Sam's Club vs. Costco: How to Compare Their Fees, Prices, and Perks

Sam's Club vs. Costco is a classic debate. Both wholesalers are well-known for their competitive prices, bulk products, and no-frills shopping experiences. But with such similar products, prices, and perks, how do you decide if Costco membership is worth it, or if Sam's Club is actually better for your needs?

If you can’t decide between a Sam’s Club membership and a Costco membership, know that it’s okay to be stuck. With only small differences between their offerings, it can be hard to compare the two. That’s why we’ve done the work for you: We looked at Sam’s Club vs. Costco in terms of membership fees, monthly savings, prices on everyday staples, and benefits to show you exactly how these wholesalers stack up.

Of course we’ll break down the membership benefits and pricing differences between Costco and Sam's Club, but we’ll also get into some of the finer details — like Costco vs. Sam’s Club hot dog and Sam’s Club pizza vs. Costco pizza. And depending on your location, your choice might be between BJ's vs. Costco — and we can help you narrow down your decision there, too.

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Membership Costs: Sam's Club is 23% cheaper

If you’re deciding which club to join based on their membership fees alone, know that a basic Sam's Club membership is about 23% cheaper than a Costco membership right now.

An entry-level membership to Sam's Club costs $50 per year, while Costco is $65 per year.

For the upgraded membership levels (where you earn 2% back in rewards), the Sam's Club option costs $110 per year, while Costco Executive is $130 per year. So the upgraded Sam's Club membership is still 15% cheaper than Costco's Executive membership.

Of course, we do tend to see new membership deals pop up throughout the year for both clubs, but Sam's Club membership deals happen much more frequently. With these deals, you should aim to save 50% - 70% on the price of a new membership. The Costco deals usually give you a free $30 - $40 Costco Shop Card when you sign up as a new member at the regular price.

KCL TIP: If you're thinking about upgrading to either a Sam’s Club Plus membership or a Costco Executive membership, keep in mind that they cap your annual earnings at $500 per year or $1,250 per year, respectively. And the rewards at Sam's Club are delivered on a rolling basis, while Costco sends theirs out in the form of a rebate check (valid at Costco) a few months before your membership renews.

Will membership fees go up?

Luckily, we should be safe from a membership fee increase for Sam's Club or Costco anytime in the near future.

That's because Costco raised their membership fees on Sept. 1, 2024, and they tend to wait 5 - 7 years before raising rates again. And Sam's Club raised their fees on Oct. 17, 2022, which was their first time in nine years.

Food Selection and Prices: Sam's Club has a slight edge

When it comes to a few basic food items like cereal and peanut butter, you're going to see pretty similar prices at Sam's Club and Costco, with only a few pennies difference in most cases.

But when we crunched the numbers and compared the unit prices on common grocery items at both stores, we found that Sam's Club actually had cheaper prices for 10 out of 25 items on our list. Costco had cheaper prices for 8 out of 25 items, and they tied in price for 6 items.

It's worth mentioning here that Costco tends to have a wider selection of gourmet and organic products, particularly under their Kirkland Signature brand. And for some items (like orange juice and frozen mixed vegetables), your only option at Costco will be the organic one.

Sam's Club vs. Costco Prices Compared (January 2025)

Store Brands: Member's Mark also has the edge

Both Costco and Sam's Club use their private store brands to offer shoppers a cheaper alternative to name-brand items. Costco has the Kirkland Signature brand, while Sam's Club sells their store brand stuff under the name Member's Mark.

If you consider the sheer number of store brand items available, Sam's Club wins by a long shot. Their Member's Mark page boasts more than a dozen product categories. Heck, the Grocery category alone has more than 600 Member's Mark items.

Compare that to the Kirkland landing page on Costco.com, which lists about 330 total items under the Kirkland Signature label.

As for the prices, they're pretty much dead even (or separated by just a few pennies per unit). We compared prices across both retailers in January 2025 for some of the top food and household items. Based on the unit prices, we found that Sam's Club had lower prices for 9 out of 20 store brand items, while Costco beat Sam's Club on 6 out of 20 items (the remaining five were a tie).

After calculating each item’s price per unit, here’s what we found:

KCL TIP: If you're looking for organic products, you'll find about the same number of organic store brand items at both stores. For example, I searched the term "organic" on their respective websites and found 39 organic Kirkland items vs. 39 organic Member's Mark items. The mix of products was slightly different, though.

Instant Savings Coupons: It's a tie

Sam’s Club and Costco offer about the same savings in their monthly coupon books. You can’t use manufacturer coupons at either warehouse, but they each give you "Instant Savings" in their monthly coupon books that automatically apply at checkout.

Discounts in both coupon books can range from $2 off to $2,000 off, and the Costco Coupon Book and the Sam’s Club Instant Savings Book often feature the same types of deals. New deals drop every month and last for a 3- to 4-week period. So this category is pretty much a tie, as there's not much difference between Costco and Sam's Club on the coupons front.

