Aldi vs. Costco: Are they worth a drive?
In the comments on a recent post, a reader who lives near Costco was wondering if it made sense to make a slightly farther drive to get to Aldi.
Funnily enough, this reader is in the exact opposite situation as compared to me. Costco is more inconveniently located for me, whereas Aldi is super easy to get to.
Still, I thought it might be helpful to chat about the differences between the stores and whether they're worth the drive or not.
Why I Favor Aldi
I tend to favor Aldi for a few reasons other than the drive.
I can buy small quantities at Aldi.
Even though we're a family of 6, sometimes I don't want to buy large quantities. For instance, I'd rather buy several different kinds of fruit for $10 at Aldi vs. one big package of fruit for $10 at Costco.
Or sometimes I just want a small block of specialty cheese instead of a 1-2 pound package.
Aldi's package sizes would be even more of an advantage for a smaller household, of course.
I dislike Costco's milk containers.
This is a small thing, and I know these containers save on shipping space, but man, they are really inconvenient for pouring. We cannot figure out how to use them while avoiding drips.
Aldi is smaller and less distracting.
Costco has eleventy billion different kinds of things you can buy (Books! DVDs! Clothes! Rugs! Sporting gear!), whereas Aldi mainly carries staple food and household items, with a few Special Purchase non-food seasonal items.
If you're an impulse buyer, Aldi is definitely a safer place to be.
Also, I like the smaller footprint of the Aldi store. I can walk through the entire store in just a minute or two, whereas it takes a long time to get around Costco.
Both Stores Are Great Choices
I think that choosing between Aldi and Costco is like choosing between Canon and Nikon or between Honda and Toyota; it's hard to go wrong!
Aldi and Costco both have great prices.
I've read a bunch of different price comparisons on the internet, and on some things, Costco beats Aldi, and on some items, the opposite is the case. Many times, the difference is negligible. So, if one store is far more convenient for you than the other, I'd say it's smart to go with convenience.
Aldi and Costco both pay their employees well.
This makes me feel equally good about shopping at either store, whereas I do not feel the same way about shopping at Walmart.
Aldi and Costco both have great return policies.
These two stores offer a no-questions asked, money-back guarantee on your purchases, so they're risk-free places to shop.
How I Split Up Aldi/Costco Shopping
I go to Costco about once a month to buy frozen/pantry items that are cheaper at Costco than at Aldi. Since these items aren't perishable, it works to buy them infrequently and in bulk.
Then for the rest of my weekly shopping, I go to Aldi.
However, if I were in a situation like my reader, I'm not sure I'd do the opposite. Going to Aldi once a month to stock up on things probably wouldn't work as well as going to Costco for the same purpose.
But since Costco and Aldi's prices vary on different items, it might be smart to try a trial run to see if Aldi ends up being cheaper for your particular shopping needs. You could try shopping at Aldi for a month or two and see if shopping there has reduced the overall grocery spending or not.
And if Aldi shopping has reduced the grocery bill, then you could look at the savings and figure out whether it was worth the extra driving time or not.
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While I do live close to an Aldi and shop there very regularly, I am contemplating buying a Costco membership again. Its on the same road, just further out, but not to the point where its "out of my way". We just have a family of 3, and a very tight budget (which I'm still trying to work on!), so it's hard for me to wrap my head around such a large amount at the register. I think that's what keeps me away from Costco. We did have a Sam's membership until last month. I didn't renew it for this reason. Does anyone have insight on this? Am I looking too much at the small picture when it comes to my budget and shopping at Costco? Any advice would be helpful! Thanks!
Do you track your unit prices to make sure you are actually getting a better deal with the Sam's or Costco quantities? Even if the larger quantities are better on a per unit basis, when you first start buying larger quantities in "chunks" your grocery bill will go up at first until you have supplies of everything and are replacing as things run out. You also have to make sure you are using up the larger quantities and not letting stuff go bad.
