With grocery pickup, grocery delivery, and online shopping taking the place of conventional in-store grocery shopping, the question of which store is cheapest — Amazon or Walmart — is more relevant than ever.
Access to Amazon Prime ain’t cheap — it’s now $129 a year or $12.99 a month for a membership. That Amazon Prime account will give you access to programs like Subscribe & Save (which saves you 5% on each recurring order) and Prime Pantry (free delivery on orders over $35), which can save you money in the long run if you’re a heavy Amazon user. But Walmart now offers competitive free two-day shipping for orders over $35 — plus, at Walmart you can have your groceries delivered right to your car.
So, we decided to compare a sample of Amazon’s prices (not factoring in the Prime membership fee) with Walmart’s everyday low prices.
The verdict? Walmart — but not for every category.
With everything in flux, grocery store prices are inflated, subject to constant change, and inventory is dicey. While that’s true for many businesses right now, it’s especially true for Amazon, whose prices and inventory on everyday items that you’d get at a grocery store are volatile/unpredictable at best. But of course, that’s not true across the board, as each store outperformed one another depending on category and product.
Read on for the goods on where to find the cheapest prices on makeup, baby supplies, toys, pet supplies, grocery and pantry items, cleaning supplies, medicine and personal care.
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Is Amazon or Walmart Cheaper for Baby Supplies?
Walmart’s online prices win for Huggies, coming in at over $15 cheaper than Amazon.
Final score for 15 items: Amazon (6), Walmart (6) Tie (3)
- Pampers Swaddlers, Size 1, 198 count diapers:
- Huggies OverNites Diapers, Size 3:
- Amazon: $39.60 for 72 diapers
- Walmart: $24.27 for 80 diapers
Winner: Walmart for being $15.33 cheaper, a considerable amount even when you factor in the 8 extra diapers in the Amazon packaging
- Johnson & Johnson Head to Toe Baby Wash, 27.1 ounce:
- Similac Pro-Advance Infant Formula, 23.2 ounce:
- Enfamil Premium Formula:
- Amazon: $27.98 or $1.35 per ounce for a 20.7-ounce can
- Walmart: $35.98 for $1.27 per ounce for a 28.3-ounce can
Winner: Walmart, at $0.08 less per ounce
- Pampers Sensitive Water Baby Wipes, 576 refill wipes:
- Dr. Brown’s Bottle Brush, two pack:
- Burt’s Bees Baby Shampoo & Wash, Calming Tear-Free Baby Soap, 21 ounce:
- Johnson’s Baby Oil Original, 14 ounce:
- Johnson’s Baby Tear-Free Shampoo, 27.1 ounce:
- Philips Avent BPA Free Soothie Pacifier, 3+ months, 2-count:
- Aveeno Baby Calming Comfort Bath Wash, Lavender & Vanilla:
- Amazon: $14 for two-pack, or $7 per 8-ounce bottle
- Walmart: $4.97 per 8-ounce bottle
Winner: Walmart, at $2.03 less per bottle
- Munchkin Formula Dispenser:
- Amazon: $9.99 for a two-pack, or $4.99 each (or more, depending on which color you pick)
- Walmart: $3.54 per dispenser
Winner: Walmart, at $1.45 cheaper
- Lansinoh Breast Milk Storage Bags, 50 count:
- Lansinoh Breastfeeding Cream, 1.41-ounce bottle:
RELATED: Tips for Getting the Most Out of Amazon’s Subscribe & Save
Amazon vs. Walmart: Who Has Cheaper Household and Cleaning Supplies?
Walmart is the winner in this category. In the age of coronavirus, Amazon is NOT where you want to be shopping for cleaning products, because their pricing doesn’t make much sense. If you can find stuff in stock, it will likely be overpriced or you have to buy in bulk. Occasionally, as I found below, you can get an item priced way below MSRP, but you have to dig around. Walmart, on the other hand, seems to be doing alright in terms of fair and consistent pricing. With the exception of toilet paper, of course.
Final Score for ten items: Amazon (4) Walmart (6) Tie (0)
- O-Cedar Sponges:
- Amazon: $10.99 or $1.83 each in a six pack
- Walmart: $5.99 or $1.50 each in a four pack
Winner: Walmart, $0.33 cheaper per sponge
- Kaboom Shower, Tub & Tile Bathroom Cleaner, 32-ounce bottle:
- Tide Laundry Detergent, 64 ounce:
- Gain Flings, 96 count:
- Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin Free & Clear Liquid Laundry Detergent, 50 ounce bottle:
- Glad Compactor Garbage Bags, 18 Gallon 4-count:
- Febreze Air Freshener, 3-count of 8.8 ounce bottles:
- Energizer MAX AA Batteries, 24-count:
- Palmolive Ultra Pure Liquid Dish Soap 2-count 32.5 ounces total:
- Lysol Power & Fresh Toilet Bowl Cleaner, 24 ounce:
Is Amazon or Walmart Better for Buying Toys?
