I usually shop at Trader Joe's for my family and Whole Foods for my private-chef clients.
Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images; Fatima Khawaja
As a private chef, I turn to Trader Joe's for all of my pantry staples, which cost me about $60.
I took that same budget to Whole Foods to see how the grocer compared.
I wasn't able to get nearly as much at Whole Foods, so I'll stick to Trader Joe's.
As a private chef, I get Whole Foods delivered for my clients a lot. But the total can often seem too high, so I've stayed away from shopping there for my family of three.
Plus, there's a Trader Joe's just down the street from me, and I can get all our weekly staples for about $60.
After seeing and hearing about the interesting, high-quality brands Whole Foods carries, however, my curiosity got the best of me.
I decided to take my Trader Joe's budget to Whole Foods. Here's a dollar-by-dollar breakdown from my trip.
Milk: $4.39I only buy organic milk.
Fatima Khawaja
I always get milk for the house, and no matter where I shop, it has to be organic.
A half-gallon carton was $4.39 at Whole Foods, which isn't too far off from the $4.29 I usually spend at Trader Joe's.
Mandarin oranges: $4.99Mandarin oranges are one of my go-to fruits.
Fatima Khawaja
Some sort of fruit makes it into my basket on every grocery trip, and when the weather cools off, it's usually citrus.
A bag of mandarins at Whole Foods cost a whopping $6.49, but luckily, I got it on sale for $4.99.
Unfortunately, that's still quite a bit more than the $3.49 bags I usually get at Trader Joe's. I balked at the $3 difference of the regularly priced oranges.
Avocados: $4.99I buy lots of avocados every week.
Fatima Khawaja
Avocados go quickly in my house, which is tough because they can be pricey.
At Trader Joe's, a bag of six organic avocados costs me $4.49, or about $0.75 apiece. At Whole Foods, however, they were $4.99 for four, or $1.25 each.
I can't justify that price difference, especially considering that the fruit tends to go bad quickly, making it hard to use it all up.
Seaweed packs: $2.99I can find much cheaper dried seaweed at Trader Joe's.
Fatima Khawaja
Seaweed packs are an essential part of our snack arsenal.
I get individual packs for $0.99 at Trader Joe's, so I was shocked to see the same-sized packs go for $2.99 at Whole Foods.
Gluten-free pasta: $3.19Whole Foods' boxes of pasta are much smaller.
Fatima Khawaja
I like buying the 1-pound bags of organic brown rice and quinoa fusilli at Trader Joe's for $3.49. They're a great gluten-free starch option for any given week.
The only gluten-free pasta option I found at Whole Foods was a half-pound box of organic chickpea shells for $3.19. That's almost double the price I pay at Trader Joe's.
Truffle cheese: $8.51I love a good truffle cheese.
Fatima Khawaja
I love picking up a block of cheese for the week for snacking, grilled cheese, and eggs.
My block of choice is Trader Joe's store-brand truffle cheese. It comes from Italy, isn't too truffle-y, and costs $13.99 a pound.
I found a similar store-brand truffle option at Whole Foods. Although the block I picked up was similarly priced to what I tend to get atTrader Joe's, this one went for $22.99 a pound, so it was quite a bit smaller than I'm used to.
Plus, I like the taste of the Trader Joe's brand more.
Tofu: $2.29I use tofu on a weekly basis.
Fatima Khawaja
I make stir-fried tofu at least once a week. It's a reliable protein source I know the whole family will eat.
A block of Whole Foods organic firm tofu cost me $2.29 — a jump from the $1.99 pack I typically get at Trader Joe's.
Chicken tenders: $11.99The fancier brands at Whole Foods come at a cost.
Fatima Khawaja
I buy breaded chicken cutlets when I don't have time to prepare them at home. It's easy to crisp them up in my air fryer for lunchboxes and salads, so I'm happy to spend $8.99 for nearly 2 pounds of frozen tenders at Trader Joe's.
At Whole Foods, all I could find was a less-than-1-pound bag for $11.99.
It was a name-brand offering made with a cauliflower coating, so I'm not that surprised it was pricier than a standard store-brand option. I also enjoyed that it was gluten-free, and the meat was a little juicier than my usual Trader Joe's bag.
Still, I'm not sure I'd spend that much again.
Garbanzo beans: $1.39Even simple canned goods were more expensive at Whole Foods.
Fatima Khawaja
Garbanzo beans are another trusted source of protein in my house — my daughter will eat them just rinsed out of the can. I also like to get them crispy in a pan with seasonings and some oil.
The $1.39 can of organic chickpeas at Whole Foods was more expensive than I expected, especially since I get the same thing for $1.09 at Trader Joe's.
Tortillas: $4.59I could probably find cheaper store-brand tortillas at Whole Foods, but the name-brand ones are good.
Fatima Khawaja
I like having tortillas on hand so I can quickly make cheese quesadillas or breakfast tacos.
Trader Joe's sells a store-brand pack of eight tortillas for $1.99, or $0.24 a tortilla.
The 10-pack I found at Whole Foods from the Vista Hermosa brand was staggeringly more expensive at $4.59, or about $2 apiece. However, the quality of the name-brand bag was noticeably better, and I'd buy them again if I had room to splurge.
Butter: $7.39Whole Foods' generic butter was pricey.
Fatima Khawaja
I stock up on butter each week because I love baking and spreading it on toast.
A pound of unsalted organic was $6.29 at Trader Joe's and $7.39 at Whole Foods. I found them to taste virtually the same, so the $1.10 difference isn't worth it for me.
Cucumbers: $2.99I like buying packs of mini cucumbers.
Fatima Khawaja
Mini cucumbers are another must-have in our fridge. My daughter loves snacking on them, and I like them as an addition to any meal.
At Trader Joe's, a pack is usually $2.49, and the same size pack at Whole Foods was $2.99.
The $0.50 jump isn't that much, but again, Whole Foods' consistently higher prices add up.
I'll stick to shopping at Trader Joe's.I couldn't get as many things for $60 at Whole Foods, and what I did get was way more expensive.
Fatima Khawaja
I couldn't help chuckling as I walked out of Whole Foods with my $60 haul — the price differences were that staggering.
The same list of groceries would only cost me $48 at Trader Joe's, and I would've been able to grab the frozen dumplings and chocolate-covered pretzels I like without breaking my budget (those items at Whole Foods were too expensive for me to include on this trip).
Plus, that price difference doesn't even take value into account. I got considerably less food at Whole Foods, largely because many of my items cost more for noticeably less product.
To be fair, some basic items were fairly close in price, and this was ultimately only comparing one list on one specific shopping trip. The things you buy every week may be a different story.
There are even a couple of higher-quality items I'd go back to Whole Foods for every once in a while. However, for a casual essentials run, Trader Joe's is still much more economical for my family.