We are a family of 3 as well and regularly shop at Aldi mainly because that is more convenient for us to get to (although still not in our town), but also because I don't know how people without large families or who go through a LOT of certain items can deal with the huge quantities at Costco. We last shopped at Costco almost two years ago (went with relatives who have a membership) and just got through the jug of maple syrup we got there and have enough freezer bags to hold us for probably another two years.
I don't know if this helps, but one of the tipping points for us was gas. We lived in an area where gas was usually $0.10 a gallon cheaper( sometimes more!) at Costco than anywhere else. We have an executive membership, and their credit card (which is switching to Visa this month) so between gas and grocery purchases we actually *make* money on our membership, because of the cash back. My husband and I agree we will get rid of the card if we ever carry a balance, so we pay it off in full every month. It's been a great system for our family of four for the last five years.
We do have a Costco membership, which we bought with a gift card my husband's boss gave us. Costco is not very convenient, and I often forget to shop there. We have a family of three so most of the time it doesn't make sense to buy groceries there because of the amount. I do buy things like oatmeal and rice there.
As for pouring the milk, leave the jug on the counter, and tip leaving the one edge on the counter. You can look it up on YouTube. 😉
I'm closer to Aldi, and I usually shop there once a week, whereas I would never shop once a week at Costco. With the things I buy at Aldi, I wouldn't want to make it a once-a-month trip. I guess it all depends on how far the drive is - if it's an hour I sure wouldn't want to go there once a week.
You guys could decant the milk into another vessel. A generation ago doing so was the norm.
Thank you so much for going over this! I hear so much about Aldi that I thought I was missing out on some great, frugal secret. You're right, though. Costco is closer to me, so the thirty minute trip to Aldi just isn't worth it.
I always felt the same as Amy. When I was raising my family of six, it made sense to shop at Sam's or Costco because of the bulk items. But I just could not afford the higher total at the check-out, even though it meant I might not have to shop again for awhile. It just wasn't the way our one-income family worked financially. My husband worked on commission then, which made it so hard to budget our money. So I made several smaller grocery trips instead of one big one, spending the money as we earned it, I guess. It wasn't ideal; in fact, I hated it. I felt like I was always in the grocery store, always making a list, etc. As things got better financially, and I started meal planning, it got so much easier.
We don't have a Costco near us, unfortunately, but we do have a Sam's Club. My Sam's and Aldi are within blocks of each other so it makes it easy for me to do most of my shopping at Aldi, and then head to Sam's for the leftover items that Aldi doesn't carry. We eat a lot of meat so I typically get it at Sam's and freeze half of it. I also get paper towels and toilet paper at Sam's because it doesn't go bad-even though it makes me cringe to spend $20 on something that is literally just going to be thrown away. Even though sweet potatoes at Aldi are cheaper, I get them at Sam's because they are bigger and more regular shape which makes it easier to peel. Not super frugal but it does save me a lot of frustration. Some weeks I am able to skip the Sam's trip if we have enough in the freezer.
I found that I spent way too much at a "club" store and we don't really need the huge sizes of things - there are just 2 of us, plus I don't have space to store large quantities of several things. Even though the price per unit might have been less, I ended up spending more in the long run.
One needs to factor in the cost of the membership as well. You would have to save at least the cost of the membership, and if it were a further drive the cost and time to go to Costco, to see if Costco would be worth it.
I completely agree on the Costco milk jugs! Just awful!
I would add one more point of comparison. I love my Aldi dearly, but their store brands of dish and laundry detergent just don't beat Tide and All, which I can get at Costco. I gave both off brands a go for a good, long time, but just couldn't get the same level of clean.
I hate Aldi's dish detergent too. I've been using Mrs. Meyer's from ePantry (now Grove) and I like it as well as I liked Dawn.
My stash of Seventh Generation has been getting low (the wife got tons with coupons for super cheap.) Thanks for letting me know to avoid the Aldi version.
I've heard good things about the Dollar store's "Totally Awesome" brand (my MIL uses it) but I've heard it can do a number on your hands.
