We price checked Dunnes against Lidl and Aldi AGAIN to see what's changed since last year

The Dunnes voucher scheme remains the biggest supermarket success story in decades, with the "voucher cult" keeping customers loyal to ensure their vouchers stay active. Local Whatsapp groups are plagued with people looking for spare vouchers, and there are Facebook groups and even a dedicated website designed to source vouchers for those in need. The first rule of the Dunnes club is - you do not shop without a voucher. The second rule is, you must spend in multiples of €25 to maximise your savings - a €25 spend with a €5 voucher = 20% off. A €35 spend with €5 voucher = just 15% off and so on....

Last year our curiosity got the better of us, so we price checked almost 70 every day, comparable items from Dunnes against discounters Lidl and Aldi to see if the voucher scheme actually means savings, or if we're all part of a big grocery game and they just inflated the prices by 20% to begin with.

To our (and everyone else's) surprise we discovered that after using Dunnes vouchers to maximise your saving, Dunnes technically were the cheapest, but you had to be getting exactly 20% off each shop (it's possible but it takes work).

A LOT has changed in the global landscape in the past 12 months, with multiple wars causing food prices to increase faster than a bullet train, and empty supermarket shelves becoming more of a common sight. We're all concerned, we're all feeling the difference in our bank accounts, and we're all trying to make our money go further, so we thought it was time to spend hours trawling the supermarket shelves again to see what's changed since June 2025, and whether Dunnes would still come out on top...

What were the parameters?

• Everything was price and weight checked between Thursday 30th April and Saturday 2th May

• We only included basic, whole food products where was no discernible difference, e.g. a net of three lemons, 800g stewing beef, 500g frozen mango. We did not compare processed food items where quality can vary substantially

• If items were slightly different weights (e.g. 125g v 150g fresh raspberries) we calculated the comparative price by weight

• Some products had to be omitted as there were not like for like examples in all three supermarkets e.g. tofu, strong flour, Spanish EVOO

• We did not include special offers, just the on shelf ticket prices

What were the results?

Dunnes have come out as the cheapest AGAIN, with an even higher margin than last time, but ONLY if you manage to get the full 20% off. If you do they were €8.61 cheaper than Lidl and €6.97 cheaper than Aldi for the same trolley. No vouchers? You'll pay considerably more at Dunnes, with Aldi coming out as marginally cheaper than Lidl. Find the price tables at the bottom of this article.

Key takeaways

• Dunnes wins again on price by a wider margin this time, but only if you spend in multiples of €25 using a voucher for each one. This is easier if you do small shops with an ongoing list of non-urgent items to round out your spend, but more difficult if you do one big shop where it's harder to tally it to the right amount. Either way, if shopping in store you need a calculator in hand

• Dunnes has dropped prices on multiple products since we last checked - blueberries, raspberries, grapes, spring onions and Parmesan cheese have all come down in line with (or close to) the discounter's prices

• Milk and butter are no longer the same price across the supermarkets. Lidl is currently the most expensive place to buy milk AND butter, and Aldi is the cheapest place to buy butter, but Dunnes wins on both if you take 20% off

• Aldi is the most expensive place to buy eggs, but again if you take 20% off at Dunnes you'll pay €3.27 for 12 free-range versus Aldi's €4.35 - a massive difference

• Lidl and Aldi had identical prices on the majority of items we priced, but since our last price check Dunnes has also brought some of its prices in line with the discounters, like kiwis, basmati rice and blueberries

• Lidl and Aldi are still considerably cheaper for dried fruit, nuts and seeds, so stock up there. Pine nuts in Dunnes are more than double the price!

• The biggest price jumps we've seen are across meat and fish. Free range chicken breasts are up €2 per kg everywhere, and smoked mackerel has soared by 60% in Dunnes, 35% in Lidl, and 35% in Aldi!

