Every time I go to Costco and drop 80 bucks (or more) I get a nagging suspicion that I may not be saving quite as much money as I think I am. Last week I decided to do a Costco vs the Supermarket comparison to get the truth.

I compared the cost of the basket of actual goods I bought at Costco to the actual prices at the time at a local Supermarket.

The supermarket was about 55% more than Costco. Everything was cheaper including milk ($2.25 vs $2.99 or a gallon) and pre-cooked chicken patties ($2.45/lb vs. $4.25/lb).

My membership paid for itself in one visit - the stuff I spent $80 for at Costco would have cost me $123.56 at the supermarket.

The thing I like most about Costco (besides the low prices) is the honesty. I get Costco's price plus a constant markup (10% for private label goods, 12% for brand name goods). There's none of the used car dealer-like supermarket head games where an item is on sale one day and expensive the next.

-fgmortgage calculator