I am an avid Aldi shopper and they recently changed their milk containers to a different design. I just googled the Costco milk containers and I'm sorry to say that they are the same design. 🙁 I'm not a fan of the change so I hope the change back. I live in the Atlanta area so not sure if this change is going to be spreading to other locations.
Ohh, nuts! Say it isn't so! My Aldi still has milk in the regular containers.
I prefer Costco over Aldis as I feel the quality is so much better on perishables and most other items. That said my family also HATES the milk containers from Costco. So true that it is hard to pour without dripping. Can't believe they haven't fixed this after so many years.
I just wish we *had* an Aldi! We do have Costco and it is close, so I shop there all the time. So much so that my executive membership pays for itself in cash back! We just got a brand new Trader Joe's (they are owned by Aldi) and I've been doing my own comparison to Costco. It's looking the same-they both have advantages. I'd love to hear what others have experienced between those two stores since it doesn't look like we will be getting an Aldi anytime soon!
I LOVE Trader Joe's and shop there almost exclusively. Head to Costco about every 6 weeks for a few items that beat TJ's price.
The thing about Traders Joe's is that it's somehow fun to shop there, and I want to go several times a week. Crazy!
I live 60 miles from Costco and there is no Aldi anywhere in this entire area that I know of, so it really isn't a "problem" for me. That said, I used to shop once a month at Sam's, before Costco arrived, but I really didn't like Sam's that well, and I found that regular sized items on sale at a grocery store would sometimes beat Sam's huge containers when figuring unit price. And the more I moved to organic, the less Sam's worked for me. We've contemplated using Costco, but we still haven't decided if it makes sense for us yet, since there are only 2 of us at home now. We are actually there once a week in that town where Costco is, so the trip would already be made -- that wouldn't factor in, but the cost of membership and the constant temptation to buy other things does!
A price book, a la The Tightwad Gazette, helped me make a lot of better decisions on buying a huge package or stick with a smaller one on sale.
I definitely agree on the funky milk containers and the butter shape bugs me too. 😉 Costco gas is significantly cheaper, $.20 at times, so that could make it more worth it. My Costco membership just ran out and since we recently moved and Sam's is nearby and Costco is across town, that was a no-brainer. If you are considering Sam's as well, I would suggest their upgraded membership as you can get in at 7:00 a.m. (which for me is HUGE), extra coupons, etc. and you get money back as well.
The things that you can not get at Aldi, such as bread flour, great price on yeast, cheap Ghiradelli brownies, Costco popcorn, etc. are nice too.
We are about to be empty nesters, so I really like the smaller quantities of Aldi.
It can be a toss up, Costco does a better job of marketing (i.e., helping you blow your budget) but they also have some nicer things seasonally that are affordable and nice to find. As with everything else, you have to do the math and see what works for your family.
Where I live it would be Aldi/Sams..... I have been to Aldi a few times and have tried really really hard to go in with an open mind and love it.. But I HATE Aldis. Produce is half the size and I have learned to never buy their produce already pkgd. Many times I came home and took it out and found the backside of it rotten. An avocado may be half the price at Aldis, it is also half the size too. We really don't buy milk alot but when I do I buy organic and no matter what that stuff is spendy. Now that we are empty nesters I find I do not need to shop at Sams anymore .. If I want bulk in anything (ex; tp) then I go online and search for the best online prices and have it shipped. I hope to get this fine tuned and order more and more this way.
Great website for the best deals at Amazon. http://jungledealsandsteals.com/
That's such a bummer that your Aldi has bad produce. I love the produce at my Aldi, and I find that things like avocados and pineapples are actually bigger than the ones at regular grocery stores.
Sometimes the avocado is a little smaller at Aldi but there are times when we don't need a jumbo avocado so it works out for us. Also, I have noticed that Aldi avocados last a little longer, too.
Well said. It's really hard to say which is better until you do apples to apples comparison (pun intended!) based on what you personally actually buy. Plus prices are different all over.