Amazon easily wins this category, but the battle is fierce. It seems like these two retail giants keep close tabs on each other, adjusting prices immediately when tipped off to a sale on the other’s site. Toys are usually as cheap (or cheaper) on Amazon, although in some cases the cost of a toy might be exponentially higher on Amazon — it all depends on the model and newness of an item. I always double-check both sites before buying toys for my kids.
Final Score for 11 items: Amazon (6) Walmart (2) Tie (3)
- LEGO Friends Olivia’s Shopping Play Cube (47 pieces):
- L.O.L. Surprise! Winter Disco Bigger Surprise:
- Teddy Ruxpin:
- Fingerling Light Up Baby Dolphin:
- Batman V Superman Figure 2-Pack
- The Last Jedi: Life-Sized Interactive Action Porg Plush:
- Barbie Dreamtopia Rainbow Cove Teal Sprite Doll:
- Set of 4 Hot Wheels Monster Trucks:
- Barbie Star Wars R2-D2 Doll:
- Melissa & Doug Take-Along Tool (24 pieces):
- Disney Frozen 2 Anna Fashion Doll with Long Red Hair & Movie Outfit
RELATED: How to Save BIG on Toys at Target
Amazon vs. Walmart: Who Has Cheaper Medicine Prices?
Walmart for the win in this category. Buy your medicines at Walmart for the best prices overall, especially when taking advantage of their $4 generic prescriptions. But, if you have an HSA (Healthcare Savings Account) through your work, you can use those benefits to shop for medicine on Amazon.
Final score for 10 items: Amazon (3) Walmart (7) Tie (0)
- Band-Aid Brand Water Block Plus Waterproof Adhesive Bandages, 30 count:
- Burt’s Bees Lip Balm, 4-pack:
- Mucinex Children’s Mini Melts for Chest Congestion, 12 count:
- Children’s Benadryl Allergy Chewables, two pack of 20-Count:
- Mederma Advanced Scar Gel, 1.76 ounce:
- Amazon: $35.55 for one
- Walmart: $44.99 for two pack, or $22.50 per tube
Winner: Walmart, at $13.05 cheaper per tube
- Vicks VapoRub Soothing Chest Rub Cough Suppressant Ointment, 1.76 ounce:
- Vaseline Petroleum Jelly, Original, 13 ounce:
- Amazon: $11.81 for pack of three, at $3.94 per tub
- Walmart: $3.98
Winner: Amazon, at $0.04 cheaper per tub
- Vicks NyQuil Cold & Flu Nighttime Relief and DayQuil Cold & Flu Multi-Symptom Relief Liquid Combo Pack, 24 ounce (each bottle is 12 ounces):
- HALLS Cough Drops, Honey-Lemon, 30-count:
- Pepto-Bismol liquid, two pack of 16-ounce bottles
RELATED: Awesome Amazon Prime Perks You Probably Didn’t Know About
Amazon vs. Walmart: Who Has Cheaper Personal Care Products?
Walmart wins by a very slight margin over Amazon when it comes to personal care products. But, you should buy St. Ives facial scrub, men’s razors, and Chapstick bundles from Amazon because the savings are significant.
Final Score for 15 items: Amazon (3) Walmart (5) Tie (7)
- Tampax Pearl Regular, 34 count:
- Dove White Bar Soap, 6 count:
- Aveeno Skin Relief Fragrance-Free Body Wash, 33 ounce:
- NIVEA Oil Infused Body Lotion Orchid and Argan Oil, 16.9 ounce:
- Dove Men+Care Body and Face Wash, 23.5 ounce:
- Dove Revive Antiperspirant Deodorant, two-pack of 2.6-ounce dispensers:
- CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, 16 ounce:
- St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub:
- Gillette Fusion5 Men’s Razor (with two blade refills):
- Garnier Nutrisse Nourishing Color Creme Hair Dye:
- Amazon: $6.97 for every color
- Walmart: $4.99 – $24.93 depending on the color
Winner: Amazon, because prices at Walmart are all over the place
- OGX Coconut Milk Shampoo, 25.4 ounce:
- Suave Men 2 in 1 Shampoo and Conditioner, 28 ounce:
- Chapstick Skin Protectant & Moisturizer, 3-count:
- Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap, 3-count of 12.5-ounce bottles:
- Burt’s Bees 100% Natural Hand Salve, 3-ounce tin:
RELATED: How to Do Your Own Beauty Makeover
Amazon vs. Walmart: Who Has Cheaper Food Prices?
