🔺 What to do when markets are at an all-time high? Find smart bargains, like these.See Undervalued Shares

The Savings Grocery Price Index

Published 27/03/2024, 05:28 pm
KO
-
AAPL
-

When you hear something like “annual inflation is 5.5%”, that might sound bad, but it can be difficult to wrap your head around exactly what that looks like in terms of monthly expenses. The inflation rate is spread across the whole spectrum of goods and services, so it’s not as simple as just assuming everything will be 5.5% more expensive than the same time last year. Some prices fluctuate wildly, so much so that the ABS often refers to ‘underlying inflation’, which excludes goods with traditionally volatile prices like food and fuel.

This index aims to capture monthly changes to grocery prices. We hope it can be a useful resource to help you visualise how prices fluctuate over time, and perhaps help you identify savings you could be making on your weekly shop.

Notes on the index

  • Data is sourced from the Coles and Woolworths websites at the tail end of each month.

  • We’ve used home branded products wherever we can. In some cases, it made sense to go with branded products, but it should be pretty clear when we’ve done so. If there isn’t a brand listed, it is the Coles/Woolworths version of the product.

  • Where possible, we’ve ignored specials where the price is listed as temporary. In some cases though, prices are substantially lowered indefinitely, which has created a discrepancy in price between the supermarkets. An asterisk indicates these cases.

  • In some instances, the supermarkets do not have exact equivalent products. At Woolworths for example, single banana prices are listed, rather than a unit (per kg) price. When this happens, we’ve equivalised as best we can. With bananas for example, we took the average weight provided on the site, and worked out the per kilogram price. This means there might be a slight difference from the price you would pay in store. We’ve marked these cases with a ^.

  • When we kicked off the index, Coles had temporarily discontinued their cheaper orange juice range according to the website. To ensure a fair comparison we used the 'not from concentrate' more expensive variety for both stores. Since then, the cheaper product has been bought back, but we kept with what we started with for continuity. For Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Juice, we used the cheaper variety, which is why it is so much lower than OJ in the index.

Grocery Price Index

This is the sum of every item in the basket of goods for each month.

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

Monthly change

November '23

$379.84   $381.09   $380.47   
December '23  $382.59   $381.79   $382.19  0.45%
January '24 $381.59   $381.89   $381.74  -0.12%
February '24 $377.14   $381.34   $378.94  -0.73%
March '24 $383.04   $382.44   $382.44  0.92%

Fruit and vegetables

Onions (brown, 1kg bag)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$3.60

 $3.60 

$3.60

December '23 $3.60   $3.60  $3.60 
January '24 $3.10  $3.60  $3.35 
February '24 $3.60  $3.60  $3.60 
March '24 $3.60  $3.60  $3.60 

Apples (Pink Lady, 1kg punnett)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$5.90 

 $5.90 

 $5.90 

December '23 $5.90  $5.90  $5.90 
January '24 $3.90*  $4.50*  $4.20*
February '24 $4.50  $4.50  $4.50 
March '24 $4.90  $3.00* $3.95 

Bananas (1kg)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$4.00 

 $4.50^

$4.25 

December '23 $4.00   $4.50^ $4.25 
January '24 $2.50*   $2.50*^  $2.50 
February '24 $3.50   $3.50^ $3.50 
March '24 $4.00   $4.00^ $4.00 

Potatoes (washed, 2kg bag)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$7.50 

 $4.00*

$5.75 

December '23 $7.50   $7.50  $7.50 
January '24 $7.50   $7.50  $7.50 
February '24 $4.50*   $7.50  $6.00 
March '24 $7.50   $7.50  $7.50 

Carrots (1kg, packaged)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$2.40 

 $2.40 

 $2.40 

December '23 $1.50*  $2.40  $1.95 
January '24 $1.50* $2.40 $1.95 
February '24 $1.50* $2.40  $1.95 
March '24 $1.50*  $2.00* $1.75* 

Shredded iceberg lettuce (200g)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$2.00 

 $2.00 

$2.00 

December '23 $2.00   $2.00  $2.00 
January '24 $2.00   $2.00  $2.00 
February '24 $2.00   $2.00  $2.00 
March '24 $2.00   $2.00  $2.00 

