Cutting your grocery bill in the Netherlands: which supermarket is cheapest in 2026, and how to shop smarter

Many people who move to the Netherlands find groceries more expensive than they expected. Eating out costs a lot, so you cook more, and the supermarket becomes one of the biggest lines in the household budget.

The starting point here is DutchReview's guide to the cheapest supermarkets, which draws on a price survey by the Dutch consumer association Consumentenbond. We went back to that survey, then added Statistics Netherlands (CBS) price data, shopping guides from Expatica and IamExpat, price reporting from NL Times and DutchNews, and local information from The Hague International Centre — to put together what you need to know to spend less on food here.

Main sources for this article

• Consumentenbond, "Prijspeiling supermarkten" (survey of 6 May 2026, 13 chains, 131 products)
• CBS consumer price statistics for September 2026
• DutchReview and Expatica supermarket guides (payment, delivery, bags, alcohol rules)
• NL Times and DutchNews reporting on 2026 food prices

What this article answers	Short answer
How are food prices moving in 2026?	Down 1.7% year on year in September — but retailers warn of up to 10% next year (section 1)
Which chain is cheapest?	Dirk and Nettorama, 9% below average; Albert Heijn is average (section 2)
How much can I save?	Around €500 a year for a €450-a-month household moving to a chain 9% cheaper (section 4)
Which local rules catch newcomers out?	Credit cards refused, paid bags, bottle deposits, spirits not sold (section 10)
Where do I find food from home?	International grocers, markets, online (sections 11–12)

1. Food prices in 2026

Food got cheaper in the second half of the year

First, the bigger picture. According to CBS, overall inflation was 3.4% in September 2026 — but food prices were 1.7% lower than a year earlier, after a 0.7% fall in August. CBS describes food as pulling inflation down.

At the start of the year prices were still rising: food and non-alcoholic drinks were up 3.3% in December 2025 and 2.0% in January 2026, and food was up 1.2% in February. The increase narrowed through the year.

Month	Food, year on year	All prices, year on year	Source
December 2025	+3.3% (food and drinks)	2.8%	CBS
January 2026	+2.0% (food and drinks)	2.4%	CBS
February 2026	+1.2%	2.4%	CBS
August 2026	−0.7%	3.3%	CBS
September 2026	−1.7%	3.4%	CBS

Some products are much more expensive

Averages hide big moves in individual products:

• Eggs hit a record high in March 2026, 38% more expensive than five years ago on average, mainly because bird flu limited supply (Consumentenbond via NL Times)
• Organic food costs 66% more than conventional on average, with the gap widening again (NL Times, May 2026)
• Plant-based staples are increasingly cheaper than meat and dairy equivalents at the main chains (DutchNews, August 2026, citing ProVeg)

Retailers warn of a jump next year

In June 2026 the supermarket association CBL wrote to the government warning that groceries could rise by up to 10% next year. It blamed measures such as the sugar tax, a lorry toll, energy levies and minimum-wage increases. Energy and fuel cost increases take four to twelve months to reach shelf prices, CBL said, and shoppers in border regions are already crossing into Germany and Belgium.

So, as of October 2026: prices are falling this year, but next year is uncertain. That makes now a good time to review where you shop.

2. Which supermarket is cheapest: the May 2026 survey

On 6 May 2026, Consumentenbond visited the stores and websites of 13 chains on the same day and compared 131 products. Chains qualified if they had at least 50 stores (or delivery areas) and at least 1% market share. Here is how each compared with the average.

Chain	vs. average	Character
Dirk	−9%	Consistently cheap; look for the red flags
Nettorama	−9%	Relatively good fresh produce
Vomar	−8%	Mainly North Holland
Hoogvliet	−7%	Concentrated in the west
Lidl	−6%	Wider range; non-food specials too
Aldi	−5%	Strong on basics and own brands
DekaMarkt	−4%	Often cheap on national brands
Albert Heijn	±0%	About 1,000 stores; quality and convenience
Jumbo	+1%	Neighbourhood stores; good fresh and dry ranges
PLUS	+1%	Cooperative; strong in the south
Picnic	+5%	App-only delivery supermarket
SPAR	+18%	Small stores in stations, campuses
Poiesz	+24%	Mainly in the north; the most expensive

The cheapest (Dirk, Nettorama) and the most expensive (Poiesz) are 33 points apart — for similar products, in the same country. The character notes combine Consumentenbond's figures with descriptions from Expatica's and DutchReview's guides.

