When you hear something like “annual inflation is 5.5%”, that might sound bad, but it can be difficult to wrap your head around exactly what that looks like in terms of monthly expenses. The inflation rate is spread across the whole spectrum of goods and services, so it’s not as simple as just assuming everything will be 5.5% more expensive than the same time last year. Some prices fluctuate wildly, so much so that the ABS often refers to ‘underlying inflation’, which excludes goods with traditionally volatile prices like food and fuel.

This index aims to capture monthly changes to grocery prices. We hope it can be a useful resource to help you visualise how prices fluctuate over time, and perhaps help you identify savings you could be making on your weekly shop.

Notes on the index

  • Data is sourced from the Coles and Woolworths websites at the tail end of each month.

  • We’ve used home branded products wherever we can. In some cases, it made sense to go with branded products, but it should be pretty clear when we’ve done so. If there isn’t a brand listed, it is the Coles/Woolworths version of the product.

  • Where possible, we’ve ignored specials where the price is listed as temporary. In some cases though, prices are substantially lowered indefinitely, which has created a discrepancy in price between the supermarkets. An asterisk indicates these cases.

  • In some instances, the supermarkets do not have exact equivalent products. At Woolworths for example, single banana prices are listed, rather than a unit (per kg) price. When this happens, we’ve equivalised as best we can. With bananas for example, we took the average weight provided on the site, and worked out the per kilogram price. This means there might be a slight difference from the price you would pay in store. We’ve marked these cases with a ^.

  • When we kicked off the index, Coles had temporarily discontinued their cheaper orange juice range according to the website. To ensure a fair comparison we used the 'not from concentrate' more expensive variety for both stores. Since then, the cheaper product has been brought back, but we kept with what we started with for continuity. For Apple Juice, we used the cheaper variety, which is why it is so much lower than OJ in the index.

Grocery Price Index

This is the sum of every item in the basket of goods for each month.

Value Coles Woolies Average Monthly change
November '23 $379.84 $381.09 $380.47
December '23  $382.59   $381.79   $382.19  0.45%
January '24 $381.59   $381.89   $381.74  -0.12%
February '24 $377.14   $381.34   $378.94  -0.73%
March '24 $383.04   $382.44   $382.44  0.92%

Onions (brown, 1kg bag)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $3.60 $3.60 $3.60
December '23 $3.60 $3.60 $3.60
January '24 $3.10 $3.60 $3.35
February '24 $3.60 $3.60 $3.60
March '24 $3.60 $3.60 $3.60

Apples (Pink Lady, 1kg punnett)  

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $5.90 $5.90 $5.90
December '23 $5.90 $5.90 $5.90
January '24 $3.90*  $4.50*  $4.20*
February '24 $4.50  $4.50  $4.50 
March '24 $4.90  $3.00* $3.95 

Bananas (1kg)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $4.00 $4.50^ $4.25
December '23 $4.00   $4.50^ $4.25 
January '24 $2.50*   $2.50*^  $2.50 
February '24 $3.50   $3.50^ $3.50 
March '24 $4.00   $4.00^ $4.00 

Potatoes (washed, 2kg bag)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $7.50 $4.00* $5.75
December '23 $7.50 $7.50 $7.50
January '24 $7.50 $7.50 $7.50
February '24 $4.50* $7.50 $6.00
March '24 $7.50 $7.50 $7.50

Carrots (1kg, packaged)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $2.40 $2.40 $2.40
December '23 $1.50* $2.40  $1.95 
January '24 $1.50* $2.40 $1.95 
February '24 $1.50* $2.40  $1.95 
March '24 $1.50*  $2.00* $1.75* 

Shredded iceberg lettuce (200g)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $2.00 $2.00 $2.00
December '23 $2.00   $2.00  $2.00 
January '24 $2.00   $2.00  $2.00 
February '24 $2.00   $2.00  $2.00 
March '24 $2.00   $2.00  $2.00 

Avocado (5 pack)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $5.00 $5.00 $5.00
December '23  $5.00 $5.00 $5.00
January '24 $6.00   $6.00  $6.00 
February '24 $6.50   $6.00  $6.25 
March '24 $5.50*   $5.00*  $5.25* 

Eggs and Dairy

2L full cream milk

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $3.30 $3.10 $3.20
December '23 $3.10 $3.10  $3.10 
January '24 $3.10   $3.10  $3.10 
February '24 $3.10   $3.10  $3.10 
March '24 $3.10   $3.10  $3.10 