Avocado (5 pack)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$5.00 

 $5.00 

$5.00 

December '23 $5.00   $4.50  $4.75 
January '24 $6.00   $6.00  $6.00 
February '24 $6.50   $6.00  $6.25 
March '24 $5.50*   $5.00*  $5.25* 

Eggs and Dairy

2L full cream milk

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$3.30 

 $3.10 

$3.20 

December '23 $3.10   $3.10  $3.10 
January '24 $3.10   $3.10  $3.10 
February '24 $3.10   $3.10  $3.10 
March '24 $3.10   $3.10  $3.10 

Unsalted butter (250g, Australian)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$4.30 

 $4.30 

$4.30 

December '23 $4.30   $4.30  $4.30 
January '24 $4.30   $4.30  $4.30 
February '24 $4.30   $4.30  $4.30 
March '24 $4.30   $4.30  $4.30 

Large free range eggs (12, 600g)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$5.20 

 $5.20 

$5.20 

December '23 $5.20   $5.20  $5.20 
January '24 $5.20   $5.20  $5.20 
February '24 $5.20   $5.20  $5.20 
March '24 $5.20   $5.20  $5.20 

Cheese (Tasty cheese slices, 500g)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$8.40

 $8.40 

$8.40 

December '23 $8.40   $8.40  $8.40 
January '24 $8.40   $8.40  $8.40 
February '24 $8.40   $8.40  $8.40 
March '24 $8.40   $8.40  $8.40 

Carbohydrates

White bread loaf (650g)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$2.40 

 $2.70 

$2.55 

December' 23 $2.40   $2.40  $2.40 
January '24 $2.40   $2.40  $2.40 
February '24 $2.40   $2.40  $2.40 
March '24 $2.40   $2.40  $2.40 

Weet-Bix (375g, branded)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$3.50 

 $3.50 

$3.50 

December '23 $3.50   $3.50  $3.50 
January '24 $3.50   $3.50  $3.50 
February '24 $3.50   $3.50  $3.50 
March '24 $3.50   $3.50  $3.50 

White rice (1kg)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$1.80^ 

 $1.80 

$1.80 

December '23 $1.80^   $1.80  $1.80 
January '24 $1.80^   $1.80  $1.80 
February '24 $1.80^  $1.80  $1.80 
March '24 $1.80^  $1.80  $1.80 

Pasta (500g, spirals)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$1.00 

 $1.00 

$1.00 

December '23 $1.00   $1.00  $1.00 
January '24 $1.00   $1.00  $1.00 
February '24 $1.00   $1.00  $1.00 
March '24 $1.00   $1.00  $1.00 

Tea and coffee

Instant coffee (200g)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$3.70 

 $3.70 

$3.70 

December '23 $3.70   $3.70  $3.70 
January '24 $3.70  Out of stock $3.70 
February '24 $3.70   $3.70  $3.70 
March '24 $3.70   $3.70  $3.70 

Black tea bags (100 pack)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$1.90 

 $1.90 

$1.90 

December '23 $1.90   $1.90  $1.90 
January '24 $1.90   $1.90  $1.90 
February '24 $1.90   $1.90  $1.90 
March '24 $1.90   $1.90  $1.90 

Drinks

Orange juice (2L, pulp free, not from concentrate)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$5.50 

 $5.00 

$5.25 

December '23 $5.00   $5.00  $5.00 
January '24 $5.00   $5.00  $5.00 
February '24 $5.00   $5.00  $5.00 
March '24 $5.00   $5.00  $5.00 

Apple juice (2L)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$2.80 

 $2.80 

$2.80 

December '23 $2.80   $2.80  $2.80 
January '24 $2.80   $2.80  $2.80 
February '24 $2.80   $2.80  $2.80 
March '24 $2.80   $2.80  $2.80 

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Classic 

 

Coles

Woolies

Average

November '23

$3.55 

 $3.55 

$3.55 

December '23 $3.55   $3.55  $3.55 
January '24 $3.55   $3.55  $3.55 
February '24 $3.85   $3.85  $3.55 
March '24 $3.85   $3.85  $3.55 

Cooking ingredients

White sugar (1kg)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$1.70   $2.00  $1.85 
December '23 $1.70   $2.00  $1.85 
January '24 $1.70   $2.00  $1.85 
February '24 $1.70   $2.00  $1.85 
March '24 $1.70   $2.00  $1.85 

