Expert Reviews

Wegmans vs. Whole Foods Price Comparison: Is Wegmans More Expensive Than Whole Foods?

Rebecca Choi

January 10, 2022

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Wegmans and Whole Foods are both grocers with great reputations when it comes to the quality of their products–unlike competitors that offer dirt cheap prices like Walmart.

But what price do we have to pay for great quality? Whole Foods is notorious for cleaning out the bank accounts of its customers (hence the nickname, Whole Paycheck), and we wanted to know if Wegmans was in the same boat.

Unfortunately, the current data out there was limited. Some people say Wegmans is more expensive while others say Whole Foods is the most expensive grocer out there.

Price comparisons that only look at 10-20 items are taking too small of a sample size to provide accurate results. That’s why we compiled an ultimate shopping list with 80+ items to settle the score once and for all.

Comparison Methodology: How We Compared Wegmans and Whole Foods

As you know, we created an extensive grocery list to figure out how Wegmans compares to Whole Foods. We completed this price comparison in December 2021.

To analyze the facts, we offer you savings data across seven categories as well as the total savings across all categories. And the winner was clear–until it wasn’t (but more on that later).

To keep things fair, we looked at two stores in Fairfax, Virginia. It’s important to acknowledge that prices vary per region–and they can even vary per store and by the day.

So, keep in mind that the prices you see here may not accurately reflect the prices you can find at your local Whole Foods and Wegmans. These prices are merely meant to help give us a big picture look at which store is cheaper.

Before we dive in, I should mention that Wegmans only exist on the east coast of the US–so if you’re reading this from the west coast, you might want to check out a price comparison article that suits your needs better (like this comparison between Kroger and Walmart or this one that pits Sprouts against Whole Foods).

Wegmans vs. Whole Foods Price Comparison Summary

If you don’t have time to read through all the thrilling data we collected on Wegmans and Whole Foods prices, then here’s what you need to know. Wegmans was the clear winner when it came to lower prices–as long as you don’t subscribe to Amazon Prime.

Whole Foods lost to Wegmans in every single category we looked at, from organic produce and vegan products to snacks and drinks.

Overall, we saved $25.88 by shopping at Wegmans instead of Whole Foods, which was just under 8% of the total bill. We saved the most money shopping for animal products, junk food, and beverages.

But, it’s essential to note that we looked at Whole Foods’ regular prices without an Amazon Prime membership discount.

Whole Foods offers a 10% discount on all items to Prime members. So, if you already pay for Amazon Prime, that membership tips the scales in favor of Whole Foods. It becomes 2% cheaper to shop at Whole Foods instead of Wegmans!

Keep reading for a more in-depth look at what we discovered.

Wegmans vs. Whole Foods: Fresh Produce Price Comparison

Fresh produce is an important staple of any diet. And knowing where the cheaper fruits and veggies are sold is essential in this Whole Foods vs. Wegmans comparison.

We “bought” a lot of fresh produce on this “shopping trip,” and we saved $1.52 by choosing Wegmans over Whole Foods.

Overall, there was only one item that was more expensive at Wegmans than Whole Foods–and it was only a penny more. If you’re curious, that item was a bag of avocados. Not even one avocado. A whole bag.

So, we can safely say that produce is generally cheaper at Wegmans than Whole Foods (at least in 2021 and early 2022)–but the difference isn’t all that much. 7 out of 11 items were the same price at both retailers.

Keep in mind that the cost of produce varies significantly depending on where you live. That’s because local sellers may have different prices that fluctuate, and other non-local produce incurs shipping costs depending on where the specific produce comes from.

And the results are much different when comparing organic produce prices between Wegmans and Whole Foods.

Wegmans vs. Whole Foods: Organic Produce Price Comparison

Whether you choose to buy as much organic produce as possible or you shop according to the clean fifteen and the dirty dozen, knowing who sells cheaper organic produce could save you money.

When it came to organic produce, we found that Whole Foods offered lower prices on more items in the organic produce category than Wegmans–5 out of 8 to be exact. 

Why? We think it’s because people who shop at Whole Foods are more likely to purchase organic produce than those who shop at Wegmans. We’re all aware that Whole Foods has a reputation–and that reputation means they’re probably able to reduce prices on organic produce by buying in bulk or cutting deals with suppliers since they know they’ll be able to sell it.

But Wegmans offered lower prices all around (for the items we looked at, at least).

While Whole Foods generally offered lower prices, they also offered a few items at significantly higher prices, like:

• Organic Broccoli
• Organic Baby Carrots
• Organic Mushrooms

We also noticed that Whole Foods tended to offer packaged items in smaller amounts. So, if we compared the per-item cost and ignored the per pound or per ounce cost, Whole Foods would appear to be cheaper.

Don’t be fooled by Whole Foods’ marketing tactics!

So, what’s the moral of the story? Do your research–because if you buy those things that Whole Foods marks up (like baby carrots and broccoli) every week, then shopping at Wegmans for your organic produce could save you a lot of money in the long run.

