It’s both the most wonderful and expensive time of the year, with many Aussie households likely to fork out much more than the cost of their regular grocery shop on food and drinks over the Christmas season.
To help you shop smarter and save money at the checkout, we’ve compiled a Christmas food price comparison to reveal which supermarkets have the lowest prices on Christmas favourites such as leg ham, prawns and fruit cake. Please be aware that some products are only available for limited periods and may be subject to availability while stocks last.
Which supermarket is the cheapest to shop at this Christmas?
Coles offers cheaper prices on most Christmas grocery items. In terms of meats, each supermarket chain offers similar pricing, with ALDI performing marginally better than Coles and Woolworths. However, if you’re shopping for festive season confectionery, be sure to check out budget department stores, which may offer better value than supermarkets in some cases.
Read more: What is unit pricing? How to work out the REAL cost of groceries
Christmas food prices compared (2023)
We reviewed the prices of some classic Aussie Christmas foods using comparable products when considering quantity, weight or serving size.
Half-leg ham (closest to 1kg)
| Supermarket | Woolworths | Coles | ALDI |
| Product | Woolworths Half-Leg Ham (3.85-6.5kg) | Coles Beechwood Smoked Half-Leg Ham (approx. 4.5kg) | Festive Selection Half-Leg Ham (1kg) |
| Retail price | $52.00 | $36.00 | $7.99 |
| Unit price | $8.00 per kg | $8.00 per kg | $7.99 per kg |
*General price guide only
The pricing for each supermarket ham is very similar, so, in this case, it’s best to make your purchase based on weight and retail price, rather than unit price. ALDI offers a smaller portion of ham (only 1kg), which would suit a small group of people. Alternatively, if you have a large Christmas gathering planned, Woolies’ half-leg ham is available up to 6.5kg, while Coles has a 4.5kg portion.
Deli prawns cooked (1kg)
| Supermarket | Woolworths | Coles | ALDI |
| Product | Woolworths Fresh Medium Tiger Prawns (1kg) | Coles Deli Fresh Australian Cooked Black Tiger Prawns (1kg) | The Fishmonger Fresh Cooked Australian Black Tiger Prawns (1kg) |
| Retail price | $30.00 per kg | $30.00 per kg | $29.99 per kg |
| Unit price | $0.30 per 100g | $0.30 per 100g | $0.30 per 100g |
*General price guide only
Prawns are a Christmas favourite but can put a dent in the Christmas budget. Coles, Woolworths and ALDI all offer fresh cooked Australian tiger prawns for similar prices, so if you’re looking to make a sizeable saving on prawns, it may be best to explore frozen options.
Turkey breast roast, frozen (1kg)
| Supermarket | Woolworths | Coles | ALDI |
| Product | Ingham’s Frozen Turkey Breast Traditional Roast (1kg) | Steggles Turkey Breast Roast (1kg) | Turkey Breast Roast (1kg) |
| Retail price | $16.80 per kg | $16.80 per kg | $15.99 per kg |
| Unit price | $1.68 per 100g | $1.68 per 100g | $1.59 per 100g |
*General price guide only
ALDI offers the cheapest priced turkey breast at $15.99 per kilogram. Woolworths and Coles follow, both offering turkey breast at $16.80 per kilogram.
Christmas pudding (700g)
| Supermarket | Woolworths | Coles | ALDI |
| Product | Woolworths Classic Plum Pudding (700g) | Coles Christmas Pudding Large (700g) | Kringle & Co Plum Pudding (700g) |
| Retail price | $5.50 | $5.00 | $5.29 |
| Unit price | $0.79 per 100g | $0.71 per 100g | $0.76 per 100g |
| Product | Woolworths Classic Matured Christmas Pudding (700g) | Coles Festive Matured Christmas Pudding Large (700g) | Vintage Christmas Pudding (700g) |
| Retail price | $7.50 | $6.50 | $14.99 |
| Unit price | $1.07 per 100g | $0.93 per 100g | $2.14 per 100g |
*General price guide only
Coles stocks the best-priced pudding selection, selling Christmas Pudding and Matured Christmas Pudding for $5.00 and $6.50 respectively. It may be worth checking out the Woolworths and ALDI Christmas pudding options if you’re after plum flavouring as Coles does not offer this. To save money, you can buy the cheapest Christmas pudding and decorate it with chocolate, glace cherries, dried fruits and lollies.
