It may not feel like it for shoppers at the checkout but data suggests essential groceries are getting cheaper at all but one major supermarket chain.
Undercover shoppers visited 104 supermarkets in 27 locations across the country in December to record Aldi, Woolworths, Coles and IGA prices for 14 common grocery items.
The items consisted of packaged products, fresh fruit and vegetables, and included a mix of both house and national brands.
The survey, by consumer group CHOICE, showed the average cost of baskets at Aldi and Coles have dropped since March 2024, but rose for Woolworths.
Aldi's basket price with specials was 0.3 per cent cheaper ($51.51 to $51.36), while Coles' cost 2.5 per cent less ($68.52 to $66.84).
Woolworths' basket with specials was 3.7 per cent more expensive, lifting from $64.93 to $67.34 over the nine-month span.
CHOICE chief executive Ashley de Silva pointed out Woolworths' prices have edged higher than its main market rival.
"The first quarter of our grocery basket survey saw Coles and Woolworths prices were closely matched, with only 75 cents between them for a basket without specials," he said.
"This has increased slightly to a $1.79 difference between the baskets without specials in December.
"While the difference doesn't seem that much, over a year of weekly shops, the difference would add up to more than $90."
The Albanese government stumped up $1.1 million for CHOICE to produce the quarterly price monitoring reports for three years.
IGA stores weren't included in the initial survey in March 2024 but its basket has dropped from $78.95 in June to $74.90 in December.
Mr de Silva said there are simple ways for people to save money on their grocery bills, including using unit pricing to find the cheapest option, shopping across multiple stores for specials and buying house-brand products.
Food and non-alcoholic beverages were among the top contributors to inflation across the Australian economy over the year to February.
Year-on-year grocery prices jumped 0.6 per cent in January alone to 3.3 per cent before falling back to 3.1 per cent in February, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday.
Tuesday's federal budget included more than $38 million for the consumer watchdog to crack down on misleading conduct by major supermarkets.
A review of the sector by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found Coles, Woolworths and Aldi faced little competition but did not recommend they be split up.
SUPERMARKETS' GROCERY BASKET WITH SPECIALS PRICE CHANGES:
* Aldi: $51.51 (March 2024) to $51.36 (December 2024) - down 0.3 per cent
* Woolworths: $64.93 (March 2024) to $67.34 (December 2024) - up 3.7 per cent
* Coles: $68.52 (March 2024) to $66.84 (December 2024) - down 2.5 per cent
* IGA: $78.95 (June 2024) to $74.90 (December 2024) - down 5.1 per cent
