Aldi's still the cheapest in the Illawarra - but the grocery gap is closing, fast

You approach the self-service machine, the cashiers have all been replaced, you ignore the bright yellow stickers telling you about how cheap the KitKats are.

Scanning through your items you can only peek through the fingers covering your eyes as you read in horror the price of the items you need to buy, it's expensive, but the cost on your soul is even higher.

Local shoppers told the Mercury they had seen their grocery bills "explode" but comparing the price on a basket of staple items like milk, bread and eggs shows you might be out of luck at finding a better deal.

Comparing prices across four shops - Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and Fairy Meadow's Leisure Coast - you see a lot of the same numbers.

While there's a single cent variable on the cost of a kilogram of chicken breast between the three major chains ( $10.99 or $11), Leisure Coast is marginally more expensive at $12.99. But there are several quick sales on specials which drag the price down below the others.

Buying items in bulkier or bigger quantities brings the price down further, with each store offering larger volumes for cheaper per gram prices.

Aldi is marginally cheaper but, compared to when the Mercury last checked out the prices in 2023, the difference between it and the rest has shrunk.

This might be a result of our selection of staple items as a Choice comparison found Aldi was 25 per cent cheaper compared to Coles and Woolies.

Leisure Coast is the most expensive but fares strongly in its fruit and vegetable offerings and is particularly hit poorly on cheese, which for this comparison was a 250g bag of shredded cheese, but in terms of the range was particularly strong.

As the Federal and State Governments begin to offer more cost of living relief hope may be on the horizon, but until then our baskets are going to be feeling a lot metaphorically heavier.