Consumer group Which? has released its latest monthly supermarket price comparison, covering thousands of products across eight of the UK's largest retailers. The findings show that shoppers buying everyday essentials such as milk, bread and cheese at Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury's could be spending more than necessary, particularly if they do not use loyalty card discounts.
The comparison tracks 87 everyday products, including food, drink and household staples, at Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose. Aldi consistently emerges as the cheapest supermarket, but the latest figures show how much shoppers could save by switching retailers or taking advantage of available loyalty offers.
Cheapest Supermarket in October 2026
Aldi was the cheapest supermarket in October 2026, with the average cost of an 87-item shopping basket totalling £154.34. Lidl came a close second, with its Lidl Plus loyalty prices bringing the average bill down to £157.17, while shoppers without a Lidl Plus account paid virtually the same amount at £157.21.
Tesco ranked next, with its Clubcard prices working out cheaper than Sainsbury's Nectar offers. The average shop at Tesco cost £181.77 using Clubcard discounts, compared with £182.90 at Sainsbury's using Nectar prices. Asda proved slightly pricier, with the average basket coming to £183.47, while Morrisons customers faced an average bill of £186.77.
However, those who did not use loyalty schemes were hit with higher costs at Tesco and Sainsbury's. Without Clubcard discounts, the Tesco shop came to £187.31, while the identical basket at Sainsbury's totalled £191.56 without Nectar prices.
Waitrose and Ocado Most Expensive
Waitrose emerged as the priciest supermarket in the comparison, with the 87 products reaching an average of £215.87. Ocado ranked as the second most expensive, at £202.33.
The average cost of an 87-item shopping basket in October 2026 was as follows: Aldi £154.34, Lidl (with Lidl Plus) £157.17, Lidl £157.21, Tesco (with Clubcard) £181.77, Sainsbury's (with Nectar) £182.90, Asda £183.47, Morrisons £186.77, Tesco £187.31, Sainsbury's £191.56, Ocado £202.33 and Waitrose £215.87.
Loyalty Card Impact and 2025 Findings
The data underlines the impact loyalty schemes can have when purchasing everyday essentials. In October, 18 items featured in the comparison carried Clubcard discounts at Tesco, while 21 products had Nectar offers at Sainsbury's. Lidl had merely one product on a loyalty discount throughout the analysis, meaning customers could end up spending more for identical groceries if they fail to make use of the available discounts.
Nevertheless, the figures demonstrate that even with loyalty prices factored in, Aldi and Lidl stayed substantially cheaper than the bigger supermarket chains.
These findings are based on supermarket prices throughout 2025, during which thousands of grocery prices were checked on a daily basis. Aldi was crowned the cheapest supermarket for 10 out of the 12 months, making it the overall winner for the year. A 70-item shopping basket cost an average of £120.46 at the German discount supermarket across the year.
Lidl claimed the top spot on two occasions, in July and October, and its average monthly shopping bill was just 77p more expensive than Aldi's over the course of the year. Waitrose, meanwhile, proved to be the most expensive supermarket on the comparison shopping list every single month throughout 2025.