All of these food items came through Amazon Pantry. And based off the below data, it’s looking like the Walmart and Amazon Pantry elves are once again trying to price-match each other. With the exception of two outliers, prices for food and pantry items were identical or near identical. The surprises were Pop Tarts, which you should most definitely buy on Amazon; and Cheez-Its, which you should buy from Walmart.
While the pricing is near identical for this category, don’t forget about the shipping and shopping/delivery method: Amazon Pantry is either a $5.99 flat shipping fee per order or free for Prime members on orders over $35. Walmart, on the other hand, has a $7.95 to $9.95 grocery delivery fee. In-store purchases and grocery pickup through Walmart have no additional fees, but grocery pickup requires a $30 minimum.
So, whether you order pantry food from Walmart or Amazon really comes down to what mode of shopping is most convenient for you.
Final Score on 20 items: Amazon (3) Walmart (4) Tie (13)
- Cheetos Puffs, 13.5 ounce:
- Doritos Nacho Cheese, 10 count of 1-ounce snack bags:
- SkinnyPop 100 Calorie Original Skinny Pack, 6 count:
- Terra Chips, 6.8 ounce:
- Cheez-It Baked Snack Cheese Crackers, White Cheddar, 21 ounce:
- Frank’s Redhot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce, 3-count of 23-ounce bottles:
- KIND Bars, 12-count:
- CLIF Bars, 12-count:
- Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice, 60 ounce:
- Mott’s Fruit Snacks, Gluten Free, 40 count of 0.8-ounce packets:
- Lara Bars, 5 count:
- Diet Pepsi, 2 liter:
- Pop Tart Variety Pack, 32 count:
- Progresso New England Clam Chowder Soup, 18.5 ounce:
- Amazon: $25.68 for 6 cans ($4.28 per can)
- Walmart: $6.32 for 4 cans ($1.58 per can)
Winner: Walmart, at $2.70 cheaper per can
- Kraft Easy Mac, 8 count of 2.5-ounce cups:
- Atkins Gluten Free Protein-Rich Shake, 8-Count:
- Smartfood Popcorn, Variety Pack, 10-count of 0.625 ounce snack bags:
- Lay’s Potato Chips Party Size, 13 ounce:
- Oreo Mini Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, 12-count of 1-ounce snack bags:
- Special K Original, 18 ounces:
RELATED: Target Grocery Pickup Coupon Hacks & Drive Up Savings Tips
Amazon vs. Walmart: Who Has Better Makeup Prices?
Cosmetic and makeup from Amazon proved to be cheaper than Walmart’s makeup selection most of the time. The only problem? Many of these items are through Amazon Pantry, so you’ll need to spend more than $35 per order to really save.
Final Score on 10 items: Amazon (5) Walmart (1) Tie (4)
- Milani Eye Tech Extreme Liquid EyeLiner, Blackest Black:
- Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lip Color:
- Burt’s Bees Facial Cleansing Towelettes, 30 count:
- L’Oreal Paris Makeup Brow Stylist in Dark Brunette:
- Covergirl Clump Crusher by LashBlast Mascara in brown:
- Maybelline Facestudio Master Contour Face Contouring Kit, 0.17 ounce:
- COVERGIRL Continuous Color Lipstick, Midnight Mauve:
- Maybelline SuperStay 2-Step Lip Color:
- Maybelline Fit Me Blush in Peach:
- Maybelline Fit Me Dewy + Smooth Foundation, Buff Beige:
RELATED: Insider Hacks from a Sephora Employee
Amazon vs. Walmart: Who Has Better Pet Supply Prices?
Amazon is better than Walmart for pet items, barely. Plus, with Amazon you don’t have to lug that 20 pound bag of dog food to your car.
Final Score on 9 items: Amazon (3) Walmart (2) Tie (4)
- Pedigree Small Dog Adult Complete Nutrition, 15.9-pound bag:
- Purina ONE SmartBlend Chicken & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food, 16.5-pound bag:
- Blue Buffalo Homestyle Recipe Natural Adult Wet Dog Food, Chicken 12-Count package of 12.5-ounce cans:
- Hill’s Science Diet Adult Wet Cat Food, 24 count of 5.5-ounce cans:
- Wellness Complete Health Minced Chicken Entree Cat Food, 24 count of 5.5-ounce cans
- Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein Grain Free Dry Cat Food, 11 pound:
- Nature’s Miracle Stain and Odor Remover, 24 ounce:
- Fresh Step Odor Shield Scented Litter with the Power of Febreze, 14 pound:
- Greenies Original Regular Natural Dental Dog Treats, 36 count:
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