3. "Cheapest" depends on how you measure

What the survey actually compares

Do not read this as "shop at Dirk and your bill falls 9%". Consumentenbond compared the cheapest alternative each chain offers to a national brand across 131 products — mostly own brands and budget brands — and excluded special offers. About half the products change each round so supermarkets cannot game the list.

Different surveys, different winners

Survey	What it compares	Cheapest	Albert Heijn
Consumentenbond (May 2026)	Each chain's cheapest option, 131 products, no offers	Dirk, Nettorama (−9%)	Exactly average
Own-brand price survey (September 2026)	Own brands only	Aldi	17.2% above Aldi
Same survey, national brands	Identical branded products	DekaMarkt	—

So the accurate reading is:

• If you buy own brands, discounters such as Aldi, Lidl and Dirk come out ahead
• If you chase offers, Albert Heijn's and Jumbo's weekly deals can work too
• If you know what you buy, the cheapest chain for that category is your answer

Chains have stopped claiming to be "the cheapest"

DutchNews reports that in February 2026 nine chains, including Albert Heijn, agreed to stop advertising themselves as "the cheapest supermarket" after Consumentenbond called such claims nonsense. Only Vomar did not sign up. "Cheapest" can be made true for almost anyone, depending on the comparison.

4. How much difference does it make in a year?

Percentages are abstract, so here it is in euros.

Benchmarks vary. The Dutch budget institute Nibud's minimum food budgets are around €270 a month for one adult and €500 for a couple (as cited by consumer sites for 2026). Bank-transaction data, meanwhile, puts average household grocery spending around €585 a month. One is a minimum benchmark, the other an observed average — different kinds of number.

Monthly grocery spend	Switch to a chain 5% cheaper	Switch to a chain 9% cheaper
€300	about €180 a year	about €324 a year
€450	about €270 a year	about €486 a year
€600	about €360 a year	about €648 a year

It is simple arithmetic and your basket will differ, but the scale — several hundred euros a year — is real. You go every week; small differences add up.

5. When the cheap chain is not nearby

Market share is not the same as price

Price rankings and store networks do not match. Market shares in 2025 (NielsenIQ, published January 2026):

Chain	Market share (2025)	Notes
Albert Heijn	38.2%	Outgrown the market seven years running
Jumbo	19.9%	Down 0.4 points
Lidl	about 12% (estimate)	Not published; bank estimate
PLUS	8.4%	Including former Coop stores
Aldi	5.9%	Up from 5.3%, the biggest relative gain

Albert Heijn has nearly 40% of the market at an average price level because it is close, not cheap. Expatica counts almost 1,000 stores, plus AH to go in stations.

The cheapest chains are unevenly spread

Dirk, Nettorama, Vomar and Hoogvliet are cheap but regional. In The Hague or Rotterdam they are options; elsewhere they may not exist. And as Expatica notes, city supermarkets rarely have car parks, so what you can carry on a bike is the practical limit.

Before comparing prices, find out which chains you can actually reach on foot or by bike.

6. Making the most of offers and apps

Plan meals around the weekly offers

DutchReview notes that Dutch full prices are high by European standards and that many households plan their meals around weekly offers. Offers rotate every week. Check the chains' apps, or an aggregator such as Reclamefolder, before you go.

Scheme	Chain	How to use it
Bonuskaart	Albert Heijn	Free; some discounts only apply with the card or app
Lidl Plus	Lidl	Free app with coupons and special prices
Chain apps	Jumbo, PLUS and others	Weekly offers and app-only discounts
Reclamefolder and similar	Multiple chains	Compare the week's offers in one place
Too Good To Go	Stores and restaurants	Surplus food at a discount

If you use Albert Heijn, get a Bonus card. It is not a points card: it decides whether the discount applies at all.

