Montana’s Most and Least Expensive Grocery Stores

I recently chatted about my first visit to Trader Joe's.

We were in Utah, and my wife really wanted to go, so we did. She came away very impressed, while I came away kind of...well...you know. Don't get me wrong, it was a nice little store, and the folks that worked there seemed really friendly, but it wasn't that big and kind of seemed like a "specialty" store more than an actual grocery store. However, that doesn't stop thousands of Montanans who are hoping one comes their way soon.

Oh, and speaking of groceries, how about the prices, huh?

We're actually very lucky here in Big Sky Country. When you think about how low our population is compared to the number of grocery stores we have, it's really kind of impressive. Oh, and speaking of impressive, did you know that America's cheapest grocery store and America's most expensive grocery store call Montana home?

READ MORE: Does Montana really need a Trader Joe's?

Now, it should be stated that we are talking "chain" stores, not locally owned.

When it comes to national brands, it just so happens that both the most expensive and cheapest grocery stores are here in Montana; in fact, they're both in the same town.

It was big news a couple of years back when Whole Foods announced it was coming to Montana. They built a store in Bozeman, which, by the way, is still the only Whole Foods in Montana as of this writing. If you went into the Bozeman Whole Foods and thought, "This seems a little small," it should be noted that it isn't the full-sized stores that many are used to.

So, Whole Foods comes in as the most expensive, so which Bozeman grocery store is the cheapest? Oh, it should be noted that all the data used in this comes from Consumer Reports and the 2025 USDA.

The winner? Costco.

According to the report, Costco can save shoppers up to 50 percent on certain items. Listen, you don't have to convince me, I'm a fan. We live right next to the Bozeman Costco, and I'm there all the time. I mean, the savings on gas and rotisserie chicken are worth the membership alone!

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