Which is cheaper Tesco or Asda?
Tesco and Asda remain locked in a fierce battle for the title of Britain’s cheapest big supermarket – and the latest research shows the race is tight.
Shoppers are increasingly scrutinising where their weekly shop goes furthest – with NimbleFins research showing the average UK household of 2.3 people now spends £73 a week on food and non alcoholic drinks, equating to £3,864 a year.
Breaking this down by person, NimbleFins found an adult spends on average £32 a week on food at home and £12 on food out.
Meat, bread and dairy remain the biggest outlays, but fruit and vegetables account for almost a fifth of the grocery budget. With margins between Tesco and Asda often down to a matter of pounds, those choices can add up significantly over the course of a year.
With families facing continued pressure on household budgets, we’ve looked at some typical items to compare prices, plus we have details of research from other organisations, to see which comes up top the most.
We looked at the price of 10 own-brand essential items on October 2 2025. The 10 includes a mix of carbohydrates, protein, dairy and fruit and are items a typical family would buy each week.
| Item | Pack size | Tesco price | Asda price |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread (medium sliced) | 800g | £0.74 | £0.74 |
| Semi-skimmed milk | 4 pints | £1.65 | £1.65 |
| Unsalted butter | 250g | £1.99 | £1.99 |
| Mature cheddar cheese | 400g | £3.25 | £3.24 |
| Medium free range eggs | 6 pack | £1.75 | £1.75 |
| Potatoes Maris Piper | 2kg | £1.80 | £1.80 |
| Apples (Granny Smith) | 5–6 pack | £1.80 (5 pack) | £1.67 (6 pack) |
| Chicken breast fillets | 1.6kg | £10.50 | £10.48 |
| Baked beans in tomato sauce | 415g tin | £0.42 | £0.42 |
| Fusilli pasta | 500g | £0.75 | £0.75 |
| Total | £24.65 | £24.49 (16p cheaper) |
Asda came out 16p cheaper for the 10 essential items. Many of the products were the same price, but Asda was a penny or two cheaper here and there. The biggest difference was with the price of apples.
Overall, the Asda shop was only 0.65% cheaper than Tesco, which shows supermarkets are keen to battle it out most on the most common items in a basket.
However Asda increases its lead when a larger shopping trolley is analysed.
A bigger shop
Consumer group Which? regularly compares the cost of baskets at major supermarkets throughout 2025. Its most recent survey, published in August 2025, found a 75 item basket cost £139.42 at Asda compared with £142.36 at Tesco with Clubcard discounts applied.
For a larger 190 item trolley of branded and own brand goods, the gulf widened: Asda’s total came to £474.86, more than £11 cheaper than Tesco’s £485.89.
4.5% cheaper
The findings back up the long running Grocer 33 survey by food retail industry title The Grocer, which each week checks the price of 33 commonly bought products. In its most recent comparisons, Asda’s basket was £63.31, around 4.5% cheaper than Tesco.
However, in another week Tesco did nudge ahead, beating Asda by just 20p – highlighting how slim the margins can be in this supermarket price war.
| Source / survey | Basket size or type | Tesco total | Asda total | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NimbleFins 10 basic items (2 Oct 2025) | 10 essentials | £24.65 | £24.49 | Asda cheaper by 16p (0.65%) |
| Which? standard trolley (Aug 2025) | 75 items | £142.36 | £139.42 | Asda cheaper by £2.94 (≈2.1%) |
| Which? large trolley (Aug 2025) | 190 items | £485.89 | £474.86 | Asda cheaper by £11.03 (≈2.3%) |
| The Grocer 33 (Sep 2025) | 33 items | ~£66.31 | £63.31 | Asda cheaper by £3 (≈4.5%) |
While Asda currently appears to hold the edge, Tesco has been pushing hard to prove value.
Chief executive Ken Murphy has urged the Government not to “make it harder” for grocers to keep prices low ahead of the autumn Budget. He warned higher taxes and business costs risk undermining supermarkets’ ability to protect customers during the cost of living squeeze, despite Tesco forecasting profits of up to £3.1 billion this year.
Mr Murphy said: “We know people are worried about what lies ahead and we’re seeing that in the consumer sentiment. As a food retailer, we operate in a very competitive and very tough environment, and I think our one ask is don’t make it harder for the industry to deliver great value for customers.”
Tesco has already cut the prices of 6,500 products compared with last year, with an average reduction of around 9%, and fresh food sales are rising as more households opt for scratch cooking at home. An extended summer also boosted sales of barbecue and picnic ranges, while demand for Tesco’s premium Finest line has climbed 16% year on year.
The rivalry between Tesco and Asda is unlikely to ease in the run up to Christmas. Both chains are betting heavily on promotions, loyalty discounts and price cuts to lure shoppers through the doors as the festive season approaches.
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