Watch for shrinkflation

DutchReview also flags shrinkflation: same price, smaller pack, such as a one-litre juice becoming 850 ml. Consumentenbond tracks and names the worst cases. Get into the habit of reading the price per kilo or litre.

7. Delivery and online supermarkets

Delivery helps when you need more than a bike can carry — but the cheapest chains generally do not sell online. Of the chains in the survey, Aldi, DekaMarkt, Dirk, Lidl, Nettorama and Vomar do not offer online grocery shopping.

Service	How it works	Price level
Picnic	App only; fixed neighbourhood routes; free delivery above a minimum	5% above average (Consumentenbond)
Albert Heijn	Same- or next-day delivery; click and collect	Average (plus delivery)
Jumbo	Same- or next-day delivery; click and collect	1% above average (plus delivery)
Quick-commerce apps	Delivery within minutes, mainly in cities	Usually more expensive

Picnic is above average because, without stores, delivery is built into the price. Big-shop days and budget days may mean different shops.

8. Think product by product

Choosing what to buy where can matter as much as choosing the chain.

Product	2026 situation	How to shop
Eggs	Up 38% in five years; record high (Consumentenbond)	Buy on offer; choose own brands
Organic food	66% more than conventional (NL Times)	Pick where organic matters most to you
Plant-based staples	Often cheaper than meat and dairy (ProVeg via DutchNews)	Mix in beans, tofu and plant-based swaps
Vegetables, potatoes, bread	About 9% cheaper than in Belgium (Follow the Money)	Buy locally; use markets
Coffee, household products	About 6% cheaper in Belgium (same study)	Stock up when on offer
Spices, pulses, dried goods	Often cheaper at international grocers (Expatica)	Buy in bulk there
Bottles and cans	€0.15–€0.25 deposit each	Return them and deduct it at the till

Recreating your home-country diet item by item can be expensive here. Building meals around what is cheap locally — potatoes, bread, dairy, seasonal vegetables — can save as much as switching stores.

9. Is it cheaper across the border?

A full comparison of Albert Heijn in the Netherlands and Belgium

Living near Germany or Belgium, you will hear that shopping over the border is cheaper. Expatica notes that some internationals do. The data is less clear-cut.

In May 2025, investigative outlet Follow the Money collected prices for 11,469 identical products sold by Albert Heijn in both the Netherlands and Belgium. As reported by NL Times:

Comparison	Netherlands	Belgium
One of every product	€40,314.94	€41,425.30 (2.75% more)
Regular prices only	—	About 1% more
Share of products on offer	18%	8%
VAT on food	9%	6%

Despite lower VAT, Belgium came out more expensive because the Netherlands runs far more offers. By category, vegetables, potatoes, bread and soup were about 9% cheaper in the Netherlands, and coffee, soft drinks and household products about 6% cheaper in Belgium.

What it means for you

On list prices the Netherlands can look expensive; if you use offers, it often is not. A retail researcher quoted in the report put it simply: Dutch consumers are deal hunters, and supermarkets respond. Cross-border trips only pay off for specific categories once fuel and time are counted.

10. Rules that surprise newcomers

Payment: credit cards are often refused

Expatica and DutchReview both warn that many supermarkets, including most Albert Heijn stores, do not accept Visa or Mastercard credit cards. A Dutch debit card (Maestro or V-Pay) or an internationally accepted debit card works almost everywhere. Until you have a Dutch account, carry a debit card or some cash.

If you pay in cash, totals are rounded to the nearest five cents, as 1- and 2-cent coins are not used.