Wegmans vs. Whole Foods: Meat, Dairy, and Eggs Price Comparison

If you eat a vegan diet, you might want to skip this section and move on to the next one (where we examine vegan alternatives). Here, we’ll look at the prices of animal products like chicken breasts, ground beef, cow milk, eggs, and cheese.

Whole Foods should be embarrassed. And you should completely avoid buying animal products at Whole Foods because only one item on this list (out of 14!) was cheaper at Whole Foods than Wegmans.

Overall, we saved $7 by buying our essential meat and dairy products at Wegmans instead of Whole Foods.

Wegmans vs. Whole Foods: Vegan Alternatives Price Comparison

Wegmans and Whole Foods both have large customer bases who are interested in healthy foods, and that includes vegan products. Both stores offer a wide variety of options for meat and dairy alternatives, but one store is cheaper.

Wegmans wins again. Even though we only saved 50 cents in this category, it’s still worth it to shop at Wegmans instead of Whole Foods for these products.

Even though Whole Foods had better prices on cheese alternatives and the Just Egg egg substitute, Wegmans had better prices overall for the plant-based products that may frequent your grocery list.

Wegmans vs. Whole Foods: Pantry Items Price Comparison

Next, we’ll look at staple goods and non-perishables for your pantry, like bread, pasta, and canned goods. These shelf-stable foods are must-haves in your home–and one store offers better prices.

It’s probably not a surprise that Wegmans won again. We saved about $3 in this section, but it would have been more than $10 if we hadn’t bought the French Roast Dark Whole Coffee Beans.

This product was almost twice the price of Wegmans, which makes Whole Foods the obvious choice for high-end coffee products.

But other than that, Whole Foods only beat Wegmans on 2 other items out of the total 12 we examined.

The lesson we learned? Stocking your pantry at Wegmans products will be a whole lot cheaper than stocking it with Whole Foods products.

Wegmans vs. Whole Foods: Frozen Food Price Comparison

Frozen foods are another household staple. So, who has better prices? And how much better are they?

Wegmans wins… again. In the frozen food aisle, we saved over $5, which was nearly 20% of our total cart price for this category.

In this section, we pitted the Wegmans store brand again 365 by Whole Foods Market. And Wegmans’ in-house brand beat Whole Foods’ prices 7 out of 8 times.

Wegmans vs. Whole Foods: Snacks and Drinks Price Comparison

Finally, we look at the snacks and drinks that Wegmans and Whole Foods offer. In this section, we saved the most money. And the winner was obvious.

Again, Wegmans demolished Whole Foods’ prices. Whole Foods didn’t have a lower price for a single item in this category–but it did tie on the price of packaged raisins.

Out of all the categories in this price comparison, we saved the most money in this category.

The takeaway here is that you should never buy snacks or beverages at Whole Foods–if you want to save money, that is.

Wegmans vs. Whole Foods: How Their Products Compare

Well, Wegmans is a cheaper alternative to Whole Foods. But so is Walmart.

So, the question is, do you lose quality when you shop at Wegmans instead of Whole Foods?

Let’s find out if it’s true what they say: you get what you pay for.

The results? Wegmans is cheaper, but it isn’t a “cheap” store. You’ll save money without losing quality if you choose Wegmans over Whole Foods.

The main drawback of shopping at Wegmans over Whole Foods is that not everyone has this option. Wegmans’ HQ lies in Rochester, New York, and most of their locations can be found in the Northeastern US.

Wegmans vs. Whole Foods: How Their Services Compare

Shopping isn’t only about the prices and the products. Your experience as a customer is important, too.

So, let’s look at how Wegmans and Whole Foods compare when it comes to services like delivery and returns.

Overall, we’d say that Wegmans and Whole Foods are on par with one another when it comes to their services.

Whole Foods definitely offers a better “loyalty” program for Amazon prime members. 10% off on all products isn’t a bad deal. And an Amazon Prime membership might tip the scales if you already have one (it’s $12.99 a month, by the way).

FAQs About Wegmans and Whole Foods

We know this article covered a lot of information about Wegmans and Whole Foods, but sometimes more information just leads to more questions.

Here are the answers to some common questions when comparing Wegmans and Whole Foods.

Final Thoughts: Should You Shop at Whole Foods or Wegmans?

If you have a Wegmans near you, choose Wegmans over Whole Foods at least 9 out of 10 times. You’ll find an equal quality, more options, and better prices–even if they don’t carry that specialty vegan pastry you like.

However, Whole Foods may be a better option for you (if you don’t care about saving money) since they do tend to offer some specialty items you can’t get anywhere else.

But there is one major caveat: if you have an Amazon Prime membership, you can cash in on 10% savings at Whole Foods–which tips the scales.

Ultimately, the choice is yours.

What have your experiences with Wegmans and Whole Foods been like? We want to hear from you! Tell us where you find better service, products, variety, or anything else.