Unsalted butter (250g, Australian)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $4.30 $4.30 $4.30
December '23 $4.30 $4.30 $4.30 
January '24 $4.30   $4.30  $4.30 
February '24 $4.30   $4.30  $4.30 
March '24 $4.30   $4.30  $4.30 

Large free range eggs (12, 600g)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $5.20 $5.20 $5.20
December '23 $5.20  $5.20 $5.20 
January '24 $5.20   $5.20  $5.20 
February '24 $5.20   $5.20  $5.20 
March '24 $5.20   $5.20  $5.20 

Cheese (Tasty cheese slices, 500g)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $8.40 $8.40 $8.40
December '23 $8.40  $8.40 $8.40
January '24 $8.40   $8.40  $8.40 
February '24 $8.40   $8.40  $8.40 
March '24 $8.40   $8.40  $8.40 

Carbohydrates

White bread loaf (650g) 

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $2.40 $2.70 $2.55
December' 23 $2.40 $2.40 $2.40
January '24 $2.40   $2.40  $2.40 
February '24 $2.40   $2.40  $2.40 
March '24 $2.40   $2.40  $2.40 

Weet-Bix (375g, branded)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $3.50 $3.50 $3.50
December '23 $3.50 $3.50 $3.50 
January '24 $3.50   $3.50  $3.50 
February '24 $3.50   $3.50  $3.50 
March '24 $3.50   $3.50  $3.50 

White rice (1kg)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $1.80^ $1.80 $1.80
December '23 $1.80^ $1.80  $1.80
January '24 $1.80^   $1.80  $1.80 
February '24 $1.80^  $1.80  $1.80 
March '24 $1.80^  $1.80  $1.80 

Pasta (500g, spirals)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $1.00 $1.00 $1.00
December '23 $1.00 $1.00 $1.00
January '24 $1.00   $1.00  $1.00 
February '24 $1.00   $1.00  $1.00 
March '24 $1.00   $1.00  $1.00 

Tea and Coffee

Instant coffee (200g)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $3.70 $3.70 $3.70
December '23 $3.70 $3.70 $3.70 
January '24 $3.70  Out of stock $3.70 
February '24 $3.70   $3.70  $3.70 
March '24 $3.70   $3.70  $3.70 

Black tea bags (100 pack)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $1.90 $1.90 $1.90
December '23 $1.90 $1.90 $1.90
January '24 $1.90 $1.90 $1.90
February '24 $1.90 $1.90 $1.90
March '24 $1.90 $1.90 $1.90

Drinks

Orange juice (2L, pulp free, not from concentrate)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $5.50 $5.00 $5.25
December '23 $5.00 $5.00 $5.00
January '24 $5.00 $5.00 $5.00
February '24 $5.00 $5.00 $5.00
March '24 $5.00 $5.00 $5.00

Apple juice (2L)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $2.80 $2.80 $2.80
December '23 $2.80 $2.80 $2.80
January '24 $2.80 $2.80 $2.80
February '24 $2.80 $2.80 $2.80
March '24 $2.80 $2.80 $2.80

Coca-Cola Classic (1.25L)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $3.55 $3.55 $3.55
December '23 $3.55 $3.55 $3.55
January '24 $3.55 $3.55 $3.55
February '24 $3.85 $3.85 $3.85
March '24 $3.85 $3.85 $3.85

Cooking ingredients

White sugar (1kg)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $1.70 $2.00 $1.85
December '23 $1.70 $2.00 $1.85
January '24 $1.70 $2.00 $1.85
February '24 $1.70 $2.00 $1.85
March '24 $1.70 $2.00 $1.85

Cooking ingredients

Flour (plain, 1kg)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $1.40 $1.40 $1.40
December '23 $1.40 $1.40 $1.40
January '24 $1.40 $1.40 $1.40
February '24 $1.40 $1.40 $1.40
March '24 $1.40 $1.40 $1.40

Olive Oil (Extra virgin, 1L)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $14.00 $14.00 $14.00
December '23 $14.00 $12.00 $13.00
January '24 $15.00 $13.00 $14.00
February '24 $15.00 $15.00 $15.00
March '24 $17.00 $17.00 $17.00

Vinegar (2L)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $1.70 $1.70 $1.70
December '23 $1.70 $1.70 $1.70
January '24 $1.70 $1.70 $1.70
February '24 $1.70 $1.70 $1.70
March '24 $1.70 $1.70 $1.70