Christmas fruit cake (800g)
| Supermarket | Woolworths | Coles | ALDI |
| Product | Woolworths Festive Iced Fruit Cake (800g) | Coles Bakery Light Fruit Cake (800g) | ALDI Christmas Fruit Cake (800g) |
| Retail price | $11.00 | $6.80 | $11.99 |
| Unit price | $1.38 per 100g | $0.85 per 100g | $1.50 per 100g |
*General price guide only
Coles has the cheapest fruit cake by far ─ costing just $6.80 ─ beating ALDI and Woolworths on both retail price and unit price. It should be noted that this Coles Fruit Cake comes without icing or nuts. So, if you’re after a fruit cake with all the bells and whistles, it may be wise to check out the Woolworths and ALDI ranges.
Fruit mince pies (6-pack)
| Supermarket | Woolworths | Coles | ALDI |
| Product | Woolworths Shortcrust Fruit Mince Pies 6pk (360g) | Coles Fruit Mince Pies 6pk (360g) | Kringle & Co Traditional Fruit Mince Pies 6pk (360g) |
| Retail price | $3.50 | $3.50 | $3.39 |
| Unit price | $0.97 per 100g | $0.97 per 100g | $0.94 per 100g |
*General price guide only
Arguably the most iconic Christmas treat, fruit mince pies are popular every year, which is why you won’t find a huge difference in price from store to store. However, ALDI outperforms the competitors here, offering pies about three cents cheaper on unit pricing than the rest.
Pavlova base (500g)
| Supermarket | Woolworths | Coles | ALDI |
| Product | Woolworths Large Pavlova Base (approx. 500g) | Coles Pavlova Base (approx. 500g) | Kringle & Co Pavlova Base (500g) |
| Retail price | $6.00 | $6.00 | $5.99 |
| Unit price | $1.20 per 100g | $1.20 per 100g | $1.20 per 100g |
*General price guide only
Pavlova is always a crowd-pleaser at Christmas. The easiest way to nail this classic dessert is to buy a ready-made meringue base from your local supermarket and top it with cream and fruit. Woolworths, Coles and ALDI all offer pavlova bases for about $6.00.
Custard (1kg)
| Supermarket | Woolworths | Coles | ALDI |
| Product | Woolworths Vanilla Custard (1kg) | Coles Custard UHT Vanilla Flavour (1kg) | Brooklea Vanilla Flavoured Custard(1kg) |
| Retail price | $2.85 per kg | $2.50 per kg | $2.59 per kg |
| Unit price | $0.29 per 100g | $0.25 per 100g | $0.26 per 100g |
*General price guide only
Coles offers the cheapest vanilla custard, selling it for $2.50 for 1kg. ALDI follows closely behind, offering it for $2.59 for 1kg. Woolworths vanilla custard is slightly more expensive, being sold for $2.85 for 1kg.
Read more: What is the average grocery bill?
Gingerbread house kit (1kg or closest)
| Supermarket | Woolworths | Coles | ALDI | Big W |
| Product | Woolworths Build Your Own Gingerbread House (719g) | Coles Festive Gingerbread House Kit (1kg) | Kringle & Co Pre-Built Gingerbread House (650g) | Decorate Your Own Gingerbread House Kit (630g) |
| Retail price | $15.00 | $10.00 | $16.49 | $10.00 |
| Unit price | $2.09 per 100g | $1.00 per 100g | $2.54 per 100g | $1.59 per 100g |
*General price guide only
All supermarkets sell gingerbread house kits of different sizes, but Coles outperformed its competitors when looking at unit pricing at $1.00 per 100 grams. There is also a well-priced option at Big W that’ll set you back $1.59 per 100 grams. Comparatively, the unit price for Woolworths’ kit is $2.09 per 100 grams and ALDI’s Kringle & Co version costs $2.54 per 100 grams.
How to save on groceries at Christmas
You can save on groceries at Christmas by comparing prices of different brands and across supermarkets and grocers ─ always keeping in mind unit pricing. This is a standard unit of measurement that allows you to easily compare the prices of products, regardless of size, brand, or packaging. There are dozens of grocery shopping apps for shoppers to use to compare supermarket prices.
Additionally, keep your eye out for supermarket specials and sales in the lead-up to Christmas, and stack your supermarket rewards points by shopping at eligible partner retailers to earn additional points or cash back on some purchases. For example, Woolworths Everyday Rewards members should get further discounts by making purchases at participating Caltex and Caltex Woolworths outlets, Big W and BWS. If you’re a Coles Flybuys member, you should be eligible for points and discounts at Coles Express (including on fuel), Target, Liquorland, and more.
*Prices taken from respective supermarkets, correct as of December 2023.
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