In the midst of a cost of living crisis, grocery prices have increased in Australia by almost 10% over the last year. Students living on campus have already faced the yearly residential rent increases and the rise in HECS indexation. This pressure makes it more important than ever to cut costs on the weekly grocery bill, which currently sits at an average of $100 per week for a single person household. For many students living on ANU campus, Daily Market is the most convenient option for a one-stop shop. Woroni investigates whether the Daily Market prices are student-friendly, or if a 20 minute trip to Civic might just be worth it to ease the blow of inflation.

Staples

The grocery haul of bare necessities is going to include bread, milk and eggs. Below is a cost breakdown of the current prices of staples at Daily Market, in comparison with Woolworths and Coles.

Daily Market products are seemingly priced at around a dollar higher for most staples, of the same quantity and brand. This may not seem like a major difference, but based on these figures, the cost adds up over time. If we assume students buy bread, milk and eggs once per fortnight, they could save $74.88 per year shopping at Woolworths and $78.78 shopping at Coles for these products alone. 

Snacks

Students can expect their grocery budget to include snacks for those long nights of study. These costs are also going to impact students who may not live on campus, but choose Daily Market for their quick purchases during a study break. Woroni breaks down the current costs of common snacks below.

It seems that Daily Market snack costs are not as starkly overpriced in comparison with their staple food items. In fact, a can of coke is cheaper at Daily Market than Woolies or Coles.

Alcohol

The cost of living crisis is not going to stop campus students from their Thursday night out. Recently, Australian spirits faced a tax increase to over $100 per litre, indicating the rising impact of inflation on products such as alcohol. Below is a breakdown of the same alcohol across Daily Market, Woolworths and Coles.

Daily Market seems to come out on top, with alcohol being cheaper in almost every instance, inclusive of sales and specials offered at the other supermarket chains. Even though this likely will not fall within the weekly grocery bill for most students, it is important to consider how these costs will affect the bank account over time. Students are better off sticking with Daily Market for their alcohol, but we suggest keeping an eye out for specials at other chains that may reduce the cost. 

Miscellaneous 

Beyond the cost of food, basic necessities for the university student budget are often going to include pads and condoms. Below is a breakdown of the cheapest pads on offer at Daily Market in comparison with other chains, and a side-by-side of the cost of a Lifestyle packet of condoms.

There are pretty similar prices across the board, but the Daily Market condoms have been reduced by $4.49, with the discount stated as ending in November. It is unclear how long this current price will last beyond that point, but a return to the original price is much higher than competing chains. This reinforces the need for students to pay attention to sales and discounts, and capitalise on them where possible. 

The cost of living crisis is impacting grocery costs across all supermarkets, and almost all of the main supermarket chains have an average grocery bill exceeding the average for a single person household. The problem is largely inescapable, but the unique needs of students during this time should be reflected in the prices of groceries available on campus. Based on the current figures, staple products are going to be worth the journey to Canberra Centre, but it seems that Daily Market can remain the provider of choice for Thursday drinks. Overall, it seems the only real way students will find some relief from the rising grocery bills is comparing their options as they go and budgeting weekly food costs in advance. 

The costs in this article were obtained by on-site visits to Daily Market and online prices for Coles and Woolworths between late September and early October. Prices are subject to change over time.