I Compared Costco vs. Target Prices- These Foods Were Cheaper at Costco

Is Costco really cheaper than Target?

I decided to find out.

I price checked a few foods I saw at both stores, comparing the package sizes and cost per ounce instead of just looking at the shelf price.

And the results were pretty interesting.

For all six of the foods I checked, Costco was cheaper than Target at the regular prices I found. In some cases, the difference was small. In others, Costco was dramatically cheaper.

Of course, sales and clearance prices can change the math, so Costco doesn’t win every single time.

But if you’ve ever wondered whether buying in bulk actually saves money, here’s what I found.

1. Better With Buckwheat Maine Fig & Thyme Crisps

Costco: $10.79 for two 10-ounce bags
Target: $7.19 for 4 ounces

This was easily the biggest price difference of the bunch.

At Costco, you’re getting 20 ounces total for $10.79, which works out to about 54 cents per ounce.

At Target, a 4-ounce package costs $7.19, or about $1.80 per ounce.

That means Costco is roughly 70% cheaper per ounce.

To put it another way, if you bought 20 ounces at Target’s price, it would cost almost $36.

Costco: $10.79.

That is a huge difference, especially if these are something you regularly serve with cheese, dips or charcuterie boards.

2. Firehook Crackers

Costco: $12.99 for 17 ounces
Target: $7.69 for 5.5 ounces

Firehook crackers were another big Costco win.

The 17-ounce Costco package costs $12.99, which works out to about 76 cents per ounce.

At Target, the 5.5-ounce package I found was $7.69, or about $1.40 per ounce.

That makes Costco roughly 45% cheaper per ounce.

If you bought 17 ounces at Target’s unit price, you’d spend almost $24.

At Costco, it’s $12.99.

3. Nutella Biscuits

Costco: $13.99 for 38.8 ounces
Target: $6.19 for 9.7 ounces

This is a perfect example of why you should never compare prices by looking only at the number on the shelf.

At Target, a bag of Nutella Biscuits costs just $6.19, which sounds much cheaper than Costco’s $13.99.

But the containers aren’t even close to the same size.

Target’s 9.7-ounce bag works out to about 64 cents per ounce.

Costco’s 38.8-ounce case costs about 36 cents per ounce.

That makes Costco about 44% cheaper per ounce.

If you bought the equivalent of 38.8 ounces at Target’s price, you’d spend almost $25.

So if your family snacks on Nutella Biscuits regularly, buying the larger Costco size can make a lot of sense.

4. Seven Sundays Wildberry Protein Oats

Costco: $10.49 for 32 ounces
Target: $8.99 for 16 ounces

This one really surprised me because the shelf prices look fairly close.

Target is $8.99 and Costco is $10.49.

But Costco gives you twice as much.

The Costco bag costs about 33 cents per ounce.

At Target, the 16 ounce bag costs about 56 cents per ounce.

That makes Costco roughly 42% cheaper per ounce.

Two Target bags would cost $17.98 for the same 32 ounces that costs $10.49 at Costco.

That’s a savings of about $7.50.

And since this is the type of breakfast food that’s easy to keep in the pantry, I don’t mind buying the bigger Costco bag.

5. Tru Fru Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Costco: $13.99 for 24 ounces
Target: $7.99 for 8 ounces

Tru Fru isn’t exactly cheap anywhere, so this is one where the Costco size can really pay off.

The 24 ounce Costco bag costs about 58 cents per ounce.

At Target, an 8 ounce bag costs $7.99, or about $1 per ounce.

That makes Costco roughly 42% cheaper per ounce.

To get 24 ounces at Target, you’d need three bags.

That would cost $23.97.

Costco’s price is $13.99.

That’s almost $10 less for the same amount.

6. Seeds of Change Organic Quinoa & Brown Rice

Costco: $12.99 for six 8.5 ounce pouches
Target: $3.19 per 8.5 ounce pouch

This comparison is especially easy because both stores sell the same size individual pouch.

Costco sells six 8.5 ounce pouches for $12.99.

That comes out to about $2.17 per pouch.

At Target, one pouch costs $3.19.

Buying six at Target would cost $19.14.

At Costco, you’re paying $12.99.

That’s a savings of $6.15, or roughly 32%.

I like keeping these in the pantry because they’re such an easy dinner shortcut. Sometimes I just need a quick side dish and haven’t planned ahead to make rice in the rice cooker. 

That’s when I grab one of these pouches. It only takes about 90 seconds in the microwave.

However, this is also a good example of why you should still watch for sales and clearance prices.

I spotted these marked down to $1.59 per pouch at Target. At that price, six pouches would cost $9.54, which is cheaper than Costco’s regular price of $12.99.

But Costco also puts Seeds of Change on sale fairly often. When the six-pack drops to $9.99, that works out to about $1.67 per pouch.

That means Target’s $1.59 clearance price still wins, but only by 8 cents per pouch, or just 45 cents for six.

So the difference becomes pretty small once Costco runs a sale.

At regular prices, Costco is the clear winner. On sale, Costco gets very close to Target’s clearance price.

So Is Costco Actually Cheaper Than Target?

For these six foods, Costco is cheaper than Target.

Here’s what I found when I compared the unit prices:

Better With Buckwheat crisps were about 70% cheaper at Costco.

Firehook crackers were about 45% cheaper.

Nutella was about 44% cheaper.

Seven Sundays Protein Oats were about 42% cheaper.

Tru Fru was about 42% cheaper.

Seeds of Change was about 32% cheaper.

Of course, this doesn’t mean everything at Costco is cheaper than Target.

Prices change, sales happen and different stores can have different prices.

And buying in bulk doesn’t save you money if your family can’t finish the food before it goes bad.

But this is why I always look at the unit price instead of just comparing the sticker price.

That $6.19 jar at Target can look cheaper than the $13.99 Costco container until you realize Costco is giving you four times as much.

Prices are based on prices I found at my local Costco and Target and may vary by location and over time.