Are grocery prices in Columbus actually up from last year? We checked around the GA city

It seems like the cost of living and the affordability of life has risen significantly in recent years, but some comparison shopping reveals a little bit of a different story.

The average Georgia household spends approximately $278.32 per week on food at home, totaling approximately 18% of their total income. With inflation at around 2.5%, this presents a problem for Georgians trying to watch their spending and stay on budget.

In the ongoing Price Check series, the Ledger shopped area stores last year and this year to compare prices to each other, but evaluate the change in basic essentials that most homes buy regularly. The changes may surprise you.

The experiment

We shopped a few local stores around town to see the prices of both name-brand and store-brand products. This is not science, but we tried to be meticulous about one-to-one comparisons and shopping for the same things, but of course, there are many variables.

What we bought:

Households differ across the state, but we tried to find the most purchased staples to get as clear a picture as possible.

• Eggs
• Bread
• Butter
• Milk
• Cheese (8 oz cheddar)
• Bananas

Where we shopped:

In 2025, we also shopped Winn-Dixie, but they are no longer open in the Columbus area.

• Publix
• Aldi
• Piggly Wiggly
• Walmart

The results:

Grocery prices dropped at every store compared to last year, driven largely by falling egg costs after 2025’s bird flu-fueled price spike. Shoppers still felt the pinch on butter and milk with prices significantly up from last year on a few products.

Across the board, it seems prices are incrementally down from last year, but Walmart and Aldi seem to be neck-and-neck for the cheapest items.

Prices in 2026 vs 2025

Publix:

• Store brand: $22.22 in 2025 / $16.57 in 2026
• Name brand: $29.70 in 2025 / $25.06 in 2026

Aldi:

• Store brand: $17.38 in 2025 / $11.03 in 2026
• Name brand: $20.54 in 2025 / $12.12 in 2026

(*2026 name brand subtotal excludes cheese and bread because they were not available this visit)

Piggly Wiggly:

• Store brand: $25.54 in 2025 / $13.10 in 2026
• Name brand: $26.26 in 2025 / $22.78 in 2026

Walmart:

• Store brand: $17.86 in 2025 / $11.52 in 2026
• Name brand: $24.79 in 2025 / $22.41 in 2026

Grocery prices in 2026

Publix - Bradley Park

Store Brand Prices (subtotal: $16.57)

• Eggs: Publix - $3.29
• Milk: Publix - $3.22
• Cheese: Publix - $3.49
• Butter: Publix - $3.49 (on sale)
• Bread: Publix - $2.39
• Bananas: $0.69/lb

Name Brand Prices (subtotal: $25.06)

• Eggs: Eggland’s Best - $3.99
• Milk: Horizon - $7.53
• Cheese: Kraft - $3.00 (2-for-$6 promo; reg. $4.99)
• Butter: Land O’Lakes - $5.86
• Bread: Sunbeam - $3.99
• Bananas: $0.69/lb

Aldi - Macon Road

Store Brand Prices: (subtotal $11.03Z)

• Eggs: Gold Hen: Welco $1.66
• Milk: Friendly Farms: $2.55
• Cheese: Happy Farms: $1.69
• Butter: Countryside Creamery: $3.19
• Bread: Aldi white: $1.45
• Bananas: $0.49/lb

Name Brand Prices (subtotal: $12.12)

• Eggs: Gold Hen - $2.89
• Milk: Friendly Farms - $2.55
• Cheese: N/A
• Butter: Simply Nature - $6.19
• Bread: $2.69
• Bananas: $0.49/lb

Piggly Wiggly - 13th Street

Store Brand Prices (subtotal: $13.10)

• Eggs: store brand - $2.55
• Milk: store brand - $1.99 (with digital coupon)
• Cheese: store brand - $2.25
• Butter: store brand - $3.33
• Bread: store brand - $2.29
• Bananas: $0.69/lb

Name Brand Prices (subtotal: $22.78)

• Eggs: Eggland’s Best - $4.19
• Milk: Meadow Brook - $4.49
• Cheese: Kraft - $4.59
• Butter: $4.83
• Bread: Sunbeam - $3.99
• Bananas: $0.69/lb

Walmart - Airport Thruway

Store Brand Prices (subtotal: $11.52)

• Eggs: Great Value - $1.67
• Milk: Great Value - $2.56
• Cheese: Great Value - $1.87
• Butter: Great Value - $3.44
• Bread: Great Value - $1.48
• Bananas: $0.50/lb

Name Brand Prices (subtotal: $22.41)

• Eggs: Eggland’s Best - $3.87
• Milk: Horizon Organic - $6.96 (59 fl oz carton, not a full gallon)
• Cheese: Kraft - $2.98
• Butter: Land O’Lakes - $4.46
• Bread: Sunbeam - $3.64
• Bananas: $0.50/lb

The bottom line is that grocery prices for the items we shopped for were down, but not by much. Of course, we didn’t buy meat, produce or soft drinks, which are often the most expensive items in our carts.

Do these results surprise you? Email me at srose@ledger-enquirer.com or find me on social media.