We live close to Aldi and go about twice a week. We live about 45 minutes from Costco and go about every month and a half (there's a discount produce place close to it that we hit in the same trip). The Costco membership used to be worth it, but we are starting to change our minds on this. They keep lowering the number of diapers in their boxes, making them less of a good deal and that was one of the biggest reasons we would go. I would guess that this will be our last year at Costco.
Costco and Aldi are both a 45-minute drive from me, but they are the two stores I shop at. My small town options are Walmart and Food Lion, and while Food Lion is decent, I prefer the deals at Costco and Aldi. I go to Costco the first week of every month and get the majority of food we will use for the month that will last that long - meat (frozen, or I'll split it up and freeze it in smaller quantities), some milk, frozen veggies, pantry staples. Then I go to Aldi the third week of the month to replenish fresh stuff. Yes, I only shop twice a month, and this helps our grocery budget tremendously. We are a family of three - my husband is a competition weightlifter so he eats a ton, and our son eats a lot too. In summary: though both stores are far away, they're my favorites. I can't imagine shopping elsewhere (ethically - hence avoiding Walmart) on a budget.
I shop every two weeks too! My husband gets paid on that schedule. It really helps our budget and I only make lists 2 times a month. I do run to the close grocery store for milk or bananas sometimes. It works for us!
I am the main cook & shopper for a family of 4. I shop at both Aldi's & Costco. Costco pays for itself by their prices on the OTC drugs. We all have allergies & the generics there or even the Musinex are way cheaper. Liquor if you buy it is also cheaper. I buy their fresh veggies but not fruit & am careful to only buy what I can use. I buy mainly bulk items I know I will use as an example I bought their generic large size heavy duty foil. It last me all year & cover cookie sheets before baking or cooking on them. Much cheaper than buying it every few weeks. I go monthly & start y list for the next month when I get home. I have a neighborhood Jewel & I buy my veggies there. I do Aldi’s once a month to buy cheese, dairy canned or frozen stuff I need. I rarely go into the neighborhood stores * send my dh or 1 of the girls. That way they stick to the list
We don't have Aldi in the Seattle area, but I do shop at Costco occasionally. It's just my husband and I, but I do buy certain things there that we use often: olives, olive oil, avocado oil, cheese, sugar, baking soda, Epsom salts and a few other things. I do buy gas there occasionally as well.
A few years ago, I needed a prescription, but I didn't have prescription coverage with my medical insurance. I called around to area pharmacies, and they all quoted me over a hundred dollars. Then I called Costco. Their price? $11. That saved me about the cost of two years of membership at Costco.
We also buy electronics at Costco whenever possible. In most cases, they double the company warranty on these products (for a laptop I bought, the one year warranty was extended to two years). When my laptop's motherboard died 1.5 years after I bought it, it was replaced for free. So this saved me a ton of money as well.
Years ago, when I lived overseas, everyone raved about Aldi. It wasn't convenient for where I lived, but I decided to check it out one day. It was almost all processed stuff that I didn't use, and I wasn't impressed. I understand this has changed, however. If it were in my area, I would certainly check it out. I do shop at Trader Joe's, which is Aldi's cousin company.
I live 1 mile from Sam's Club, 2 miles from Aldi & about 10 miles from Costco...and I regularly shop at all 3.
For me, it would get like comparing my 3 kids for a favorite! I buy certain things at each store.
Comes right down to doing your homework, keeping track of your spending...and deciding what works for you & your family.
We don't have Aldis here in Northern California but we do have trader joes which are all the rage here. I hate TJ's because of how they over package their goods. For that reason I prefer Costco. Also Costco has a very good organic section.
I'm very curious about this milk jug issue because either I've never noticed it or it's not an issue--I live in Boston so maybe the NE Costco milk suppliers are different? How is it different than any other gallon milk jug?
