A UK shopper has cut their weekly grocery bill by £11.06 by switching from Tesco to Lidl for their main food shop. The saving amounts to £575.12 annually, highlighting how discount supermarkets offer relief amid soaring food costs that have pushed typical weekly shops from £100-120 to nearly £200.
The shopper purchased 60 items at Lidl for £152.95. The same basket would have cost £164.01 at Tesco. The comparison comes as food prices have surged 37% between July 2020 and July 2025 - a stark contrast to the 4.4% rise in the five years before 2020.
Nine items were priced identically at both supermarkets, including bananas at £1 per kilogram, four pints of whole milk at £1.65, and a 1kg jar of Nutella at £6.89. Cauliflower, avocados, frozen peas, and kitchen towel also cost the same.
Tesco proved cheaper for some fresh items. Salmon fillets cost £16.15 per kilogram at Tesco (£4.20 for 260g) versus £17.82 per kilogram at Lidl (£4.99 for 280g). Beef mince was £10.38 per kilogram at Tesco compared to £13.67 per kilogram at Lidl.
Major savings at Lidl
Lidl delivered substantial savings on multiple staples. Medjool dates cost £3.99 versus £5 at Tesco. Super nutty granola was £1.99 versus £3. Heinz tomato ketchup came in at £3.99 versus £4.50. Hake fillets were £3.29 versus £4.40. A dozen eggs cost £2.89 versus £3.25.
The biggest price gaps emerged in nuts. Pecans were 45% cheaper at Lidl. Almonds, walnuts, and cashews were 39% cheaper. Pistachios came in 38% cheaper. Potatoes cost 89p per kilogram at Lidl versus £1.16 at Tesco.
Food price crisis context
The sharp rise in food costs stems from multiple factors. Climate issues have reduced UK crop yields through drought and driven up global commodity prices through extreme weather affecting coffee beans and cocoa. The conflict in Ukraine and government decisions have also contributed to the surge.
The shopper, who has two young children, previously relied on Tesco or Asda for weekly shopping using home delivery services. Despite Lidl's smaller store size and location next to a much larger Asda superstore, all 60 items were available without requiring a second shop.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
