream that was over $4 less–and Walmart’s savings don’t stand a chance.

What happened in this section is very similar to what we found in our Aldi vs. Walmart price comparison. Walmart claims to offer the lowest prices but will occasionally jack up the price of select in-demand items significantly. In our other price comparison, this devious marketing trick tipped the scales in favor of Aldi.

Our advice? Shop at HEB if you want reliable yet slightly higher prices that won’t keep you on your toes. Shop at Walmart if you’re a coupon clipping, savings sleuth who’s always on the hunt for the best deals–and can spot a bad price when you see it.

HEB vs. Walmart: Home Essentials Price Comparison

Next, let’s explore who offers lower prices on home essentials like toilet paper, dish soap, and disinfectant. You’ll always need these items on hand, so knowing who offers the best prices could save you money.

Yet again, HEB beats Walmart for the total cart price! We saved nearly $5 and 5% in the home essentials category by choosing HEB over Walmart.

Previously, we found solid evidence that Walmart increases prices on name-brand items while lowering prices on their in-house brands like Equate and Great Value. This tactic ensures that Walmart makes even more money by convincing consumers to buy their in-house products.

But in the home essentials section, we’ve discovered a few finds that contradict that evidence. When it comes to paper products, HEB’s in-house brand is cheaper than Walmart’s, but Walmart offers the lowest prices on brand-name paper products like Charmin and Bounty.

HEB vs. Walmart: Baby Items Price Comparison

Taking care of your kids can be exhausting and expensive, so it’s great to know where you can get the best deals on baby products.

After shopping for 9 baby items, including food, shampoo, and diapers, we found that Walmart offered us about 5% savings. Our Walmart cart was about $2 less than our HEB cart.

The savings in this section nearly evened themselves out, but at the end of the day, Walmart reigned supreme.

Now, the only question left is whether Walmart’s baby products are the same quality as HEBs. Since most of the items here are name brand, we’d say it’s a safe bet that you’re not losing out on quality when you save money at Walmart on most baby products.

HEB vs. Walmart: Pet Products Items Price Comparison

Now, we can’t forget about our fur babies. Here, we compare HEB and Walmart prices on popular pet products, including dog and cat food, treats, and kitty litter.

We spent over $100 on just seven items for our pets at both HEB and Walmart, but when all was said and done, Walmart saved us nearly $4.

Walmart offered lower prices on every pet product we looked at except one–the Dentastix–and HEB’s lower price was just 10 cents cheaper.

Overall, it’s clear who offered lower prices on pet products: Walmart.

HEB vs. Walmart: Services and Public Perception Comparison

When comparing two major grocery stores like Walmart and HEB, there’s more to it than just price. This section looks at Walmart and HEB’s services, product quality, and public perceptions to give you a better overview of how these two stores compare.

FAQs About HEB and Walmart

HEB vs. Walmartn – Which is Best for You?

So, which is cheaper, HEB or Walmart? Walmart is cheaper than HEB, but only by about 4%. And HEB offers higher quality products.

Although Walmart is cheaper overall, some items are still cheaper at HEB. If you want to save the most money possible, you should check prices online before heading to the Walmart or HEB near you.

When it comes to pricing, HEB offers reliable, competitive pricing. Over at Walmart, you can expect prices to fluctuate. Although most items will be a few cents cheaper, some items are extremely expensive for what they are. This could be how Walmart can offer their low price guarantee–by fooling unsuspecting consumers who don’t look at prices before buying.

Here’s a summary of who’s better off shopping where.

Choose HEB if:

• You care about having access to quality produce
• You want to buy high-quality meat that isn’t sketchy
• You prefer reliable, competitive pricing
• You buy store-brand paper products like toilet paper or paper towels
• You don’t mind paying slightly more for a better shopping experience with higher quality products
• You’re a proud Texan who wants to support a Texas brand

Choose Walmart if:

• You don’t mind poor-quality produce
• You usually buy name brand food products, especially dairy
• You don’t need fresh meat
• You do need frozen foods
• You don’t mind that Walmart hikes prices on select items 
• You want to save money, even if it’s just a few cents per item
• You want the lowest prices on name-brand paper products

We hope this total price comparison between Walmart and HEB helped you!

If you have insider information that you think could help other shoppers who love to save money, feel free to share your advice in the comments below. Tell us: do you prefer HEB or Walmart, and why?