The ones here are almost flat on top, so the pouring spout is basically not a spout at all. Like so: http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/costco-square-milk-jugs-they-stink/
DH and I honeymooned in Orlando at a condo resort with a full kitchen. On the way from the airport we spotted an Aldi, (Our first. Thanks, Kristen!) so we stocked up on groceries for the week. Loved it and took pictures in front of the cart corral. Then we went to Costco to look for discount passes. We chose the indoor skydiving, 'cause we're a little old for the mouse house. We cruised the store and marveled at those milk containers. Took a pic of DH holding one (ain't we got fun?). I had no idea they were such a pain to use. My conclusion is that it must be a regional thing. The solution is to complain, complain, complain to Costco. If they hear enough grousing, they WILL change them. They really have that much clout with vendors and they listen to member feedback. They do not use the flat top milk jugs on the West Coast, btw.
Back to the question: No Aldi in our part of the world yet. I am a dyed-in-the-wool-Costco fan. They are my everyday grocery store. I average two or three trips a month. Everything else comes from the 99 Only Stores or Grocery Outlet, with occasional stock-ups at Winco (Scarce as Aldi around here.) I talked my way into a Sam's recently and was not impressed enough to stray from my beloved Costco.
Since I live alone, I don't do the warehouse club shopping, but I did calculate how much further it is for me to drive to Aldi than the grocery store that is just a couple of blocks away. Aldi is 5 miles farther, so I figured I had to save enough money to warrant driving the extra 10 miles. If I am only getting a couple of things, it usually isn't worth it to drive farther. It all depends on what I'm getting and if I need to go to that area for other things.
I have three grocery stores, a BJ's, a Target and a WalMart all within a mile of my home, but I still make the bi-weekly trek to Aldis even though it's a half hour each way on a good day. The prices are so low that I've cut my grocery bill almost in half! You're tip to shop at Aldis is spot on!
We are a family of 7. I shop Aldi and Meijer every week and Costco about every 2-3 weeks.
I get different things at each. I am with you though, I hate the milk containers, they do not fit well in our fridge where the milk space is on the door and they pour weird. Also, an impulse buy at Costco is $10-20 bucks. That doesn't happen often but those receipts can be hard to swallow!
I LOVE our Aldi. I get my bulk there then to Meijer for the rest and their loss leaders.
I'm with you though, I cannot stand Walmart.
There is no membership cost for Aldi.
We moved here to Coastal Georgia in 2014 from the DC area.
Virginia had Costco where we shopped 3-4 times a year for quantity things. Aldi for weekly grocery shopping.
Georgia has neither Aldi nor Costco. We do have Sam's and we shop there 5-6 times a year for larger amounts of things. Last trip they had 2lb blocks of sharp cheddar for $4.98 which is cheap for this area. Milk however is cheaper to buy at Publix supermarket than anywhere else here that I have seen or found!
Sam's doesn't bother me as far as what they carry as I tend to stick to the list and only buy what is needed. I would love to have an Aldi here!!!
A girl can dream can't she????? lol
Lots of Aldis in Georgia just maybe not in your area. Some parts of South Georgia are in the "Florida" market for grocers and I'm not sure if Aldi is in Florida...
Costco, too, but I think only around Atlanta.
Your Costco has milk in weird containers. I noticed it in one of your posts a few weeks ago. Here in Northern California, Costco milk comes in a box with two normal one gallon jugs. We don't have an Aldi here, or I would totally shop there for a lot of things.
Hi Kristen,
We love our local ALDI, it is about 2 minutes drive away and always has superb fruit and veg at great prices. I also by their bulk nuts and bakery items, which are sooo much cheaper than the other two supermarkets that are also really close by. I did join Costco, just we only went the once and were very disappointed, the cost per kilo/litre ect was so much more and we simply don't need to buy in huge quantities. I have friends that love Costco but it isn't for us.
The closest Costco to me is more than 60 miles away, one way, so that is out of the equation. I am on the business card for my summer job at Sam's, so I don't have to pay the membership, but must pay the bill in cash/my bank card when I visit. Since it's 20 miles away from my house in the direction opposite of my drive to school, I don't visit too often. Aldi's is my new love! I drive less than3 miles out of my way on the drive home from school, I can focus and get groceries by myself-quickly and without child distracting me. The prices are great! I have had some problems with supply of some items, but since I'm at school 5 days a week I just stop by another night. During the summer it isn't convenient to drive more than 20 miles to get there though.
