Shopping costs more and more and, now, choosing one supermarket instead of another can have a significant impact on the family budget. Not only for the current promotions, but precisely for the price structure charged by the various brands.
The new survey by Altroconsumo tries to clarify by comparing 1.5 million prices recorded in 1,158 supermarkets, hypermarkets and discount stores in 67 Italian cities. And one of the most interesting rankings is the one dedicated to those who simply try to spend as little as possible, choosing the cheapest product available for each category.
Eurospin is the most convenient supermarket for those looking for the lowest prices
In this particular ranking, in first place we find Eurospin, with index 100. It is the reference value used by Altroconsumo: all the other brands are compared with the one which, for this type of expense, is the cheapest.
Immediately behind are In’s Discount, Lidl and Prix Discount, all with an index of 102. In essence, their minimum spend is just 2% more expensive than Eurospin. Then we find Aldi with 103, MD with 105 and Penny with 108. Up to this point the dominance of the discounters is quite evident.
The ranking continues with D-Più Discount at 115, followed by Ipercoop and Todis at 117 and Interspar at 118. Only at this point do traditional supermarkets begin to appear more frequently.
Esselunga, Conad, Coop and Carrefour: how much prices are rising
According to the ranking, Esselunga Superstore has an index of 120, while Esselunga reaches 122. Spazio Conad is at 123, Coop at 124.
Followed by Carrefour and Pam, both with an index of 125, then Dok and Famila at 128.
Further down we find Conad Superstore at 129 and Conad at 130, while Famila Superstore reaches 131.
Tigre closes the ranking with 133, Eurospar with 134 and finally Carrefour Market with 135.
The interesting fact, therefore, is not just who occupies first place. It is above all the distance that is created between the head and the tail of the ranking.
Between Eurospin and Carrefour Market the difference reaches 35%
If Eurospin starts from index 100 and Carrefour Market reaches 135, it means that for this precise type of expenditure the difference can reach 35%.
This does not mean, of course, that each Carrefour Market product costs 35% more than Eurospin. The ranking works differently. Altroconsumo has identified, for each of the categories analysed, the product with the lowest price available in that point of sale. In this way he was able to compare how much the minimum possible spend costs in the different chains.
And this is precisely what makes the comparison interesting: it photographs the behavior of those who enter the supermarket without being particularly loyal to a brand and choose, time after time, the one that costs the least.
Discounters occupy almost all the top positions
Scrolling through the ranking, one thing catches your eye quite quickly: discounters occupy the top eight positions. Eurospin, In’s, Lidl, Prix Discount, Aldi, MD, Penny and D-Più Discount precede all the traditional brands.
The first to appear is Ipercoop, with index 117. This means that, always taking the cheapest products available as a reference, spending is on average 17% higher than Eurospin. It is not a small difference, especially when the comparison does not concern a single expense but dozens of carts over the course of a year.
But be careful: the cheapest supermarket changes based on what we buy
However, there is one aspect that should not be lost sight of, this ranking does not mean that Eurospin is absolutely the most convenient supermarket for any consumer.
Altroconsumo has in fact developed different classifications depending on the type of trolley. If you mainly buy supermarket brand products, for example, first place goes to Spazio Conad. If instead you mainly choose products from big brands, we find Ipercoop and Spazio Conad in the lead.
Here the point is different: if the objective is to go to the supermarket and systematically choose the cheapest product available, in 2026 Eurospin will be the most convenient brand in the Altroconsumo ranking.
And it is also the data that best explains how much the place where we shop can impact. Because between index 100 and index 135, in the end, there is a distance that can be felt on the receipt.
