Are groceries more expensive in Western Australia?

For packaged groceries at Coles, Woolworths and ALDI, almost never: shelf prices are the same as on the east coast. Fresh produce is priced by state or region, so it can differ in either direction. At IGA the answer is usually yes: in our Perth-vs-east comparison on 2 October 2026, only 18% of shared products had the same price, and the Perth store was dearer on 77%.

Are Coles and Woolworths prices the same in every state?

For packaged groceries, almost always. Comparing the same packaged products on the same day in a Perth store and an east-coast store, 98.6% were priced identically at Coles and 99.0% at Woolworths, and ALDI matched on every one we compared. Fresh fruit and vegetables are priced by state.

Why can't I find WA brands like Brownes in other grocery apps?

Supermarket websites show the range for the store you shop at, so a price tracker that only collects an east-coast store never sees WA-ranged brands such as Brownes, Harvey Fresh, Bannister Downs, Margaret River eggs or Harvey Beef. Mai Pantry collects Perth store prices directly, so WA products and WA prices show up as themselves.

← Insights

Do groceries cost more in WA? What the east-west price data actually shows

We price the same products in Perth and on the east coast every week. The gap is real — but it's not where you'd expect.

28 Jul 2026 · Edited on 2 Oct 2026

Prices were correct when we checked them on 2 October 2026. We can't guarantee they're still correct when you read this, so check with the shop before you buy.

Ask a sandgroper at the checkout and they'll swear everything costs more west of the Nullarbor. Ask the supermarkets and they'll point to "national pricing". We collect prices from Perth and east-coast store views every week, for the same products, so we can answer with data instead of vibes — and the truth is more interesting than either story.

At Coles, Woolworths and ALDI, packaged groceries cost the same in Perth

Comparing the same packaged products on the same day in Perth and east-coast stores, 98.6% were priced identically at Coles (4,747 products) and 99.0% at Woolworths (18,483), and ALDI matched on all 2,233 we compared. National pricing is real for packaged groceries.

Specials work the same way: when a packaged product was on special in both regions, the special price matched 98.4% of the time at Coles and 99.1% at Woolworths.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are the exception. Coles, Woolworths and ALDI all told the ACCC's supermarkets inquiry that fresh produce is priced by state or regional pricing zone rather than nationally, so Perth produce prices can differ from the east coast's in either direction (ACCC final report, February 2025).

At IGA, the west really does pay more

IGA stores price independently, and it shows. On 2 October 2026 we compared 1,967 packaged products on igashop.com.au at East Perth IGA and an east-coast IGA (Erskine Park, NSW). Only 18% had the same price, and the Perth store was dearer on 77%, typically by about 8%.

That's not IGA being naughty — independent grocers carry independent cost structures, and WA freight is what it is. But it means an east-coast price feed tells a Perth IGA shopper almost nothing. And no two IGAs are quite alike, even within Perth.

Some brands are sold only in WA

Perth shoppers also see some different brands. We checked Woolworths' website from Perth and from the east coast on 2 October 2026:

Sold in Perth, not on the east coast: Brownes, Harvey Fresh and Bannister Downs milk, Masters flavoured milk, Margaret River eggs, Harvey Beef and Mia's bread.
Sold on the east coast, not in Perth: Norco milk, Lake Macquarie eggs and Eastcoast juices.
Sold in both: many big brands, including Oak, Dairy Farmers, Primo and Tassal.

A price app built only on an east-coast feed can't see the WA-only lines at all.

How Mai Pantry handles the divide

We collect Perth store prices directly at Coles, Woolworths, IGA and ALDI, alongside the east-coast stores, and the app shows the price for your region, not a national average. WA shoppers see Brownes at its WA price; east-coast shoppers aren't shown WA-only products they can't buy.

One list, five retailers, your region's actual prices.

Figures updated 2 October 2026, comparing same-day shelf prices of packaged groceries.

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