The UK’s cheapest supermarket for essentials – better than Aldi, Lidl and Tesco

For years, and have been synonymous with budget-friendly grocery shopping in the UK. 

But according to the latest price comparison, another supermarket has quietly outpriced them both.

In a recent report by comparing the cost of a basket of essential items, including bread, milk, coffee, butter, beans, chicken, and mince, emerged as the cheapest supermarket in the UK for the fifth consecutive week.

They beat not only Aldi and Lidl, but also Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, and Tesco.

The total cost for the essentials at Asda came to £12.58, narrowly undercutting Aldi (£12.65) and Lidl (£12.77). 

While the price difference may seem small, for shoppers looking to cut costs, every penny counts, especially as food prices remain a key concern in 2025.

Asda’s win is particularly surprising because the retailer recently scrapped its Aldi and Lidl Price Match scheme, choosing instead to focus on its own pricing strategy. 

Despite this, it continues to beat its discount rivals, proving that its “Just Essentials” range offers some of the best value on the market.

Aldi, however, remains confident in its long-standing reputation as the most affordable grocer. 

The supermarket was recently named Which? Cheapest Supermarket of the Year for four years running.

A spokesperson said: “Our promise to customers is that they will make significant savings every time they shop with Aldi.”

But with Asda continuing to undercut its competition, the budget supermarket battle is far from over.

Here’s how the supermarkets compared on the total cost of a basket of essentials:

• Asda – £12.58
• Aldi – £12.65
• Lidl – £12.77
• Morrisons – £13.03
• Sainsbury’s – £13.13
• Tesco – £13.34

While Tesco remains the most expensive for the eighth consecutive week, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, and Tesco all saw price hikes on key items, including mince and tea bags. 

Aldi was the only supermarket to decrease prices this week, shaving 1p off its cheapest baked beans.

Asda’s strategy of focusing on “Rollback” discounts and its Just Essentials range appears to be paying off, proving that even without a price-matching scheme, it can offer the lowest grocery bills in the UK.

In 2024, found that Aldi was the cheapest supermarket for all 12 months of the year.

But Asda was found to be the cheapest for nine out of 12 months when comparing the total cost of a longer shopping list.

But the analysis didn’t include Aldi or Lidl as they have smaller product ranges.