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Hy-Vee vs Pay Less

As of October 20, 2026, Pay Less is cheaper. You'd pay about 7% less for the same groceries at Pay Less than at Hy-Vee.

Hy-Vee vs Pay Less at a glance

  • Pay Less is cheaper in all 10 aisles we compared.
  • On the healthiest products (ingredient score A or AB), Pay Less is 9% cheaper.
  • The same 15-product basket costs $46.68 at Pay Less and $48.30 at Hy-Vee.

Hy-Vee vs Pay Less: 6,020 products compared

  • Pay Less: cheaper on 3,639 items — overall winner on average price
  • Hy-Vee: beats Pay Less on 1,921 items — but loses overall
  • Same price: 460 items

Pay Less wins overall — but not on every item. Download Labeled App and discover healthy foods for less.

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How much you'd save at Pay Less

  • Average prices: $5.15 at Pay Less vs $5.57 at Hy-Vee
  • Basket savings: save about $8.40 on a 20-item basket at Pay Less (42¢ less per item)

Calculated by multiplying the average 42¢ price difference by a standard 20-item grocery trip.

How far apart Hy-Vee and Pay Less prices are

  • Within 10%: 2,096 items
  • 10% to 25% apart: 2,242 items
  • More than 25% apart: 1,222 items
  • Typical gap: 12.5% per item, where the prices differ
  • Monster Energy Ultra Variety Pack Liberty Sugar Free Energy Drink 12 Pack - 16 fl oz

    Biggest saving at Hy-VeeMonster Energy Ultra Variety Pack Liberty Sugar Free Energy Drink 12 Pack - 16 fl oz$14.99 vs $23.99 at Pay Less — save $9.00

  • Muscle Milk PRO33 High Protein Shake with Ultra-Filtered Milk, Vanilla Creme, 12Pk

    Biggest saving at Pay LessMuscle Milk PRO33 High Protein Shake with Ultra-Filtered Milk, Vanilla Creme, 12Pk$27.49 vs $39.99 at Hy-Vee — save $12.50

The same basket at Hy-Vee and Pay Less

The 15 products carried by the most stores we track — no more than two from any aisle — priced at Hy-Vee and Pay Less.

ProductHy-VeePay Less
Pillsbury Original Crescent Rolls Refrigerated Canned Pastry Dough$3.29$2.99
Kraft Singles American Cheese Slices 16 Count$3.48$3.99
Gatorade Thirst Quencher Orange Sports Drink Bottle$1.78$1.67
Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix 8.5 Oz$0.77$0.75
Celsius Energy Drink Sparkling Orange 12 Fl Oz$2.48$1.99
Country Crock Original Vegetable Oil Spread 15 Ounces$4.49$3.49
Pop-Tarts Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Toaster Pastries$4.99$3.99
Pop-Tarts Frosted Strawberry Toaster Pastries$4.99$3.99
Ritz Fresh Stacks The Original Crackers 11.8 Oz$2.00$3.99
Nissin Ramen Noodle Soup, Hot & Spicy, Chicken$1.48$1.39
Jimmy Dean Bacon Egg & Cheese Breakfast Bowl 7 Ounces$3.00$3.19
Nature Valley Oats 'n Honey Crunchy Granola Bars 12 Pack$2.99$2.99
Pillsbury Strawberry Toaster Strudel Pastries 6 Count/11.7 Ounces$3.48$3.09
Gorton's Beer Battered Fish Fillets 10 Count$7.99$8.29
Star Kist Tuna, In Water, Chunk Light 5 Oz$1.09$0.88
Total$48.30$46.68

Pay Less is $1.62 cheaper on this basket.

Hy-Vee vs Pay Less prices by aisle

Average price of the matched products in each aisle, biggest difference first.

AisleHy-VeePay LessCheaperGap
Fresh produce86 items$3.43$2.61Pay Less · 24%
Frozen182 items$5.85$4.95Pay Less · 15%
Beverages1,363 items$7.22$6.56Pay Less · 9%
Pantry1,083 items$4.42$4.08Pay Less · 8%
Dairy617 items$4.55$4.21Pay Less · 7%
Ready meals862 items$4.77$4.44Pay Less · 7%
Bakery321 items$4.86$4.55Pay Less · 6%
Meat415 items$6.27$5.90Pay Less · 6%
Snacks899 items$5.16$4.94Pay Less · 4%
Baby food172 items$10.02$9.80Pay Less · 2%

Hy-Vee vs Pay Less on cheap and pricier items

The same products grouped by what they cost — a store can win on everyday basics and lose on bigger-ticket items, or the other way round.

Price levelHy-VeePay LessCheaperGap
Under $31,624 items$2.24$2.08Pay Less · 7%
$3 to $103,892 items$5.59$5.16Pay Less · 8%
Over $10504 items$16.13$15.04Pay Less · 7%

Healthier groceries: Hy-Vee vs Pay Less

Matched products grouped by their Labeled ingredient score, from A (cleanest ingredients) to C.

Ingredient scoreHy-VeePay LessCheaperGap
Score A881 items$4.76$4.31Pay Less · 10%
Score AB1,372 items$5.14$4.69Pay Less · 9%
Score B1,833 items$5.32$4.97Pay Less · 7%
Score C1,934 items$6.47$6.04Pay Less · 7%

Scores come from the Labeled app, which grades each product's ingredients against research from the FDA, EFSA, WHO and others.

Where Hy-Vee and Pay Less rank on price

  • Pay Less: #4 of 49 stores. Cheaper than 45 of the 48 stores it's compared with, prices about 8% below theirs on average.
  • Hy-Vee: #27 of 49 stores. Cheaper than 23 of the 48 stores it's compared with, prices about 1% below theirs on average.

Cheaper than Pay Less

Cheaper than Hy-Vee

Prices are periodic snapshots and may differ from your local store.

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