Everyone argues about which supermarket is cheapest. So we stopped guessing: on 25 July 2026 we priced the identical basket of seven everyday items at Tesco, SuperValu and Dunnes — the three big Irish supermarkets that publish prices online — all on the same day. Here's exactly what we found.
Just €0.43 separates the dearest from the cheapest — a spread of about 2.5% across the whole basket.
| Item | Tesco | SuperValu | Dunnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh milkAvonmore, 2 L brand | €2.69 | €2.69 | €2.69 |
| White sliced panown-brand, 800 g own-brand | €0.85 | €0.85 | €0.85 |
| Irish butterKerrygold, 454 g brand | €4.99 | €4.99 | €4.99 |
| Free-range eggsown-brand large, 6 own-brand | €2.55 | €2.55 | €2.55 |
| Baked beansHeinz, 415 g brand | €1.90 | €1.50 | €1.50 |
| Chopped tomatoesown-brand value, 400 g own-brand | €0.45 | €0.42 | €0.45 |
| TeaBarry's Gold Blend, 80 bags brand | €4.09 | €4.09 | €4.09 |
| 7-item basket total | €17.52 | €17.09 | €17.12 |
Green = cheapest for that item. ✓ = cheapest total. Prices captured from each retailer's website on 25 July 2026; they can change daily and with promotions.
What this actually tells you
On the brands you know, the big three are almost identical. Milk, butter, tea and eggs came out to the exact same price at all three — because national brands are largely sold at a set price across the big grocers. The whole €0.43 gap came down to two items: Heinz beans (€1.90 in Tesco vs €1.50 elsewhere) and a few cent on tinned tomatoes. So swapping your entire weekly shop between Tesco, SuperValu and Dunnes saves you very little.
So where are the real savings?
Two places this basket deliberately shows you — and one it can't:
- Own-brand, not the store. The own-brand items here (pan, eggs, value tomatoes) are a fraction of the branded ones — that €0.85 sliced pan versus a €2+ branded loaf is the real lever. See the own-brand swaps that save 30–50%.
- Aldi and Lidl — cheaper again. They're not in this table because they don't sell groceries online in Ireland, so we can't price them live here. But independent surveys consistently put them 20–30% below all three stores above. That's the biggest single move most households can make — here's the honest breakdown.
- Weekly promotions. A single "was €X now €Y" offer can beat the lot for one shop — worth a glance, but not worth loyalty. See are loyalty cards worth it?
How we did it (and why you can trust it)
We searched each retailer's own website on 25 July 2026 and recorded the shelf price of the same product and pack size at each. Where an item is own-brand, we used each store's equivalent standard own-brand line. We take no money from any supermarket — no ads, no affiliate links (groceries don't have any) — which is exactly why almost nobody else publishes this. Online prices can differ slightly from in-store and change with promotions, so treat this as a dated snapshot, not a permanent ranking. We'll refresh it and grow the basket over time.
General information, not financial advice. Prices captured 25 July 2026 from tesco.ie, shop.supervalu.ie and dunnesstoresgrocery.com and may since have changed. Aldi and Lidl are excluded because they do not sell groceries online in Ireland.
Know your own number first
Before you chase pennies between stores, find out whether your total shop is high for your household — that's the number that actually matters.
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