Costco Pizza vs. Sam's Club Pizza: How They Compare in Price, Value & Size

When we think of ordering a pizza, our minds naturally go to Domino’s, Pizza Hut, or the like. But not so fast. You can actually find cheaper pizza at Costco and Sam’s Club — and we’re not talking about frozen pizzas. Both warehouses offer freshly baked pizza pies in their food courts for less than the prices you’d pay at Pizza Hut, Papa Johns, or Domino’s.

If you haven’t ordered a pizza yet from one of the warehouse clubs, you’re missing out. Especially since you don’t even have to be a member of Sam’s Club to pick one of theirs up (we’ll show you how to do that). We’ve dissected every part of the Costco pizza vs. Sam’s Club pizza debate, including how they compare in price, value, and size.

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1. Costco pepperoni pizzas are 18 inches, while Sam’s Club’s are 16 inches.

Buying a whole pizza will typically give you a better deal than buying it by the slice, and this applies to both Costco and Sam’s Club, too. But there’s a size difference between the two retailers’ pies.

The Costco pie measures 18 inches and costs $9.95, while the Sam’s Club pizza comes in at 16 inches and costs $8.98.

TIP: Costco cuts their pizza into eight slices, while Sam’s Club cuts theirs into six slices.

 

2. Costco’s pepperoni pizza is cheaper based on cost per square inch.

At $9.95, Costco’s whole pizzas seem more expensive than Sam’s Club’s $8.98 pizzas. But don’t be fooled by the sticker price.

I calculated the cost per square inch of a pepperoni pizza at both warehouses (my math teacher would be proud) and found that Costco’s pizzas are actually 11.4% cheaper per square inch. But it’s really just a difference of five-hundredths of a cent.

Here’s how the math breaks down:

• A whole Costco pizza: $0.039 per square inch
• A whole Sam’s Club pizza: $0.044 per square inch

To compare, here’s how much other pizza chains charge for their pepperoni pizzas:

• Extra-Large Papa Johns pizza: $0.085 per square inch
• Large Domino’s pizza: $0.096 per square inch
• Large Pizza Hut pizza: $0.097 per square inch

 

3. Sam’s Club’s drink combo is cheaper.

Sam’s Club offers a slice of pizza and a 30-ounce drink in a combo for $2.50.

Costco discontinued their pizza combo in 2022, but you can still make your own combo by getting a slice of pizza for $1.99, then adding a 20-ounce drink separately for $0.69. This makes your Costco “combo” come out to $2.68.

So Sam’s Club has the cheaper pizza and drink combo by $0.18. And you’ll get a larger drink and a larger slice of pizza at Sam’s.

Related: We can teach you even more ways to save at the Costco food court and at Sam’s Club.

 

 

4. Sam’s Club has more varieties of pizza for the same price.

Your choices for pizza toppings are much more extensive at Sam’s Club, where there are four types of pizzas you can choose from and a total of nine different toppings.

Costco used to offer a combo pizza, which had pepperoni, sausage, veggies, and cheese. But they discontinued it in 2021. Now Costco only offers cheese or pepperoni. Womp womp.

 

Costco Pizza Menu Options:

• Cheese
• Pepperoni

 

Sam’s Club Pizza Menu Options:

• Cheese
• Pepperoni
• Four Meat (Pepperoni, Ham, Italian Sausage, and Bacon)
• Deluxe (Onions, Mushrooms, Black Olives, Pepperoni, and Italian Sausage)

 

5. Nonmembers can buy pizza at Sam’s Club, but most Costco food courts require a membership.

If you’re not a member of Sam’s Club yet, no problem. All Sam’s Club Cafe locations are open to nonmembers, too, so you can get a Sam’s Club pizza without a membership.

As for Costco, it depends. We found several warehouse locations in Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York that said yes, nonmembers can eat at the food court. So before you go, just call your local Costco and ask. If they give you the all-clear, you’ll have to stop by the member’s service desk first and let them know you’d like to eat at the food court so they can give you a day pass.

 

6. For the most part, Costco pizza has fewer calories than Sam’s Club pizza.

Looking for a healthier bite of pizza? Even though a healthy pizza is kind of an impossible concept, every calorie counts. If you’re deciding between Costco and Sam’s Club, Costco has a lower caloric count (although Sam’s Club’s slice of pepperoni is a lone exception). Here’s the nutritional info breakdown of each item you can get:

 

Costco Pizza Nutrition Facts

• One slice of cheese pizza: 300 calories, 70 g carbs, 28 g fat, and 44 g protein.
• One slice of pepperoni pizza: 620 calories, 68 g carbs, 24 g fat, and 23 g protein.
• A whole cheese pizza: 1,800 calories, 420 g carbs, 112 g fat, and 176 g protein.
• A whole pepperoni pizza: 3,120 calories, 340 g carbs, 120 g fat, and 92 g protein.

 

Sam’s Club Pizza Nutrition Facts

• One slice of cheese pizza: 480 calories, 51 g carbs, 20 g fat, and 22 g protein.
• One slice of pepperoni pizza: 550 calories, 50 g carbs, 25 g fat, and 24 g protein.
• One slice of supreme pizza: 640 calories, 61 g carbs, 31 g fat, and 28 g protein.
• One slice of meat lovers pizza: 760 calories, 51 g carbs, 46 g fat, and 36 g protein.
• A whole cheese pizza: 3,840 calories, 408 g carbs, 160 g fat, and 176 g protein.
• A whole pepperoni pizza: 4,400 calories, 400 g carbs, 200 g fat, and 192 g protein.
• A whole supreme pizza: 5,120 calories, 488 g carbs, 248 g fat, and 224 g protein.
• A whole meat lovers pizza: 6,080 calories, 408 g carbs, 276 g fat, and 324 g protein.

 

Current Membership Deals for Costco and Sam’s Club

If these pizza prices have you drooling, you may want to check out these membership deals happening now: