Peanut butter, creamy price in San Jose.

How we got these numbers

• Instacart — Aldi:Category multiplier against Walmart base, adjusted for West Urban ($2.95)
• Walmart+:Regional baseline ($3.21)
• Amazon Fresh (Prime):Category multiplier against Walmart base, adjusted for West Urban ($3.69)
• Instacart — Whole Foods:Category multiplier against Walmart base, adjusted for West Urban ($6.42)

Live observations come from public weekly ads (Aldi, Whole Foods) and BLS Average Retail Food Prices, refreshed daily. Estimates use a per-category multiplier calibrated to NPR, Consumer Reports, and Tasting Table grocery comparison studies.

Why this category prices the way it does

Pantry staples (rice, pasta, flour) carry the smallest absolute price differences but the largest percentage gap — Aldi's private label routinely runs 40-60% under branded equivalents.

San Jose grocery context

The South Bay and Silicon Valley have the highest household incomes of any US metro, which shifts the delivery service mix toward premium options. Whole Foods and Sprouts dominate the natural-foods category. Lucky and Safeway serve everyday grocery. Aldi has very limited South Bay presence — most of the few stores are in the East Bay (Hayward, Fremont). Tech workers often use grocery delivery for convenience rather than savings, which means Amazon Fresh has unusually high adoption here.

In the South Bay, Walmart+ remains the cheapest broad-coverage option even though West Coast pricing tilts things. For Prime members, Amazon Fresh is essentially free on $100+ orders and convenient enough to justify the higher unit prices.

Peanut butter, creamy prices in other cities

• Los Angeles, CA
• Seattle, WA
• San Diego, CA
• Phoenix, AZ
• Denver, CO