With rising prices and an increasing cost of living, many students are keeping a close eye on grocery prices, but comparing deals across stores can be time-consuming and tedious. Luckily, we’ve done some of the work for you! The Tribune visited Metro, Provigo, and Segal’s to compare prices for 12 staple grocery items—ranging across produce, dairy, meat, and dry goods. All of the prices listed are sticker prices, not taking into account sales or two-for-one deals.
| Provigo | Metro | Segal’s | |
| Pasta (900 g) | 3.79 | 3.79 | 2.29 |
| Bread (sliced white bread) | 3.99 | 5.39 | 4.99 |
| Cheerios family size | 7.99 | 9.29 | 5.99 |
| Butter (250 g) | 6.49 | 5.88 | 5.79 |
| Eggs (dozen large eggs) | 4.23 | 4.15 | 4.10 |
| Chicken Breast (per kg) | 8.08 | 16.51 | 22.95 |
| Oranges (individual) | 0.64 | 1.98 | 0.69 |
| Grapes (per lb) | 4.99 | 3.99 | 2.99 |
| Apples (per lb) | 2.79 | 2.79 | 1.79 |
| Potatoes (per lb) | 2.49 | 1.99 | 1.00 |
| Canned Tuna (140 g can) | 3.29 | 1.99 | 1.99 |
| Soy Sauce (591 ml bottle) | 8.29 | 12.49 | 9.98 |
| Total | 57.78 | 70.24 | 64.55 |
Total price: $70.24 CAD ($63.21 CAD with the student discount)
3575 Avenue du Parc Suite 5100
The Avenue du Parc Metro, tucked away in the basement of Les Galeries du Parc, is conveniently located for many students living in the McGill Ghetto—especially for first-year students living in New Residence Hall, which is connected via an elevator. Overall, Metro’s prices for the items we looked at were higher than those at Segal’s and about even with those at Provigo. For example, both Provigo and Metro had 900g of pasta for $3.79 CAD and apples for $2.79 CAD/lb. However, Metro has a 10 per cent student discount on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays for purchases of over $50.00 CAD, which helps make its prices more competitive with those of the other stores.
Total price: $57.78 CAD ($52.00 CAD with student discount)
3421 Avenue du Parc
Like Metro, the Provigo on Avenue du Parc has a student points reward system; however, it’s slightly more complicated to use. At Provigo, you need to have a PC Optimum card that was registered using your student ID. If you check out using that card on Mondays, you can get 10 per cent of your purchase in PC Optimum points, which you can then spend on future purchases.
While Provigo’s prices across the board are higher than Segal’s, the total price for the goods we surveyed is significantly lower due to the lower price of chicken. While Segal’s is known for its cheap produce and dry goods, their meat selection is smaller and more expensive than Provigo’s. The latter had the cheapest prices for chicken of any of the stores, coming in at just $8.80 CAD/kg for boneless chicken breasts. Provigo also had the cheapest and widest selection of sliced breads, and competitive prices for eggs and oranges compared with Segal’s.
Total price: $64.55 CAD
4001 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Segal’s is slightly further away from campus and is closed on Sundays, but its low prices keep students coming back. If possible, try to avoid shopping there at peak times, as the aisles can get pretty crowded. Segal’s easily beats the other two stores for produce prices—with $0.69 CAD for an orange, $2.99 CAD/lb for grapes, and just $1.00 CAD/lb for potatoes. Segal’s also had the cheapest prices for staples like butter, eggs, and cereal, although the prices for butter and eggs were relatively similar across all three stores.
