Woolworths vs Coles: Same Grocery Basket, Priced
Short answer: on the most recent like-for-like readings (Savings.com.au Grocery Price Index, September 2026), 13 staples in identical sizes cost $69.36 at Woolworths and $70.20 at Coles. The gap is 84 cents, and ten of the 13 lines are priced identically at both chains.
A sourcing note before the numbers, because it matters here: coles.com.au prices can be checked directly (and we did, on October 19, 2026, for the lines in the tracker). Woolworths does not expose its product prices to outside checking, so the Woolworths lines below are that tracker's September 2026 readings, the most recent published like-for-like data. Treat this as a September snapshot with October Coles spot-checks, not a same-day audit.
The 13 shared staples, item by item
Tied lines, identical at both chains: full-cream milk 2L $3.40, free range eggs 12 pack $6.40, unsalted butter 250g $4.50, white bread 650g $2.50, long-grain rice 1kg $1.80, pasta 500g $1.00, instant coffee 200g $6.50, beef mince 500g $7.70, washed potatoes 2kg $8.50, brown onions 1kg $2.50. Ten ties is the story of Australian grocery pricing: the duopoly matches on the staples everyone compares.
Chicken breast, free range, per kg: Coles $12.50, Woolworths $12.00. Woolworths wins the biggest per-kilo line by 50 cents.
Tasty cheese slices 500g: Coles $8.00, Woolworths $7.50. Woolworths wins by 50 cents. Note that a Coles tasty block verified directly on October 19 costs $6.80 for 500g, cheaper than both slices lines: the format, not the store, is the bigger lever here.
Bananas, per kg: Coles $4.90, Woolworths $5.06. Coles wins the only line it takes, by 16 cents.
Totals: Woolworths $69.36, Coles $70.20. On the same tracker's full basket of about 40 items, the September totals were Woolworths $263.16 and Coles $266.82, the same direction and a similar small margin.
What October spot-checks add
Coles direct checks on October 19, 2026 show movement since the September readings: free range eggs are $6.60, up from $6.40, while the 500g beef mince pack is on special at $7.70 and the 1kg pack sits at $15.00/kg. The special cycle moves individual lines by more than the entire Coles versus Woolworths gap, which is the practical lesson of this comparison.
This week's catalogues make the same point: chicken breast is $8.50/kg at Coles and $9.50/kg at Woolworths on special, both far below either chain's regular reading. Which chain is cheaper depends on the week and the item, not on a permanent ranking.
The Aldi evidence
Aldi cannot be scored in this table: aldi.com.au publishes no checkable shelf prices. The third-party evidence is consistent, though. A weekly grocery index for the week of October 16, 2026 (Cuugo) put its 15-staple basket at $221.46 at Aldi, against $228.06 at Woolworths and $232.67 at Coles, with each store missing at least one basket item, so those totals are indicative, not exact.
A separate comparison updated in early October 2026 (thecostofliving.com.au) found Aldi cheaper line by line: cheese 500g at $5.99 against $6.80 to $7.00, Greek yoghurt 1kg at $4.99 against $6.00, butter 250g at $3.49 against $4.00, free range eggs at $5.99 against $6.50 (Coles) and $7.00 (Woolworths), and beef mince 500g at $6.99 against $8.00. We report these as that publication's observations, not our own checks.
The honest gaps
Woolworths prices here are tracker readings from September 2026, not October shelf checks, because the site cannot be opened for prices. If Woolworths has moved a line since September, this table will not show it, and we would rather label that than hide it.
The comparison uses each chain's standard format for each staple (650g loaves, 500g mince packs, slices where the tracker reads slices). Different formats, especially cheese blocks versus slices, can outweigh the store difference entirely.
Prices are national online or tracker figures. Australian shelf prices vary less by state than US prices do, but catalogue specials genuinely vary, and the specials watch flags its NSW sourcing.
An 84 cent gap between chains is smaller than one good special. Your receipts tell you which store is cheapest for your basket in your week. Scan them free (5 scans a month, no credit card) and compare your real prices.