Which SLO County grocery stores have cheapest eggs? Milk? We compared prices at 12 shops

Are you scrambling to find cheap eggs at the grocery store?

A nationwide egg shortage linked to a bird flu outbreak has sent prices soaring in recent weeks, making many shoppers dread the walk down the dairy aisle.

Egg prices across the country increased more than 150% in January compared to January 2024, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index.

A dozen eggs cost $4.95 on average in the United States in January, up 81 cents from the previous month.

In California, the benchmark price for a dozen large eggs was $9.22 as of Feb. 28, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

With food costs skyrocketing, The Tribune is here to help you find the lowest prices for staple ingredients.

We visited 12 grocery stores in San Luis Obispo County and priced four cooking essentials to discover where the best deals are.

Here’s what we found out:

Why are eggs prices so high in California right now?

Since highly pathogenic avian influenza surfaced in the United States in 2022, bird flu has been detected in more than 166 million poultry and nearly 1,000 dairy herds as of Tuesday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Millions of chickens and turkeys have been killed at poultry ranches across California to stop the highly contagious virus from spreading, and hundreds of California dairies have been quarantined due to bird flu.

Multiple products tied to the H5N1 virus have been recalled — from raw milk to pet food.

The outbreak, which prompted California Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in December, has contributed to widespread shortages of egg and dairy products.

As of early March, there were some signs that bird flu is improving in California, The Bee reported.

Experts say it’s unlikely chickens or eggs infected with the bird flu could enter the food supply chain, The Fresno Bee previously reported.

The foods are still safe to eat as long as they are fully cooked.

Which SLO County grocery stores have best prices?

For its price check, The Tribune focused on major grocery stores across San Luis Obispo County, visiting a total of 12 supermarkets on Monday, March 3.

We did not include supermarkets that require a membership to shop at, such as Costco.

Here’s the complete list:

• Albertsons, 730 Quintana Road, Morro Bay
• Aldi, 1221 East Grand Ave., Arroyo Grande
• Food 4 Less, 1132 West Branch St., Arroyo Grande
• Grocery Outlet, 1574 West Branch St., Suite C, Arroyo Grande
• Ralphs, 1240 Los Osos Valley Road, Los Osos
• Smart & Final Extra!, 8200 El Camino Real, Atascadero
• Sprouts Farmers Market, 313 Madonna Road, San Luis Obispo
• Target, 2305 Theatre Drive, Paso Robles
• Trader Joe’s, 1111 Rossi Road, Templeton
• Vons, 3900 Broad St., San Luis Obispo
• Walmart, 180 Niblick Road, Paso Robles
• Whole Foods, 1531 Froom Ranch Way, San Luis Obispo

How much do eggs and dairy cost at local supermarkets?

The Tribune searched each store for four basic cooking ingredients, focusing on the options with the lowest available prices:

• One dozen large white eggs

• One gallon of 2% milk

• One pound of cheddar cheese

• One pound of unsalted butter

The Tribune focused on regular prices as opposed to sales or members-only prices.

All prices were calculated before sales tax.

Where can I find least expensive eggs in SLO County?

Of the 12 SLO County grocery stores The Tribune surveyed, Sprouts Farmers Market in San Luis Obispo had the cheapest eggs, with a dozen large white eggs costing $4.49.

Vons in San Luis Obispo and Grocery Outlet in Arroyo Grande tied for the priciest eggs, with each supermarket charging $9.99 for a dozen white eggs.

That was $5.50 more than the stores’ most affordable competitor.

While Vons had large white eggs available for $9.99 a dozen on Monday, Grocery Outlet was only selling extra-large white eggs.

Here’s how egg prices broke down across all 12 stores we visited:

As of Monday, some SLO County stores had limits on the number of egg cartons customers could purchase — including Aldi, Trader Joe’s, Sprouts Farmers Market and Whole Foods.

Where can you find cheapest milk in the county?

Aldi and Food 4 Less in Arroyo Grande were the best local options for low-cost milk as of Monday.

A gallon of 2% milk cost $3.48 at both grocery stores.

We found the priciest option at Ralphs in Los Osos, where 2% milk cost $4.99 per gallon.

These were the milk prices at the SLO County stores we visited:

Albertsons: $3.99

Aldi: $3.95

Food 4 Less: $3.98

Grocery Outlet: $2.99

Ralphs: $5.29

Smart & Final Extra!: $5.29

Sprouts Farmers Market: $4.99

Target: $4.19

Trader Joe’s: $3.99

Vons: $3.99

Walmart: $4.16

Whole Foods: $4.69

What SLO County store has lowest eggs, dairy prices overall?

Out of the 12 grocery stores the Tribune visited across the county, Trader Joe's in Templeton had the lowest prices overall, with four grocery store staples costing a total of $17.96.

The supermarket with the priciest eggs and dairy products was Ralphs in Los Osos, with a total of $23.86 for four items.

These were the overall costs at SLO County stores:

Hannah Poukish

The Tribune

+1 805-781-7815

Hannah Poukish covers San Luis Obispo County as The Tribune’s government reporter. She previously reported and produced stories for The Sacramento Bee, CNN, Spectrum News and The Mercury News in San Jose. She graduated from Stanford University with a master’s degree in journalism.