Table salt (1kg)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $2.00 $2.00 $2.00
December '23 $2.00 $2.00 $2.00
January '24 $2.00 $2.00 $2.00
February '24 $2.00 $2.00 $2.00
March '24 $2.00 $2.00 $2.00

Pepper (50g grinder)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $3.40 $3.40 $3.40
December '23 $3.40 $3.40 $3.40
January '24 $3.40 $3.40 $3.40
February '24 $3.40 $3.40 $3.40
March '24 $3.40 $3.40 $3.40

Mayonnaise (traditional, 470g)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00
December '23 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00
January '24 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00
February '24 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00
March '24 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00

Vegemite (150g, branded)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00
December '23 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00
January '24 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00
February '24 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00
March '24 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00

Tomato Sauce (squeeze, 500 ml)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $1.95 $1.95 $1.95
December '23 $1.95 $1.95 $1.95
January '24 $1.95 $1.95 $1.95
February '24 $1.95 $1.95 $1.95
March '24 $1.95 $1.95 $1.95

Meat

Chicken (Free range, breast, 1kg)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $10.00 $10.00 $10.00
December '23 $10.00 $10.00 $10.00
January '24 $11.00 $11.00 $11.00
February '24 $11.00 $11.00 $11.00
March '24 $10.00 $11.00 $10.50

Beef mince (500g, 17-18% fat, 3 Star at Coles)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $6.50 $6.50 $6.50
December '23 $6.50 $6.50 $6.50
January '24 $6.50 $6.50 $6.50
February '24 $6.50 $6.50 $6.50
March '24 $6.50 $6.50 $6.50

Lamb (500g Mince)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $5.50 $5.50 $5.50
December '23 $5.50 $5.50 $5.50
January '24 $5.50 $5.50 $5.50
February '24 $5.50 $5.50 $5.50
March '24 $7.00 $7.00 $7.00

Confectionary

Chocolate (1 180g block of Cadbury)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $6.00 $6.00 $6.00
December '23 $6.00 $6.00 $6.00
January '24 $6.00 $6.00 $6.00
February '24 $6.00 $6.00 $6.00
March '24 $6.00 $6.00 $6.00

TimTams (200g)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $4.50 $4.50 $4.50
December '23 $4.50 $4.50 $4.50
January '24 $4.50 $4.50 $4.50
February '24 $4.50 $5.00 $4.75
March '24 $5.00 $5.00 $5.00

Personal hygiene

Toothpaste (Colgate total original 115g)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00
December '23 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00
January '24 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00
February '24 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00
March '24 $4.00 $4.00 $4.00

Deodorant (Nivea Aerosol 250ml)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $8.50 $8.50 $8.50
December '23 $8.50 $8.50 $8.50
January '24 $8.50 $8.50 $8.50
February '24 $8.50 $8.50 $8.50
March '24 $8.50 $8.50 $8.50

Sunscreen (Homebrand, 1L)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $12.00 $12.00 $12.00
December '23 $12.00 $12.00 $12.00
January '24 $12.00 $12.00 $12.00
February '24 $12.00 $12.00 $12.00
March '24 $12.00 $12.00 $12.00

Cleaning

Finish ultimate all in one dishwashing tablets (100 pack)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $47.00 $47.00 $47.00
December '23 $47.00 $47.00 $47.00
January '24 $47.00 $47.00 $47.00
February '24 $47.00 $47.00 $47.00
March '24 $47.00 $47.00 $47.00

Paper towels (Viva, 6 pack)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $9.00 $9.00 $9.00
December '23 $9.00 $9.00 $9.00
January '24 $9.00 $9.00 $9.00
February '24 $9.00 $9.00 $9.00
March '24 $9.00 $9.00 $9.00

Miscellaneous

Nappies (Huggies newborn size 1, 108 pack)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $39.00 $39.00 $39.00
December '23 $39.00 $39.00 $39.00
January '24 $39.00 $39.00 $39.00
February '24 $39.00 $39.00 $39.00
March '24 $39.00 $39.00 $39.00

Paracetamol (20 pack)

Value Coles Woolies Average
November '23 $0.80 $0.80 $0.80
December '23 $0.80 $0.80 $0.80
January '24 $0.80 $0.80 $0.80
February '24 $0.80 $0.80 $0.80
March '24 $0.80 $0.80 $0.80

Picture by Maria Lin Kim on Unsplash