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Costco’s marketing has successfully convinced us all that everything is cheaper inside the warehouse walls, but as shoppers, we have to be savvier than that. Many things are arguably cheaper, but not everything. I’m going to show you the deals you can’t miss.
Basically, these are the deals that keep me writing that $60 per year check to Costco!
For more money-saving Costco deals, tips, and coupons are sure to download the KCL app.
Related: Plus, Save Big With These Costco Travel Tips.
1. Pure organic maple syrup at Costco is so cheap, I never buy it anywhere else.

Coupons for pure organic maple syrup are few and far between, making deals very rare.
Bottom line? No other competitor comes close. I always buy my pure organic maple syrup at Costco.
- Costco: Kirkland Pure Organic Maple Syrup, 33.8 ounces, reg. price $12.49, or $0.32 an ounce
- Amazon: Coombs Family Farms Organic Maple Syrup, 32 ounces, reg. price $30.13, or $0.94 an ounce
2. Cooked Costco chickens are $0.82 less per pound than Walmart.

Costco has made a concerted effort to highly publicize its decision to keep chicken prices at $4.99 in order to get you in the door.
They even built a $450 million poultry complex in Nebraska to keep their chicken prices so low.
- Costco: Rotisserie Chicken, reg. price $1.66 a pound
- Walmart: Rotisserie Chicken, reg. price: $2.48 a pound
3. Buy Kirkland brand applesauce squeezes for only $0.35 a pouch.

No store beats Costco’s everyday price for organic applesauce pouches, so buying these there is a pretty safe bet.
- Costco: Kirkland Organic Applesauce Pouches, 24 count, reg. price $8.49, or $0.35 a pouch
- Kroger: GoGo Squeeze Organic Applesauce Pouches, 12 count, reg. price $5.49, or $0.46 a pouch
4. Bulk spices, like sea salt, are priced less at Costco than other stores.

Spices are one of the best deals at Costco — I often buy everything from steak seasoning and ground pepper to sea salt and cinnamon at Costco cheaper than I can get at other stores.
I do frequently see low-value McCormick coupons, usually offering around $0.50 off. But, even still, the cost per ounce at Costco is much cheaper.
- Costco: Kirkland Pure Sea Salt, Fine Grain, 30 ounce, reg. price $2.99, or $0.10 an ounce
- Walmart: McCormick Fine Ground Mediterranean Sea Salt, 28.25 ounce, reg. price $10.98, or $0.39 an ounce
5. Costco sells Nutella so cheap, I can save one jar just for myself.

Nutella is about 17% cheaper at Costco compared to the next lowest price we could find.
However, we do see pretty regular Nutella coupons here at KCL.
And since we cannot use manufacturer coupons at Costco, we often beat the Costco price by using our coupon at another retailer like Walmart.
- Costco: Nutella Hazelnut Spread, 2 pack 33.5 ounces each, reg. price $13.49, or $0.20 an ounce
- Walmart: Nutella Chocolate Hazelnut Spread, 26.5 ounces, reg. price $6.42, or $0.24 an ounce
6. Red Star active dry yeast at Costco is priced so low, you might actually want two pounds of it.

OK, normally two pounds of yeast is a lifetime supply for me. But ever since the pandemic, bread baking is a regular thing in my life, so it makes sense.
Yeast is one of the best buys at Costco.
- Costco: Red Star Active Dry Yeast, 2-pound pouch, reg. price $4.99 or $0.16 an ounce
- Amazon: Red Star Active Dry Yeast, 2-pound pouch reg. price $12.45, or $0.39 an ounce
7. Costco organic spinach is less expensive than anywhere else.

- Costco: Organic Baby Spinach, 16 ounces, reg. price $3.99, or $0.25 an ounce
- Kroger: Simple Truth Organic Baby Spinach, 16 ounces, reg. price $4.99, or $0.31 an ounce
- Walmart: Marketside Organic Baby Spinach, 5 ounces, reg. price $2.86 or $0.57 an ounce
8. Costco has super competitive prices on organic coconut oil.

At Costco, their coconut oil can’t be beat. And, you can use it for everything (from high heat cooking, as a butter substitute for baking, to an amazing moisturizer and makeup remover!).
- Costco: Kirkland Organic Coconut Oil, 84 ounces, reg. price $15.99, or $0.19 an ounce
- Amazon: Nutiva Organic, Unrefined, Virgin Coconut Oil, 54 ounces, reg. price $17.99, or $0.33 an ounce
9. One of the best deals at Costco is the Frigo string cheese.

