For many Quebec shoppers, getting through their weekly grocery run comes with a side of anxiety and a whole lot of compromise.
That could mean switching to cheaper brands for some, eating out less, or even going to a different store altogether. And it’s not just your imagination. Grocery bills are going up across the country, and they’re not done climbing yet.
According to Canada’s Food Price Report for 2026, food prices across the country will increase between 4% and 6% over the next year. For an average family of four, that means the annual grocery bill will jump from $16,577 in 2025 to $17,572 in 2026.
So when every dollar counts, where you shop matters. With that in mind, we took two of Quebec’s most popular discount grocery options, Super C and Walmart, and compared them head-to-head to find out which one actually saves you more money.
To find out, we took the same cart of 10 everyday staple items to both stores, matching brands and sizes as closely as possible. When a specific brand wasn’t carried at one location, the nearest equivalent was used instead. The idea was to simulate a real weekly shop and see which store rang up cheaper at the end.
Our cart consisted of the following items:
- 1 kg of bananas
- 450 g of medium ground beef
- 400 g of mild cheddar cheese
- 3-pound bag of yellow onions
- Villaggio white bread
- Spring salad mix value pack, 312 g
- Rotisserie chicken
- Orange juice, 1.54 L
- Baby carrots, 900 g
- Gallo extra virgin olive oil, 1 L
Here’s how our bills tallied up.
Bananas, 1 kg Super C: $1.74/kg, Walmart: $1.70/kg
Winner: Walmart (by $0.04)
Medium ground beef, 450 g Super C: $8.20, Walmart: $8.28
Winner: Super C (by $0.08)
Mild cheddar cheese, 400 g Super C: $5.99 (Selection), Walmart: $5.48 (Great Value)
Winner: Walmart (by $0.51)
Yellow onions, 3 lb bag Super C: $2.99, Walmart: $2.94
Winner: Walmart (by $0.05)
Villaggio Classico white bread, 675 g Super C: $4.29, Walmart: $3.98
Winner: Walmart (by $0.31)
Spring salad mix value pack, 312 g Super C: $5.99 (Fresh Attitude), Walmart: $5.97 (Spring Mix)
Winner: Walmart (by $0.02)
Rotisserie chicken Super C: $9.99, Walmart: $8.87
Winner: Walmart (by $1.12)
Orange juice, 1.54 L Super C: $4.49 (Irrésistible), Walmart: $4.98 (Our Finest)
Winner: Super C (by $0.49)
Baby carrots, 900 g Super C: $5.49, Walmart: $3.44
Winner: Walmart (by $2.05)
Gallo extra virgin olive oil, 1 L Super C: $13.99, Walmart: $12.94
Winner: Walmart (by $1.05)
And the winner is…
Walmart came out cheaper on eight out of ten items, with a total cart of $57.10 before tax. Compared to Super C’s $62.16, that’s a difference of $5.06 on a single shopping trip.
The biggest gap was on baby carrots, where Walmart came in $2.05 cheaper for essentially the same product. The rotisserie chicken was the next biggest difference at $1.12, followed by olive oil at $1.05. Super C only came out ahead on two items: orange juice and ground beef, and neither margin was especially significant.
A $5 difference on one trip might not sound like much, but for a family doing a full weekly shop, those savings add up fast. That said, a few caveats are worth keeping in mind. Prices fluctuate week to week, and sales at either store can easily flip the results on any given item. Brand differences also play a role here — Super C and Walmart don’t always carry identical products, so some comparisons involved the closest available equivalent rather than an exact match. Your cart will also look different depending on what your household actually eats.
But based on this snapshot, if your priority is stretching your grocery budget as far as it will go, Walmart appears to have the edge.