Flour (plain, 1kg)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$1.40 

 $1.40 

$1.40 

December '23 $1.40   $1.40  $1.40 
January '24 $1.40   $1.40  $1.40 
February '24 $1.40   $1.40  $1.40 
March '24 $1.40   $1.40  $1.40 

Olive Oil (Extra virgin, 1L)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$14.00 

 $14.00 

 $14.00 

December '23 $14.00   $12.00  $13.00 
January '24 $15.00   $13.00  $14.00 
February '24 $15.00   $15.00  $15.00 
March '24 $17.00   $17.00  $17.00 

Vinegar (2L)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$1.70 

 $1.70 

$1.70 

December '23 $1.70   $1.70  $1.70 
January '24 $1.70   $1.70  $1.70 
February '24 $1.70   $1.70  $1.70 
March '24 $1.70   $1.70  $1.70 

Table salt (1kg)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$2.00 

 $2.00 

$2.00 

December '23 $2.00   $2.00  $2.00 
January '24 $2.00   $2.00  $2.00 
February '24 $2.00   $2.00  $2.00 
March '24 $2.00   $2.00  $2.00 

Pepper (50g grinder)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$3.40 

 $3.40 

$3.40 

December '23 $3.40   $3.40  $3.40 
January '24 $3.40   $3.40  $3.40 
February '24 $3.40   $3.40  $3.40 
March '24 $3.40   $3.40  $3.40 

Sauce and spreads

Mayonnaise (traditional, 470g)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$4.00 

 $4.00 

$4.00 

December '23 $4.00   $4.00  $4.00 
January '24 $4.00   $4.00  $4.00 
February '24 $4.00   $4.00  $4.00 
March '24 $4.00   $4.00  $4.00 

Vegemite (150g, branded)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$4.00 

 $4.00 

$4.00 

December '23 $4.00   $4.00  $4.00 
January '24 $4.00   $4.00  $4.00 
February '24 $4.00   $4.00  $4.00 
March '24 $4.00   $4.00  $4.00 

Tomato Sauce (squeeze, 500 ml)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$1.95 

 $1.95 

$1.95 

December '23 $1.95   $1.95  $1.95 
January '24 $1.95   $1.95  $1.95 
February '24 $1.95   $1.95  $1.95 
March '24 $1.95   $1.95  $1.95 

Meat

Chicken (Free range, breast, 1kg)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$10.00 

 $10.00 

$10.00 

December '23 $10.00   $10.00  $10.00 
January '24 $11.00   $11.00  $11.00 
February '24 $11.00   $11.00  $11.00 
March '24 $10.00   $11.00  $10.50 

Beef mince (500g, 17-18% fat, 3 Star at Coles)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$6.50 

 $6.50 

$6.50 

December '23 $6.50   $6.50  $6.50 
January '24 $6.50   $6.50  $6.50 
February '24 $6.50   $6.50  $6.50 
March '24 $6.50   $6.50  $6.50 

Lamb (500g Mince)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$5.50 

 $5.50 

$5.50 

December '23 $5.50   $5.50  $5.50 
January '24 $5.50   $5.50  $5.50 
February '24 $5.50   $5.50  $5.50 
March '24 $7.00   $7.00  $7.00 

Salmon (Skin on, 4 pack, price per kg)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$38.04 

 $42.39 

$40.22 

December '23 $42.39   $42.39  $42.39 
January '24 $42.39   $42.39  $42.39 
February '24 $38.04*   $38.04* $38.04 
March '24 $38.04*   $38.04*  $38.04 

Tuna (95g can)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$1.10 

 $1.10 

$1.10 

December '23 $1.10   $1.10  $1.10 
January '24 $1.10   $1.10  $1.10 
February '24 $1.10   $1.10  $1.10 
March '24 $1.10   $1.10  $1.10 

Confectionary

Chocolate (1 180g block of Cadbury)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$6.00 

 $6.00 

$6.00 

December '23 $6.00   $6.00  $6.00 
January '24 $6.00   $6.00  $6.00 
February '24 $6.00   $6.00  $6.00 
March '24 $6.00   $6.00  $6.00 