Other rules at a glance

Item	The Dutch rule	Source
Bags	Charged since 2016; about €0.25–€0.50 each	DutchReview
Packing	Bag your own shopping, quickly	Expatica
Alcohol	Beer and wine yes; spirits over 15% only at a liquor shop (slijterij)	DutchReview, Expatica
Tobacco	No longer sold in supermarkets since 2024	DutchReview
Opening hours	Mostly 7:00 or 8:00 to around 22:00; earlier closing in rural areas	Expatica
Bottle deposits	€0.15 small bottles and cans, €0.25 large bottles	Statiegeld Nederland

Sundays and holidays

Most supermarkets open at 7:00 or 8:00 and close around 22:00. Many city stores open on Sundays, but rural stores may have short Sunday hours or close. Check your local store's hours after you move.

Bottle and can deposits (statiegeld)

Plastic bottles and cans carry a deposit you get back at the supermarket's return machine: €0.15 on bottles under one litre and on cans, €0.25 on bottles of one litre or more in 2026. Hand the machine's receipt in at the till to have it deducted.

In September 2026 the government proposed extending the deposit to all plastic bottles up to three litres, including dairy and juice, from 1 January 2028.

11. Finding food from home

Mainstream supermarkets stock a limited international range. Most internationals combine several sources:

Looking for	Where	Notes
Staples such as rice, soy sauce, noodles	Larger supermarkets, Asian grocers	The big chains stock some
Specific regional products	Specialist grocers (mostly in big cities), online	Range varies by shop
Spices, pulses, dried goods	Turkish and other international grocers	Expatica: often cheaper than supermarkets
Vegetables, fruit, fish	Markets	Sometimes cheaper; availability varies
Tofu, Asian vegetables	Asian supermarkets	Chinese and Indonesian shops are common

Expatica notes that Turkish grocers are the most common international stores, with Moroccan, Chinese, Indonesian and Japanese shops mainly in larger cities. Spices and herbs are usually cheaper there; everyday staples are usually cheaper at the chains.

12. Markets in The Hague

If you live in The Hague, the Haagse Markt is worth knowing. It is one of Europe's larger open-air markets and known for its international range.

Market	When	What to expect
Haagse Markt (Herman Costerstraat)	Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat, 9:00–17:00	Vegetables, fruit, fish, meat; international products; affordable
Lange Voorhout Farmers Market	Wednesdays	Organic and local; pricier

The Hague International Centre describes Haagse Markt's prices as fairly affordable. Besides the main entrance on Herman Costerstraat, there are entrances at Hoefkade and Hobbemaplein. Some sources give an 8:45 opening time, so check the official site before you go.

13. A weekly routine

Putting it together, a week might look like this:

Doing everything in one store tends to cost more or leave you without what you need. DutchReview suggests the same split: the big shop at Dirk or Lidl, top-ups at AH.

14. Three situations (fictional)

These examples are fictional, to show how the choices play out.

A: Single, central The Hague

Albert Heijn and Lidl are within walking distance; Dirk is ten minutes by bike. Groceries cost €350 a month.

A weekend shop at Dirk or Lidl, with weekday top-ups at Albert Heijn using the Bonus card. Moving 80% of the main shop to discounters could save €200–€300 a year. Spices and specialist items once a month at an international grocer.

B: A family in the suburbs

Only Jumbo and PLUS are nearby; groceries run to €700 a month, and weekdays are taken up with school runs.

With no discounter nearby, building the week around a delivery service such as Picnic and the weekly offers is more realistic. Delivery costs a little more, but it saves time and impulse buys. A monthly drive to Lidl or Aldi for long-life items helps.

C: Newly arrived, no Dutch bank account

Only a home-country credit card in hand.

The first problem is payment, not price. Bring an internationally accepted debit card or cash for the first weeks, and check at the till which cards Lidl or Jumbo accept, since Albert Heijn often refuses credit cards.