I live in Australia and things are a little different. There is one Costco in my state and it is a longish drive and several toll roads to go there. I went at Christmas with my cousins. I don't think a membership is practical for my family. We have many Aldi stores near our home or on our usual routes. Most of our shopping is done there. I also have an independent store near home and can buy milk that is bottled on a fairly local farm. The milk is minimally processed and I have been to the farm and love the concepts they use. The cows are content. It is a little dearer but the Australian Dairy industry is a mess and I will support local products as much as I am able.
I simply wish we had Aldi or something equivalent in the Pacific NorthWest. I hear such great things about Aldi that I find myself jealous of the prices. We do have Costco and I do make monthly shopping trips for staples as well as toilet paper, paper towels, dog food etc. I do save money but only when I am strong enough to bypass all of the other eye candy! One item I ALWAYS buy and ALWAYS save on is their whole roasted chickens. That is a incredible steal for sure.
Thanks for the post even though I don't have a Aldi to shop at. Maybe we could pursued them to come north? Lol
We are a family of 3. When my children were home, I usually shopped at Aldi twice a month and Costco every couple of months. We really had trouble using up the wonderful bulk buys.
I know what you mean about Costco being distracting!! Ipick up a few food items, and suddenly I am wondering if I should buy a paddleboard. I love Costco though, and honestly, the savings on eye exams and contacts make the membership worth while.
I am lucky. Both Aldi's and Costco are convenient to me.
I shop at both Aldi and Costco, and believe both have different appeal.
Costco is my go-to place for 36 roll packs of Scott's toilet paper, Swiffer Wet floor pads, mouthwash (3 bottle packs), brand name cereals (two and 3 pack boxes), natural peanut butter and organic strawberry jam, butter, Frontline dog/cat flea and tick medication, Nasonex nasal spray, kids vitamins, (pull ups and wipes during my son's younger days), boys socks, jeans for me, tampons, canned tuna, turkey bacon, shrimp, and occasional pre made food/specialty desserts.
I purchase these items here because I don't mind/can easily use and store larger quantities of these items, and prices/quality are superior (in my opinion) to other stores.
Aldi is my stop for these items, which I've found prices and quality to be excellent such as all baking supplies, various snacks, spices, corn tortillas, canned beans, corn, and canned tomato products, bread, and an occasional item that catches my interest.
We don't eat much meat (just a little chicken, occasional steak for my husband, and seafood- all of which I prefer to buy from a 3rd store. There are other items that both Aldi and Costco don't carry, so I get those also from this 3rd store.
I live in the country and have a big extra freezer for stock up items. There is no Sam's, Costco, or Aldi's within 20 miles of us. My family loves the frozen panko chicken (Costco coupon book for $2/lb) which we use for dinner salads, chicken sandwiches, and chicken parm. Sam's now also has a coupon book and I like that I can buy the 4 pack of Scrubbing Bubbles at Sam's and not have the all purpose cleaner in there like at Costco. We eat lots of cheese, nuts, and coffee and those prices and quality are much better at Costco. Over the counter meds, pet food, cat litter, ziploc bags, parchment paper, foil, Pam, pancake syrup, Nutella, bulk yeast, spices, butter, gas when I don't have Kroger gas points, are Costco buys. Aldi's for milk, fresh produce, flour, german chocolate and bread, some seasonal items. When I go to town, there is a Costco next to Sam's and an Aldi's down the street. I go to Aldi's weekly, Costco twice a month, and Sam's 3-4 times a year. We are lucky in that we have Aldi's, Costco, Sam's, Kroger, Trader Joe's, Market Street, Tom Thumb, Fiesta, Albertson's, Brookshire's, Super 1, Sun Fresh Market, Sprouts and Walmart within 25 miles of home so I can make a big circle if I need to get loss leaders or special items from the other stores. My take away is that since the stores are so close together I have the best of all worlds for shopping and each one has it's benefits.
