Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons basics cost compared

It’s safe to say the budget-friendly supermarkets have both been serving their purpose and compared to the bigger-named shops such as Tesco and Asda, I started saving around £50 a week.

But over the last few months, I wondered which of the retail giants are now the cheapest when it comes to buying your everyday essentials, including milk, bread and eggs.

As I hadn’t stepped foot in the likes of Sainsbury’s and Morrisons in quite some time, I decided to buy the same (ish) six basic items from four of the major UK supermarkets to see which is currently offering the cheapest goods that most households use every day.

Let me tell you – I was shocked.

Disclaimer: I didn’t include products from Lidl and Aldi as they are consistently named the UK’s cheapest supermarkets by Which? in their monthly shopping analysis (not a bad thing), so therefore focused on the four big names (Morrisons, Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's).

I also tried my very best to match the size/weight of all the items, depending on availability in my area, to make my research as fair as possible.

However, I can confirm that all the food was the cheapest I could find in the shops at the time I visited.

Cost of milk, bread, cheese, eggs and more at Morrisons, Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury's

Morrisons

• British Skimmed Milk 4 Pint - £1.65
• Savers Baked Beans (410g) – 26p
• Savers Mild White Cheddar (400g) - £2.79
• Savers Medium Sliced White Loaf (800g) – 55p
• Savers Chopped Tomatoes (400g) – 45p
• Savers 6 Free Range British Eggs - £1

Total = £6.70

Morrisons also offered a lot of items which were price-matched to Aldi or Lidl, such as the can of chopped tomatoes and bread.

I was also shocked to discover they sold a Savers range, similar to Asda’s Just Essentials and thought it was a great option for families.

Do you often shop at Morrisons for everyday essentials? (Image: Newsquest)

Asda

• Asda British Milk Skimmed 4 Pints - £1.69
• The BAKERY at Asda Soft White Medium Sliced Bread (800g) – 74p
• JUST ESSENTIALS by Asda Chopped Tomatoes in Tomato Juice (400g) – 45p
• JUST ESSENTIALS by Asda Baked Beans (410g) – 28p
• JUST ESSENTIALS by Asda Mild White Cheddar Cheese (400g) - £2.79
• Asda 6 Medium Free Range British Classic Eggs – £1.84

Total = £7.79

I thought Asda was going to be the cheapest out of these four supermarkets (Image: Newsquest)

Tesco

• Tesco British Skimmed Milk 4 Pints - £1.65
• Tesco White Toastie Bread Thick Sliced (800g) – 75p
• Tesco Italian Finely Chopped Tomatoes (400g) – 47p
• Tesco Baked Beans In Tomato Sauce (420G) – 42p (I didn’t actually buy any beans from Tesco as the few tins they had left were damaged, but I still noted the price)
• Tesco Mature Cheddar (400g) - £3.15
• Tesco 6 Free Range Medium Eggs - £1.75

Total = £8.19

Tesco used to be my go-to supermarket (Image: Newsquest)

Sainsbury’s

• Sainsbury's British Skimmed Milk 4 Pint - £1.65
• Sainsbury’s Toastie Thick Sliced White Bread (800g) – 75p
• Sainsbury's Chopped Tomatoes Can (400g) – 47p
• Stamford Street Co. Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce (400g) – 26p
• Sainsbury's British Mature Cheddar Cheese (400g) - £3.15
• Sainsbury's 6 British Free Range Eggs Medium - £1.75

Total = £8.03

I noticed the toastie thick sliced bread at Sainsbury’s was actually an Aldi price match.

I also found that Sainsbury’s Stamford Street Co. brand often had cheaper products than the supermarket’s standard range, and was a replica of Savers at Morrisons and Asda’s Just Essentials.

How much do you spend on your weekly shopping? (Image: Newsquest)

UK’s cheapest supermarket for everyday essentials revealed

Ding ding ding, we have a winner. Based on the shopping I bought at Morrisons, Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s using their essential/basic or own-branded ranges, Morrisons claimed the title as the cheapest supermarket from the four big names.

In all honesty, I was pretty shocked because I don’t tend to hear about Morrisons being one of the cheapest places to shop.

The shopping at Morrisons was more than £1 cheaper compared to Tesco.

But it was close to £2 cheaper when it came to the likes of Asda and Sainsbury’s.

Additionally, it was interesting to see that the supermarkets were charging near enough the same for 4 pints of semi-skimmed milk and white bread.It seems cheese was the most expensive essential to buy across the board, while all tins of beans and chopped tomatoes remained well under £1.

So, will you be switching up your usual supermarket when it comes to your weekly shop to see if you can save any money? Let us know in the comments below.

Fear not, no food will be wasted from my very important shopping research, as it will be distributed to family, friends and supermarket donation boxes.

Source : Dairynews7x7 Aug 11th 2025  Read it here