For those considering moving/curious about food etc prices in Chapel Hill/Durham (Cary: for sale, coupon)

[Elizabeth_John]

There are a lot of posts on here about how prices in the triangle compare to other parts of the country. Well, I've been here less than a week and I'm managed to get in a few grocery runs (priority #1 when you move with small children ). Anyway, I thought I would post prices and the differences that I've seen so far from where we lived before. We moved from upstate NY, north of Syracuse, a small city that, according to most cost-of-living calculators was priced at almost exactly average for food etc.

Here's what I've seen so far:
Milk in Chapel HIll: $3.39 or so. WHere we moved from (major dairy production region), $2.49-$2.79
Gas: $3.08 yesterday (for the cheap stuff); we left behind $3.30 with NY taxes on this so we're happy.
Coke (DH's little addiction): $4.50/12 (target, not on sale) or $6.19 at Harris Teeters. BUT HT's had a 'buy 2 get 3 free' deal which meant that 60 cans cost $12.38. Best price in NY was $3.49/12, so much cheaper here)
cleaning supplies - almost exactly the same price - pennies difference between locations.

fruit and veggies: some cheaper, some more expensive:
strawberrries - were $3.99 there, are 3.99 here.. Salads in the bag - were $3.99, now $4.19 or more. shredded lettuce: NY=.99, NC=1.59, grape tomatoes 2.99 (or more!) NY/1.99 here, broccolli $2.49 in NY; paid 1.79 in NC. Bananas - saw them for .59/lb, am used to paying .49. Oh, and apples were far more expensive here - 0.99-1.49 per lb in NY, 1.59-2.19(!) in Chapel Hill.

Dairy products, apart from milk: seem exactly the same - cheese sticks (we go through a ton of these with 2 kids) are 3.49 in both states. grated cheese was a little more expensive (3.99 instead of 3.79 for the kraft shredded stuff), sour cream was cheaper (large tub of daisy brand =2.99 in NY, 2.49 in NC). High-end stuff seemed more expensive. Fresh mozzarella in NY was $3.49, priced at 6.99 in NC! No more fresh mozza for baby!

I bought ground beef yesteday, paid 6.99 for 2 pounds of the 93% lean stuff, on sale from 7.99/ NY price was 3.48/lb. So, the same, but with NC having a sale price. Chicken was a similar story - 2.49 for the skinless, boneless breasts, on sale from $3.99/lb. In NY, I would pay $2.49 on sale, regular price $3.49.

Overall, I would say that prices were relatively consistent. Stuff that is nationally distributed (household products, strawberries coming from CA) seems to cost almost exactly the same. Stuff that is locally produced (NY apples) seems cheaper closer to its home.

However, the big difference was in the sales. Almost everything I bought had a sale option that made it cheaper than NY - I bought applesauce cups for the kids, for example. Store brand was $1.99 (same as NY), but sale priced at 1.39. I never found the same range of sales when shopping up north. My grocery bill yesterday was 45% off because of the store (Harris Teeter's) sales. And, because we're starting from scratch, I had a specific list of needs and couldn't just go around and take advantage of the sales.

I'm very pleased. I estimate that with a little attention to sales and some advanced planning, I can reduce our family groucery bill by 20%. However if I don't pay any attention to sales, I will be spending exactly the same amount.

I know that all these prices depend on where you shop (both store and community) and on what kinds of things you buy. I'm not trying to define the price points or tell people how much cheaper/more expensive it will be to live here - it's just that the price differences are still obvious to me and I thought that some of those contemplating a move might find it useful to hear about some of them.

This forum has been incredibly helpful to me as we have made this move. Thank you to everyone who answered my many questions. I hope I can be helpful to others as you were to me. If anyone has any questions for a new resident, I'm happy to try and answer.

[librarySue]

Thanks for doing the legwork!

Not surprised about the milk, gas and apple differences.

Have you tried Costco or the like?

[NewUser]

Coming from TX, I'm always surprised that you could walk into any grocery store in Dallas any day of the week and get a bunch of cilantro for 50 cents. Here? $1.50 on sale.

[suedonym]

wait until summer time when the farmers markets are in full swing! You wont find better strawberries or peaches ANYWHERE! And CHEAP TOO!

[dcgrl]

You should be able to get fresh mozz cheaper than that. I think even from Whole Foods. (I never buy premium cheeses from Harris Teeter because they're so expensive--you can do much better at WF and Trader Joe's.)

[no kudzu]

I think Harris Teeter is the most expensive grocery store in this area. yes most are shiny and bright but you can't eat shiny and bright. I shop at Food Lion after realizing how much more expensive HT is. Sometimes I have to go to HT or another store for something special I can't find at FL but not often. I used to be a coupon junkie but gave it up and started buying store brands.

The Carrboro Farmers Market is great in the summer. Not really cheap but so fresh and good.

Do you know about Aldi? I used to shop at the one in Atlanta. No frills-take your own bags. One in Cary and on the way to the Zoo-can't remember name of town. Worth it if you have storage space for canned goods, large freezer, etc.

[WDJ]

I usually go to Kroger out here in Chapel Hill/Durham. Not a fan of HT prices at all, even with sales. Case in point: My wife went to Kroger the other day and saw grapes for $1.69/lb. Then she went to HT to pick up something else and noticed the grapes there for $2.99/lb on sale! Normal price was $3.99/lb. Dunno what part of CH or Durham you're in, but I'd drop HT in a heartbeat and go to Kroger or Food Lion for normal grocery shopping.

For sodas, I normally end up getting 12 packs for $2.50, $3 at most. I usually just wait until a decent sale comes along and stock up on them. If a really pay attention for sales, I've gotten them at $2/pack at times.

[sowk09]

As others have said, things will come out cheaper for you if you go to Kroger or Food Lion. The really dedicated shopper (I want to start doing this) will look at all the sale ads and go to each different store for the things they usually buy that are on sale. I only have a FL and HT near me, so probably won't use the extra gas money to go to Kroger, but I will save more money than just shopping at FL alone when I stock up on some of the HT b2g3f deals.

[yellowbelle]

Just to parrot what everyone else has said...

Harris Teeter is one of the most expensive groceries in the area. If you are really looking to save pennies, try Food Lion or Super WalMart. I only shop the other places for things that those places do not sell, or for their sales.

[suedonym]

The only time i shop at Harris Teeter is for nice cuts of meat- around the holidays usually and sometimes their double or triple coupon sales (when im feeling ambitious enough to figure out if its a good deal or not lol) - you can get some good deals then.

but for run of the mill, ordinary grocery shopping I'd opt for food lion and super walmart. Much cheaper and the same exact stuff at cheaper prices

i hear theres an aldis coming to wake forest- which makes me excited! Used to shop at it all the time when i worked in raleigh, as it was around the corner from my office. low frills, generic brands (mostly) but a good way to stock up on basics for super cheap most of their house brand items actually taste decent, too