We are a family of four in northern California. We don't have Aldi, but Costco is our primary store. It's about ~15 minutes away (traffic is everywhere here). We buy all of our produce here & rarely have to toss or freeze it. A typical week would look like this: eggs, milk (we have different jugs), bananas x2, berries (if in season), apples, pears, pineapple, melon, cucumber x2, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, tomato. . . we'd also pick up any non-food pantry items, meat & cheese as needed. We rarely buy processed food or snacks, so that's a big saver.
My family eats a *ton* of produce, so it works out.
Thank you for this post. I had not been to an Aldi store in 15 years. When we lived in Ohio we would go all the time. They opened one not to long ago here in New Hampshire. I went this morning with bags and cash in hand (who knew they take credit cards now). So many great buys and I was especially pleased with the organic offerings. Thanks again.
I'll tell you what I really like about Costco. They have discounted gift cards for all kinds of foods/services in my area. Movie tickets, spa certificates, restaurant certificates, etc. If I buy the spa certificate twice in one year, my Costco membership is covered.
I've had a Costco membership for years, but I rarely use it( except for glasses). I did not renew it this year because my cousin added me to her Sam's club membership( I use it for gas). Its just 2 of us so we don't need huge packages of anything( except sugar and flour because I bake a lot). Aldi just opened a store about 35 miles from us. When I'm in that area( being paid to do a mystery shop at another place), I'll stop at Aldi. I would not make a special trip though. The last time I went, they did not have lasagna noodles or frozen chopped spinach.
I was never a fan of costco and we dont have a ALDI nearby until now.I will be checking ALDI to see if its cheaper than the local grocery store.California has lot of options for grocerys ,hispanic or asian grocery stores.
we have been shopping at aldis and costco for something like 3 years from what we can see it depends on what your buying we buy cheese from costco we feel its better, i buy coffee capsules from aldi. we buy meat from costco its better quality meat than you get in the grocery store we never have tough meat aldi is ok but not even close in quality we also buy the ready made curry pomegranate juice and rice from costco as well as eggs many containers are just to big at costco making them impracticable for many people aldis is the place to buy basics like flour sugar soda water ice cream sandwiches chopped tomatoes olive oil and the like. where aldis really shines is their chocolate they stock a wide variety of chocolate much of it Belgian . we find the bread poor at both aldis and costco so we buy that from a sourdough baker locally the produce at costco is in large bulk packaging to big for us and the produce in aldis is usually lacking in quality unripe fruits for example that appear ripe but are not. in the end it depends on whether its about saving money or getting quality i resent paying for the membership but you get what you pay for. neither shop is a catch all for our family i guess all things in moderation
I'm the luckiest person here, since I moved 1.5 years ago, I live 6-7 minutes away from Aldi and Costco which are both at the same shopping complex... I do once a week shopping at both, Aldi always for organic milk since they have the best price I ever found and my kids drink a lot of it... also some kids snacks, some pantry items... Costco mostly fruits, veggies and meat since my Aldi has very bad produce section... I know I'm late with commenting on this post but I just found your blog and read back 😉
Ok, what does "near" mean? I live about 2-3 miles from an Aldi but it is difficult to get to without driving due to the confluence of highways, downtown traffic, and a number of other reasons. With a big backpack weighed down, those concrete sidewalks hurt.
On the other hand, I have a Lunds within 1 mile and it is quite easy to walk to. As you probably already know, you could spend double shopping at Lund's. However, I would say that Lunds is near me and Aldi isn't. There is a huge cost/detriment to driving everywhere including the cost of vehicle ownership, lack of social interaction (unless you go grocery shopping with somebody), and the loss of exercise.
I honestly have no good way of figuring out which option makes more sense.
If you already own a vehicle, then I think it might make sense to use your car for a big stock-up trip to Aldi, and then maybe you could use Lunds for smaller in-between kind of trips.