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Target vs Pay Less

As of October 20, 2026, Pay Less is cheaper. You'd pay about 4% less for the same groceries at Pay Less than at Target.

Target vs Pay Less at a glance

  • It's not a clean sweep: Target is cheaper in 2 of 9 aisles, led by meat (2% less).
  • On the healthiest products (ingredient score A or AB), Pay Less is 4% cheaper.
  • The same 15-product basket costs $50.49 at Pay Less and $51.55 at Target.

Target vs Pay Less: 3,527 products compared

  • Pay Less: cheaper on 1,482 items — overall winner on average price
  • Target: beats Pay Less on 1,477 items — but loses overall
  • Same price: 568 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: $5.34 at Pay Less vs $5.55 at Target
  • Basket savings: save about $4.20 on a 20-item basket at Pay Less (21¢ less per item)

Calculated by multiplying the average 21¢ price difference by a standard 20-item grocery trip.

How far apart Target and Pay Less prices are

  • Within 10%: 1,731 items
  • 10% to 25% apart: 929 items
  • More than 25% apart: 299 items
  • Typical gap: 7.9% per item, where the prices differ
  • BOOST Very Vanilla 20g High Protein Balanced Nutritional Drinks - 12 pk

    Biggest saving at TargetBOOST Very Vanilla 20g High Protein Balanced Nutritional Drinks - 12 pk$15.49 vs $20.99 at Pay Less — save $5.50

  • Quest Keto Friendly Chocolate Chip 15g Protein Soft & Chewy Cookie - 4 ct

    Biggest saving at Pay LessQuest Keto Friendly Chocolate Chip 15g Protein Soft & Chewy Cookie - 4 ct$9.69 vs $19.29 at Target — save $9.60

The same basket at Target and Pay Less

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

ProductTargetPay Less
Pillsbury Original Crescent Rolls Refrigerated Canned Pastry Dough$3.29$2.99
Kraft Singles American Cheese Slices 16 Count$3.99$3.99
Gatorade Thirst Quencher Orange Sports Drink Bottle$1.89$1.67
Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix 8.5 Oz$0.79$0.75
Celsius Energy Drink Sparkling Orange 12 Fl Oz$2.69$1.99
Country Crock Original Vegetable Oil Spread 15 Ounces$3.69$3.49
Pop-Tarts Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Toaster Pastries$3.99$3.99
Pop-Tarts Frosted Strawberry Toaster Pastries$3.99$3.99
Ritz Fresh Stacks The Original Crackers 11.8 Oz$3.99$3.99
Nissin Ramen Noodle Soup, Hot & Spicy, Chicken$1.69$1.39
Jimmy Dean Bacon Egg & Cheese Breakfast Bowl 7 Ounces$2.99$3.19
Nature Valley Oats 'n Honey Crunchy Granola Bars 12 Pack$3.19$2.99
Hormel Original Pepperoni 6 Oz$3.69$4.69
Pillsbury Strawberry Toaster Strudel Pastries 6 Count/11.7 Ounces$3.19$3.09
Gorton's Beer Battered Fish Fillets 10 Count$8.49$8.29
Total$51.55$50.49

Pay Less is $1.06 cheaper on this basket.

Target vs Pay Less prices by aisle

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

AisleTargetPay LessCheaperGap
Pantry682 items$4.64$4.25Pay Less · 9%
Ready meals450 items$5.01$4.70Pay Less · 6%
Beverages897 items$7.23$6.88Pay Less · 5%
Frozen143 items$5.51$5.31Pay Less · 4%
Baby food97 items$3.46$3.35Pay Less · 3%
Meat223 items$6.08$6.22Target · 2%
Dairy224 items$4.81$4.85Target · 1%
Snacks608 items$5.15$5.13Pay Less · 1%
Bakery188 items$4.76$4.77Same

Target 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 levelTargetPay LessCheaperGap
Under $3833 items$2.25$2.18Pay Less · 3%
$3 to $102,371 items$5.39$5.40Same
Over $10323 items$15.24$13.03Pay Less · 14%

Healthier groceries: Target vs Pay Less

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

Ingredient scoreTargetPay LessCheaperGap
Score A565 items$5.06$4.74Pay Less · 6%
Score AB897 items$5.24$5.08Pay Less · 3%
Score B1,039 items$5.44$5.10Pay Less · 6%
Score C1,025 items$6.21$6.14Pay Less · 1%

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

Where Target 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.
  • Target: #18 of 49 stores. Cheaper than 33 of the 48 stores it's compared with, prices about 3% below theirs on average.

Cheaper than Pay Less

Cheaper than Target

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

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