As 2025 comes to a close, people begin to think about their New Year’s resolutions to reinvent themselves. People begin to feel inspired to improve their health, save money or pick up hobbies.

So, whether you are trying to cook at home more, save money or become an all-star baker, where in the city of Santa Barbara can you find the most affordable grocery items? 

Noozhawk was determined to find out. 

Noozhawk put 15 grocery stores to the test, visiting stores throughout December to find which local stores provide the most affordable basic items. 

The reporter was equipped with a grocery list of: white bread, potatoes, broccoli, a carton of a dozen eggs, a gallon of whole milk, cereal, canned beans, penne pasta, 1 pound of 80/20 ground beef, and avocados. 

The goal of the list was to compile a group of popular and basic grocery items that could be considered essential for everyday meals.

For example, Noozhawk chose whole milk and 80/20 ground beef due to how popular those items are in households.

Additionally, at each store only non-member prices were considered, if applicable. 

The grocery stores tested included chain stores and local markets, in no particular order: Whole Foods, Ralphs, Foodland Market, Gelson’s Santa Barbara, Trader Joe’s, Grocery Outlet, Sprouts, Bristol Farms, Santa Cruz Market, Lazy Acres, Chapala Market, Tri-County Produce, Vons, El Rey Carniceria, and Smart & Final.

There are a handful of other smaller markets with grocery store items in the city, but they do not offer all of the items on the list. Some are stores for people to pop in for a quick snack or drink, not to do their weekly shopping. 

Since posting, the prices of individual items may have gone up or down for a variety of reasons. 

This list serves only as a snapshot of prices in a moment of time. 

The least expensive grocery store overall: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market. Cue the jingle.

The most expensive grocery store: Lazy Acres.

The Diversity of Local Grocery Stores

While all in the same city, sometimes even five minutes away from each other, some of the grocery stores surveyed in the city of Santa Barbara are wildly different. 

Some have piñatas hanging from the ceiling and Spanish songs blaring from the store speakers while others smell of herbal incense and play holiday songs, appropriate for the season.

Some of the stores in the city have preconceived ideas attached to them. 

For instance, Trader Joe’s is known for having items like Ketchup Flavored Lattice Potato Chips or frozen meals, but can lack variety in some aisles compared to larger chain stores. 

Oftentimes, the shopping trip ends by going to another store to complete the grocery list. 

Grocery Outlet is known for its low prices. It even compares its prices by listing the higher price of “elsewhere.” 

On the other hand, Whole Foods is known to be on the more expensive side. Inside you can find $8 cereals and a plethora of organic foods. Yet, it was not the most expensive store on the list. 

Afterthoughts

Throughout the investigation, certain brands of items were repeatedly found as the cheapest option at multiple stores. 

The New Mexico-headquartered brand SunVista, found in many of the surveyed stores, was the cheapest option for canned pinto or black beans. 

Similarly, the Switzerland milk brand Swiss was found across many of the stores as the cheapest milk option.

But not all stores had a pound of ground beef with an 80/20 lean-to-fat ratio. 

For example, Mexican markets only had one ground beef option at their butcher sections and it varied between 90/10, 70/30 or 85/15. 

Also, oftentimes the cheapest options for cereal in supermarkets were sweet varieties like frosted wheat bites at Ralphs. 

Grocery Store Price Trends

Grocery store prices have been a hot topic for the country this year.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecasted food prices to rise faster than the historical average rate of growth in 2025.

“Changes in trade patterns, the incidence of plant and animal disease, and weather events that impact growing conditions can all contribute to retail food price changes,” the USDA Food Price Outlook Report said. “Factors that contribute to inflation across the economy are also important, including interest rates, energy prices, labor market tightness, and consumer demand.” 

President Donald Trump mentioned grocery affordability as part of his 2024 presidential campaign, as reported by AP News. 

Yet, prices increased over the year, according to the USDA Food Price Outlook. 

The outlook reported large price increases from July to August for beef, veal, other meats and fresh vegetables.

However, retail egg prices decreased for the fifth consecutive month from July to August. 

This comes after the early 2025 egg shortage due to the avian influenza left behind empty shelves, high prices, and limits to how many cartons people could purchase. 

Prior to the USDA’s summer findings, Trump issued global tariffs on certain agricultural items in April but reversed them, seven months later.

Looking toward 2026, the USDA predicts food prices are expected to increase more slowly than the historical average rate of growth.