College students are nearly all on a budget if not broke, and eating takes a lot of budgeting of funds. I decided to compare all of the grocery stores near Boston University to find the best and most affordable options.
I took a trip to Star Market, Trader Joe’s and Stop and Shop to compare some basic student staples. Spoiler alert: Stop and Shop might be the winner.
Star Market:
Star Market is by all means the closest grocery store option. Whether you live in West Campus or South Campus, there are two Star Markets close by.
Chicken: The first option I found is Perdue Perfect Portions boneless, skinless chicken breasts, priced at $5.99/lb. The second option I found is their chicken tenders at $3.49/lb.
Milk: The Organics Star Market brand milk is priced at $6.99 for a gallon. The half gallon of Organics plain and unsweetened Almond milk is priced at $3.99.
Eggs: The 18-count of Organics Star Market brand eggs are $6.49. In addition to that, they have an 18-count package of Lucerne brand eggs for $3.59 and a dozen of Land of Lakes eggs for $3.79.
Orange Juice: A 59 oz. bottle of Organics orange juice is priced at $3.99. Signature Farms brand in the same 59 oz. bottle is only $2.79.
Yogurt: One of the larger options is a 32 oz tub of regular Lucerne brand yogurt for $2.99.
Bread: Open Nature Brand’s 24 oz. loaf of sliced bread is priced at 2 for $5.
Spinach/Greens: 5 oz. of Olivia’s Organics brand baby spinach and baby spring mix is selling for $3.99. The larger 16 oz. bag is priced at $6.99.
Trader Joe’s:
TJ’s is another popular option since it’s located right in Coolidge Corner and offers a variety of unique items that you might not be able to find elsewhere (like their famous cookie butter).
Chicken: The first option is natural, boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $4.99/lb. The second option is organic free range chicken breasts for $6.99/lb.
Milk: A gallon of organic milk is $5.69.
Eggs: Unlike the other two stores, Trader Joe’s only had their brand of eggs by the dozen. Brown eggs go for $2.69 and cage-free eggs for $2.99.
Orange Juice: Again, unlike the other stores, Trader Joe’s didn’t have the gallon option of orange juice. Instead they have a 64 oz. bottle priced at $5.49.
Yogurt: Trader Joe’s offers their brand of Greek yogurt in a 32 oz. tub for $4.99.
Bread: They have several different kinds of bread and the prices are varied. Quinoa bread is $3.49, and multigrain country bread sells for $2.49. They also have other options like wheat bread and white bread for $3.29.
Spinach/Greens: The spinach and greens at Trader Joe’s cost only $1.99 for a 5 oz. bag.
Stop and Shop:
This grocery store is quite a distance from the southern or eastern portion of campus. If you’re living in the western portion of campus, it’s about a mile away and is totally underestimated.
Chicken: Stop and Shop brand boneless, skinless chicken breast for $2.99/lb and chicken tenders are priced at $3.29/lb.
Milk: One gallon of Stop and Shop brand milk is only $3.69. If you’re lactose intolerant or prefer almond milk, they have a half liter Stop and Shop brand for only $2.89.
Eggs: If your go-to breakfast is eggs, then this might be the place to shop. Their own brand of 18 eggs goes for $3.39, while the Land of Lakes dozen is $3.59.
Orange Juice: One gallon of Stop and Shop brand orange juice is priced at $4.29.
Yogurt: A 32 oz. tub of Stop and Shop greek vanilla yogurt is $3.99, while the same 32 oz. tub of Yoplait original yogurt is $3.49.
Bread: Stop and Shop brand multigrain and whole wheat bread are both priced at $1.99 each when you use member card savings.
Spinach/Greens: 5 oz. of Stop and Shop brand baby spinach and baby spring mix is $2.99, also with member card savings. A 16 oz. container of the Stop and Shop brand spinach and spring mix is $6.99.
The Verdict
As you can see, the most affordable option is Stop and Shop. It will be the most valuable if you have a semester T pass to use the bus to get there. If you don’t, you might have to factor in the cost of travel depending on how far it is for you, but Stop and does offer the best values for groceries.
Trader Joe’s comes in second for the best values. They were a little more affordable than Star Market, which came in last place with some of the highest prices. However, Star Market is located so close to the western portion of campus, and in Fenway near south campus.
If you can handle the travel time and/or expense, get ready to save over money by buying your groceries by knowing the true cost and value of these grocery stores.