Food Courts: Costco's has better variety

Even though the Sam’s Club food court menu has slightly lower prices, there is more variety on the Costco food court menu, especially when it comes to the types of meals you can get. For example, you won't find any sandwiches or salads offered on the Sam's Club menu, but Costco has a few different ones at any given time. In addition to the bigger menu, certain items are just bigger in size at Costco, like the 18" Costco pizza compared to the 16" Sam's Club pizza.

As for the prices, the Costco food court is known for their famous $1.50 Costco hot dog, which hasn’t gone up in price since its introduction in 1984. Sam’s Club recently dropped the price of their food court hot dogs to $1.38 in an effort to compete, but when we actually compared the Sam's Club vs. Costco hot dog for ourselves, we determined that the Costco dog is a better value overall.

KCL TIP: If you buy a lot of freshly-made goods, the Costco bakery is known for their high quality and low prices, too — especially the $24.99 Costco sheet cake.

Online Shopping and Delivery: Sam's Club's online pricing is more straightforward

If you plan to do a lot of your warehouse shopping online, Sam’s Club might be a better fit. That's because Sam’s Club prices are the same online and in-store, but Costco’s online prices are higher than warehouse prices.

Don't get me wrong — Costco’s online shopping is convenient, and Costco 2-day delivery on household items is free when you spend $75 or more. But, it’ll cost you at least 5% more to buy items online compared to what you’d pay in the warehouse. And sometimes the online markup on Costco deals can be as high as 30%!

On the other hand, customers rave about shopping online with the Sam’s Club app — and almost all orders of $50 or more ship free for Plus members. They've also got something that the Costco app doesn't have — Scan & Go.

Membership Perks: Costco provides a few more benefits

Gas Stations

Most Sam's Club and Costco locations have on-site gas stations, but Costco has the better quality gas — and often lower prices (even if only by a few cents per gallon). That's what we found when we crunched the numbers for our warehouse gas savings deep dive.

And Costco's Kirkland Signature gas is actually one of the highest quality gasolines you can buy. It's certified as a "Top Tier" fuel, which means they have met strict guidelines that regulate the amount of additives and detergents in their gasoline. But Sam's Club gas doesn't have this certification.

Store Credit Cards

Both membership warehouses offer store credit cards with cash back rewards on gas, dining, warehouse purchases, and more. But Costco’s credit card perks are slightly better than Sam’s Club’s.

The Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi doesn’t limit how much you can earn in rewards, while the Sam’s Club MasterCard has a $5,000 maximum rewards limit per calendar year. (But unless you're spending more than $500,000 per year on your Sam's Club warehouse purchases, you won't really reach that upper limit.)

Costco’s credit card also gives you rewards for travel-related purchases like airfare, hotels, car rentals, cruise lines, and even Costco Travel packages. But Sam's Club doesn't extend their credit card rewards to travel at all.

To make it easier to compare the options, I've highlighted below how the cards differ below:

Costco vs. Sam's Club Credit Card Perks

Non-Member Shopping

While you will technically need a membership to shop at either Sam's Club or Costco, there are a few exceptions to the rule.

Some Costco locations will let you purchase alcohol and fill prescriptions at the pharmacy without a membership. You can also have a current Costco member purchase a Costco Shop Card for you, then use that gift card to enter the store and purchase items without paying for the full membership. And with Costco online shopping, you can always shop without a membership — but you’ll pay a 5% non-member surcharge for anything you buy.

At Sam's Club, you're always welcome to visit the Cafe, Pharmacy, or Optical Center without a membership. Keep in mind that you won't have access to as many discounts at the pharmacy, and you won't be able to purchase optical products like glasses or contacts. If you want to shop Sam's Club online as a non-member, their surcharge is 10%, which is twice Costco's.

Sam's Club vs. Costco: Which One Is Better?

So, is Costco or Sam’s Club the better choice? It all comes down to what matters most to you. If saving money is your top priority, Sam’s Club is the clear winner with its lower membership fees and solid savings on bulk items and household essentials.

But if you value higher-quality products, an elevated shopping experience, and perks like Costco’s unbeatable food court, Costco is worth the investment. Ultimately, both stores offer great value — it’s just about which one fits your lifestyle and budget better.

What KCL readers say about Sam's Club vs. Costco:

We asked KCL readers to weigh in on their favorite membership club. Here's what they said:

• "Team Sam’s! They’ve made the shopping experience so much better! Scan and Go, and order cafe food from the app as well … c’mon Costco! Get with the technology!" - Afton A.

• "There is a lot that is the same, but I feel like my Costco has healthier quality snacks. Not that Sam’s doesn’t, just different." - Por T.

• "Sam's will always be my choice until Costco gets something comparable to Scan and Go." - Carlin D.

• "I have memberships for both and like them equally. But Costco only when they first open. It’s a madhouse otherwise." - Pati S.

Related Reading:

• BJ's vs. Costco: Who Has the Better Deals?

• How to Save on Sam's Club's Membership Cost

• Target vs. Walmart: Which Store Is Cheaper?