When it comes to grocery shopping in Montreal, Provigo and IGA are two of the most popular options around. Both carry a solid selection, both are easy to find across the island, and both tend to sit at the higher end of the price spectrum.
But with grocery bills climbing across the board, even shoppers loyal to their go-to store might be wondering if they’re leaving money on the table. To find out which chain actually costs less, we put together a cart of everyday premium items and shopped both stores, finding the exact same products at each one to keep the comparison as fair as possible.
And since we’re dealing with upper-tier chains, our test baskets didn’t skimp out on quality, consisting of the following items:
- Bananas (1kg)
- Organic spring mix (142 g)
- Organic raspberries (170 g)
- Ribeye steak (1kg)
- Chicken breast (1 kg)
- Shallots (750g)
- Oikos 2% Vanilla Greek Yogurt (750 g)
- Balderson Extra Old Cheddar (170 g)
- Ciabatta baguettes (x2) (325 g)
- 24-case of Heineken bottles.
Here’s how the numbers shook out.
Bananas, 1 kg
IGA: $1.96 Provigo: $1.96
Winner: Tie
Both stores come in at exactly the same price for bananas.
Organic spring mix, 142 g
IGA: $6.00 Provigo: $6.00
Winner: Tie
Another dead heat. No difference here between the two chains.
Organic raspberries, 170 g
IGA: $7.99 Provigo: $7.00
Winner: Provigo (by $0.99)
Provigo comes in a full dollar cheaper on raspberries, one of the more noticeable gaps in the basket.
Ribeye steak, 1 kg
IGA: $77.94/kg Provigo: $59.52/kg
Winner: Provigo (by $18.42/kg)
This is the biggest gap in the entire basket by a wide margin. At $77.94/kg, IGA’s ribeye is nearly $18.50 more expensive per kilogram than Provigo’s. For a single steak, that difference can add up fast depending on the cut’s weight.
Chicken breast, 1 kg
IGA: $22.19 Provigo: $19.82
Winner: Provigo (by $2.37)
Provigo is noticeably cheaper on chicken breast as well, coming in over $2 less for the same kilogram.
Shallots, 750 g
IGA: $8.00 Provigo: $6.50
Winner: Provigo (by $1.50)
Provigo edges ahead again, this time by $1.50 on shallots.
Oikos 2% Vanilla Greek Yogurt, 750 g
IGA: $8.49 Provigo: $8.00
Winner: Provigo (by $0.49)
Provigo is slightly cheaper on the yogurt, though the gap is less than 50 cents.
Balderson Extra Old Cheddar, 170 g
IGA: $9.99 Provigo: $8.79
Winner: Provigo (by $1.20)
Another win for Provigo, this time by $1.20 on the cheddar.
Ciabatta baguettes (x2), 325 g each
IGA: $7.00 (Au Pain Doré) Provigo: $7.00 (ACE)
Winner: Tie
Both stores charge the same for two ciabatta baguettes, though they carry different brands.
Heineken 24-pack (bottles)
IGA: $46.49 Provigo: $44.29
Winner: Provigo (by $2.20)
Provigo comes in over $2 cheaper on the case of Heineken.
And the winner is…
Provigo: $117.88 IGA: $186.06*
Provigo wins this one, and it isn’t particularly close. Provigo came out cheaper on seven of the ten items, with the remaining three ending in a tie. IGA didn’t win a single category outright.
The ribeye is where the gap really opens up. At nearly $18.50 more per kilogram, IGA’s steak pricing alone accounts for a huge chunk of the overall difference. But even setting the ribeye aside, Provigo still comes out ahead across the rest of the basket on everything from chicken breast to yogurt to beer.
For shoppers who prefer the experience or selection at IGA, that loyalty may come at a cost (unless you only buy things on sale). Based on this basket, Provigo is the more affordable option of the two.