Frigo string cheese usually sells for as much as $0.27 per stick (that’s $6.49 for a 24-pack) at standard supermarkets like Safeway or Kroger.
Wait for a sale at those stores, or shop at a discount grocer like Walmart or WinCo and pay $0.22 – 0.25 each.
Add a cheese coupon to the mix, and you might drop that price down to as low as $0.20 per cheese stick.
Or, forget all of that and just buy the stuff at Costco. End of story.
- Costco: Frigo Cheese Heads String Cheese Sticks, 60 count, reg. price $10.59, or $0.18 per cheese stick
- Kroger: Frigo Cheese Heads String Cheese Sticks, 24 count, reg. price $6.49, or $0.27 per cheese stick
10. Grab Costco’s Kirkland Organic Peanut Butter for slightly less than Walmart.

Costco’s price on their Kirkland Organic Peanut Butter isn’t shockingly lower than Walmart’s store brand. But if you’re in store buying other things on this list, you can be confident tossing it into your cart.
We do see coupons, so always check KCL for peanut butter coupons before you shop!
- Costco: Kirkland Organic Creamy Peanut Butter, 2 pack 28 ounces each, reg. price $11.49, or $0.21 per ounce
- Walmart: Great Value Organic Creamy Stir Peanut Butter, 16 ounce, reg. price $3.48, or $0.22 per ounce
11. Score almond butter that’s cheaper and tastes better than name brands.

I’m picky about almond butter, but since I’m also picky about getting a good deal, I’ve searched all over for a brand that’s both reasonably priced and tastes good.
Since almond butter coupons are rare, I usually end up paying regular price. Costco has the best taste and best price, hands down.
- Costco: Kirkland Signature Organic Creamy Almond Butter, 27 ounces, reg. price $8.99, or $0.33 an ounce
- Walmart: Sam’s Choice Honey Almond Butter, 12 ounces, reg. price $4.98, or $0.42 an ounce
12. Get organic walnuts for less than you’d pay for non-organic on Amazon.

Pay close attention here — Costco’s organic walnuts are cheaper than Amazon’s non-organic. Plan to save $0.12 per ounce when you buy walnuts at Costco.
- Costco: Kirkland Organic Raw Walnuts, 3 pounds, reg. price $11.69, or $0.24 an ounce
- Amazon: I’m a Nut Raw Walnut Halves, 2.75 pounds, reg. price $19.95, or $0.44 per ounce
13. You can’t find Similac baby formula any cheaper unless you’re an extreme couponer.

The only way you can get formula cheaper than the price Costco offers is when you combine a coupon or an Ibotta offer with a sale at a grocery or drugstore.
You can find Similac coupons and Enfamil coupons to combine with a sale or you can just hit up Costco.
- Costco: Similac Pro-Advance Infant Formula, 2 pack 34 ounces each, reg. price: $69.99, or $1.03 an ounce
- Amazon: Similac Pro-Advance Infant Formula, 23.2 ounce, reg. price $26.08, or $1.12 an ounce
14. Get a Costco sheet cake for $18, while supermarkets sell a smaller one for over $20.

Thanks to the pandemic, you can’t just run into Costco and grab a half sheet cake. However, you can still order them for $18.99 each. Plan ahead and place a special order at least 24 hours in advance by calling your local Costco bakery. Bonus: You get to customize your cake! Choose from a dozen different designs.
Compare this price for half a sheet with an average supermarket price of $20 (for half the amount of cake).
15. Buy restaurant and gaming gift cards for 20% less than face value.

I am a huge advocate of buying discounted gift cards! It’s probably the most overlooked money-saving strategy today!
And Costco is one of my favorite places to snatch up future savings with discounted gift cards. Especially for restaurants and gaming cards like xBOX.
Expect to see two $50 gift cards on sale for $79.99, a total of 20% savings.
16. A $1.50 hot dog combo at the Costco Food Court will make you forget how much you just spent.

The hot dog combo is for sure one of the best things to get at Costco.
Costco hasn’t raised the price on it’s all-beef hot dog and a fountain drink in 30 years.
When you see how big it is, you’ll see the value for just $1.50!
Related: Find more Costco Food Court tips and tricks.