Case	Main shop	Fill the gaps with	Watch out for
A: city single	Dirk, Lidl	AH with Bonus card	Keep to what a bike can carry
B: suburban family	Delivery (e.g. Picnic)	Monthly discounter trip	Delivery costs more; plan around offers
C: no Dutch account	Stores that take your card	Cash, debit card	Sort out payment first

15. What not to do

Don't	Why
Shop at Albert Heijn without a Bonus card	Some discounts simply do not apply
Choose a store by "cheapest" adverts	Nine chains have dropped the claim
Look only at the shelf price	Packs shrink; compare price per kilo or litre
Leave home with only a credit card	Many stores refuse them
Throw away bottles and cans	€0.15–€0.25 each comes back at the machine
Drive far for a cheaper store	Fuel and time can wipe out the saving

16. Checklist

• I know which chains I can reach on foot or by bike
• I have the free cards and apps (Bonus card, Lidl Plus, etc.)
• I check the weekly offers on a set day
• I know which items I can switch to own brands
• I carry a debit card or cash
• I keep a reusable bag with me
• I return bottles and cans for the deposit
• I know where to buy food from home

17. Summary

• Food prices were down 1.7% in September 2026, but retailers warn of up to 10% increases next year
• Consumentenbond's survey puts Dirk and Nettorama 9% below average and Poiesz 24% above
• Albert Heijn is average on price but holds 38.2% of the market — it wins on proximity
• Moving your main shop to a chain 9% cheaper saves around €500 a year on a €450 monthly spend
• The cheapest chains are regional and do not deliver — start from what you can reach
• Learn the rules on credit cards, bags, bottle deposits and alcohol before your first shop

Sources

Official and surveys

• Prijspeiling supermarkten — Consumentenbond: the 6 May 2026 survey, methodology and results
• Inflatie stijgt naar 3,4 procent in september — CBS: September 2026 inflation and food prices
• Inflatie daalt naar 2,4 procent in januari — CBS: January 2026 food prices
• Inflatie ook in februari 2,4 procent — CBS: February 2026 prices
• Beleid statiegeldflessen en -blik 2026 — Statiegeld Nederland: 2026 deposit amounts
• Kabinet stelt makkelijker statiegeldsysteem voor — Rijksoverheid: proposed extension of deposits (2028)
• Nibud: household budget benchmarks

Media and guides

• Cheapest supermarkets in the Netherlands: the ultimate guide in 2026 — DutchReview: the starting point
• 6 things to know about grocery shopping in the Netherlands — DutchReview: offers, shrinkflation, delivery, bags, alcohol and tobacco
• Best supermarkets in the Netherlands: the international's guide — DutchReview: chain profiles, payment, saving tips
• A guide to Dutch supermarkets and grocery stores — Expatica: chains, hours, payment, international grocers, markets
• From hagelslag to haring: Discovering Dutch supermarkets — IamExpat: Dutch supermarket staples
• Food prices could jump 10% next year, Dutch supermarkets warn — NL Times: CBL's warning
• Egg prices reach record high in Netherlands — NL Times: egg prices
• Organic food costs 66% more than non-organic — NL Times: the organic premium
• Dutch supermarkets prove cheaper than Belgian, contrary to politicians' claims — NL Times: Follow the Money's cross-border comparison
• Not all supermarkets can be the cheapest: Consumentenbond — DutchNews.nl: chains dropping "cheapest" claims
• Inflation making plant-based foods cheaper than meat and dairy — DutchNews.nl: plant-based prices
• Aldi en Albert Heijn winnen marktaandeel in Nederland — RetailDetail: 2025 market shares (NielsenIQ)
• Consolidatie brengt Nederlandse supermarktsector in beweging — ABN AMRO: Lidl market-share estimate
• Dit zijn de goedkoopste en duurste supermarkten in 2026 — Welingelichte Kringen: September 2026 own-brand survey
• Wat is een normaal boodschappenbudget per maand in 2026? — Knab: average household grocery spend
• Markets in The Hague — The Hague International Centre: markets in The Hague
• Outdoor markets in The Hague — Municipality of The Hague: Haagse Markt days and entrances

All figures checked on 18 October 2026. Price surveys are repeated several times a year and rankings change; check the date of Consumentenbond's latest survey before deciding where to shop.

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Original article

Cheapest supermarkets in the Netherlands: the ultimate guide in 2026 — DutchReview