TimTams (200g)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$4.50 

 $4.50 

$4.50 

December '23 $4.50   $4.50  $4.50 
January '24 $4.50   $4.50  $4.50 
February '24 $4.50   $5.00  $4.75 
March '24 $5.00   $5.00  $5.00 

Extra Gum (64g pack, branded)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$5.00 

 $5.00 

$5.00 

December '23 $5.00   $5.00  $5.00 
January '24 $5.00   $5.00  $5.00 
February '24 $5.00   $5.00  $5.00 
March '24 $5.00   $5.00  $5.00 

Personal hygiene

Toothpaste (Colgate total original 115g)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$4.00 

 $4.00 

$4.00 

December '23 $4.00   $4.00  $4.00 
January '24 $4.00   $4.00  $4.00 
February '24 $4.00   $4.00  $4.00 
March '24 $4.00   $4.00  $4.00 

Deodorant (Nivea Aerosol 250ml)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$8.50 

 $8.50 

$8.50 

December '23 $8.50   $8.50  $8.50 
January '24 $8.50   $8.50  $8.50 
February '24 $8.50   $8.50  $8.50 
March '24 $8.50   $8.50  $8.50 

Sunscreen (Homebrand, 1L)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$12.00 

 $12.00 

$12.00 

December '23 $12.00   $12.00  $12.00 
January '24 $12.00   $12.00  $12.00 
February '24 $12.00   $12.00  $12.00 
March '24 $12.00   $12.00  $12.00 

Shower gel (Palmolive, 500 ml)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$6.50   $6.50  $6.50 
December '23 $6.50   $6.50  $6.50 
January '24 $6.50   $6.50  $6.50 
February '24 $6.50   $6.50  $6.50 
March '24 $6.50   $6.50  $6.50 

Shaving foam (Nivea, sensitive skin, 200ml)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$7.00 

 $7.00 

$7.00 

December '23 $7.00   $7.00  $7.00 
January '24 $7.00   $7.00  $7.00 
February '24 $7.00   $7.00  $7.00 
March '24 $7.00   $7.00  $7.00 

Tissues (Kleenex Everyday 2 Ply, 200 pack)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$3.00 

 $3.00 

$3.00 

December '23 $3.00   $3.00  $3.00 
January '24 $3.00   $3.00  $3.00 
February '24 $3.00   $3.00  $3.00 
March '24 $3.00   $3.00  $3.00 

Toilet Paper (Kleenex Complete Clean 9 pack, 180 sheets)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$9.00 

 $9.00 

$9.00 

December '23 $9.00   $9.00  $9.00 
January '24 $9.00   $9.00  $9.00 
February '24 $9.00   $9.00  $9.00 
March '24 $9.00   $9.00  $9.00 

Tampons (Libra, 32 pack)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$6.50

$6.50

$6.50

December '23 $6.50   $6.50  $6.50 
January '24 $6.50   $6.50  $6.50 
February '24 $6.50   $6.50  $6.50 
March '24 $6.50   $6.50  $6.50 

Cleaning

Finish ultimate all in one dishwashing tablets (100 pack)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$47.00 

 $47.00 

$47.00 

December '23 $47.00   $47.00  $47.00 
January '24 $47.00   $47.00  $47.00 
February '24 $47.00   $47.00  $47.00 
March '24 $47.00   $47.00  $47.00 

Paper towels (Viva, 6 pack)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$9.00 

 $9.00 

$9.00 

December '23 $9.00   $9.00  $9.00 
January '24 $9.00   $9.00  $9.00 
February '24 $9.00   $9.00  $9.00 
March '24 $9.00   $9.00  $9.00 

Miscellaneous

Nappies (Huggies newborn size 1, 108 pack)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$39.00 

 $39.00 

$39.00 

December '23 $39.00   $39.00  $39.00 
January '24 $39.00   $39.00  $39.00 
February '24 $39.00   $39.00  $39.00 
March '24 $39.00   $39.00  $39.00 

Paracetamol (20 pack)

 

Coles

Woolies

Average 

November '23

$0.80 

 $0.80 

$0.80 

December '23 $0.80   $0.80  $0.80 
January '24 $0.80   $0.80  $0.80 
February '24 $0.80   $0.80  $0.80 
March '24 $0.80   $0.80  $0.80 

Latest comments

Loading next article…
Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.