Where was the cheapest place to shop last month? (Picture: Getty Images)
As 2023 rolls on, many of us are still being impacted by the cost of living and looking to save money where we can.
While some bills, such as water or council tax, often can’t be cut back on, you may be able to take a look at your food shopping – and see if there’s a way to spend less at the supermarket.
Sometimes, that might mean meal-planning, or nabbing discounts and vouchers via loyalty schemes.
In other cases, you might be tempted to switch where you do your food shop altogether, and are keen to find out which UK supermarket works out as the most cost effective.
Here’s a look at which UK supermarket was cheapest last month…
Which UK supermarket was cheapest in May 2023?
Consumer title Which? takes a look at eight top UK supermarkets’ prices each month in order to determine the cheapest.
As was the case in April 2023 and the month before, Aldi was found to have the least expensive basket of groceries – in a 40-item shop comparison with Asda, Tesco, Lidl, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose and Ocado.
Aldi’s basket was cheapest, according to the latest comparison (Picture: Getty Images)
UK supermarket prices in May 2023 for a smaller basket of 40 items
Aldi – £68.60
Lidl – £70.51
Asda – £76.45
Sainsbury’s – £77.13
Tesco – £77.56
Morrisons – £79.09
Ocado – £83.90
Waitrose – £86.91
Aldi’s price for the basket came to £68.60, while most expensive supermarket Waitrose was £18.31 more at £86.91.
Interestingly, both supermarket baskets were down on the previous month, by £1.39 and 9p respectively.
The second cheapest supermarket was found to be Lidl, with its basket costing £70.51, so £1.91 more than Aldi’s.
Asda (£76.45), Sainsbury’s (£77.13), Tesco (£77.56) and Morrisons (£79.09) fell in the middle of the price comparison, while Ocado (£83.90) was found to have the second most costly basket.
Another monthly comparison by Which? – this time excluding Aldi and Lidl –looks at the cost of a larger trolley, containing 131 popular items often found in a food shop.
UK supermarket prices in May 2023 for a larger trolley of 131 items
Asda – £332.40
Morrisons – £334.47
Sainsbury’s – £341.40
Tesco – £349.35
Ocado – £354.90
Waitrose – £363.99
Asda was found to have the cheapest larger trolley in May 2023 (Picture: Getty Images)
Asda came out cheapest here with a total price of £332.40, as it has done since January 2020 – with Morrisons as second cheapest at £334.47.
Sainsbury’s (£341.40) and Tesco (£349.35) were in the middle once more, with Ocado (£354.90) once again the second most expensive and Waitrose the most at £363.99.
Which? notes that all of these basket/trolley totals take a look at comparable own-brand and branded products, and do include special offers but not deals like multi-buys.
These figures also don’t include Tesco Clubcard Prices, Sainsbury’s Nectar Prices or other loyalty programme discounts available to people who’ve signed up to the schemes.
More: Cost of living
Ele Clark, Which? retail editor, said: ‘It’s no surprise to see many shoppers turning to discounters like Aldi and Lidl, when our research shows they could make savings of more than £18 on a basket of everyday groceries.’
She added that ‘supermarkets aren’t currently doing enough to help shoppers’ amid the cost of living crisis.
‘The big retailers have a responsibility to ensure everyone has easy access to basic, affordable food ranges at a store near them, and to provide transparent and comparable pricing so people can easily work out which products offer the best value.’
MORE : Full list of supermarket budget ranges – Tesco, Aldi, Asda, and more
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Asda, Sainsbury’s, Lidl and more are put head to head.