• Irish beef is no longer cheapest in Aldi, prices in Lidl are by and large identical. Dunnes technically has the cheapest beef if you take 20% off the ticket price

• Lidl are still the cheapest for toilet paper

• Plain flour in Dunnes is still more than double the price of plain flour in Lidl

• While last time we did this comparison a 1kg bag of white basmati rice in Dunnes was double the price it was in Aldi, this time all three retailers were selling a 1kg bag for the same price

• You will pay the same for 1kg of (excellent) Greek-style yoghurt in Lidl and Aldi as you will for half the size in Dunnes (in our opinion Lidl's is the best there is)

• Peanut butter is still 40% more expensive in Dunnes than than in Lidl and Aldi because they sell it in 1kg tubs - how have Dunnes not found a supplier yet

• You should still never buy Sensodyne in Dunnes! It's more than double the price than in Lidl and Aldi

• You've got to be savvy and look for deals in store and in the apps and printed brochures. If you buy it regularly and it goes on offer stock up

• If you go to Dunnes without a voucher, what are you at? Get involved in those groups or start your own swap group with friends and family

Conclusion

Dunnes wins the pricing race again with an even more convincing lead, IF you manage to get 20% off every shop by using your vouchers (and calculator) smartly. If not it's the most expensive by a mile. Regardless, the "discounters" are no longer the discounters (we really should rename them), and there's very little in it between all three supermarkets these days. Also how rubbish is the Lidl points scheme? You have to spend €1000 to get a measly €10 off!

You are more likely to spend more money in Dunnes because there's more temptation on hand - fancy cheese from Sheridan's, porchetta from James Whelan, eco cleaning products in Nourish, everything from the Simply Better range, and premium products have a premium price, but for the basics needed to get a household through the week, there is no benefit in going out of your way for Lidl or Aldi once you're armed with vouchers.

The price tables

	Dunnes	Lidl	Aldi
Fresh Produce
Net of 3 lemons	1.00	1.09	0.99
4 organic lemons	1.89	1.79	1.79
150g blueberries	1.99	1.99	1.99
150g raspberries	2.49	2.29	2.29
Strawberries per 100g	1.23	1.63	1.23
Pineapple	1.19	1.89	1.19
Bananas per 100g	1.55	1.55	1.55
500g red grapes	2.89	2.79	2.79
6 kiwis	1.49	1.49	1.49
6 Pink Ladies	3.00	2.99	2.99
6 Granny Smiths	2.49	1.65	1.85
Head of broccoli	1.59	1.59	1.69
Scallions	0.89	0.89	0.89
250g chestnut mushrooms	1.15	0.99	0.99
Spinach per 100g	1.06	0.70	0.54
Rocket per 100g	1.15	1.17	1.17
Brown onions 1kg	1.19	1.19	0.99
Red onions 750g	0.99	0.99	1.32
4kg Roosters	6.49	6.49	5.99
3 mixed peppers	2.09	1.99	1.99
Baby plum tomatoes per 100g	0.71	0.60	0.60
1 litre orange juice with bits (not from concentrate	2.19	1.99	1.99

	Dunnes	Lidl	Aldi
Meat & Fish
Beef mince per 500g	5.00	4.76	4.84
600g stewing beef	7.99	6.99	6.99
2 Irish Angus fillet steaks (400g)	19.99	16.99	16.99
2kg unsmoked ham fillet	14.43	10.85	10.85
Free range chicken breasts per 500g	9.92	8.80	8.80
Free range whole chicken 1.5kg	5.90	5.89	5.89
Pork mince per 1kg	5.58	5.36	5.36
Unsmoked streaky rashers per 250g	2.14	1.79	1.79
Smoked mackerel per 160g	4.50	2.79	3.49
Salmon filets 240g	5.05	4.29	4.29
Fresh King prawns 180g	3.59	2.99	2.99
Cheese & Dairy
2 litres full fat milk	2.25	2.35	2.25
454g own brand butter	3.39	3.39	2.99
Halloumi 250g	2.75	2.19	2.39
Feta 200g	1.45	1.39	1.39
Parmesan per 200g	3.69	3.49	3.52
Vintage white cheddar per 200g	2.29	1.83	1.65
Greek-style yoghurt per 1kg	3.00	1.69	1.79
Sour cream 200ml	0.89	0.68	0.85
Creme fraiche 200ml	0.89	0.85	0.85

	Dunnes	Lidl	Aldi
Bakery
4 brioche burger buns	2.50	1.99	1.99
8 white tortilla wraps	1.29	1.39	1.09
Freezer
Frozen cherries/mango 500g	1.95	1.79	1.79
Nuts, seeds, fruit
Walnuts 200g	2.79	1.99	1.59
Cashews 200g	2.49	2.09	2.09
Almonds 200g	2.49	1.89	1.89
Pitted dates per 200g	2.50	1.19	1.16
Dried apricots 200g	3.33	1.79	1.60
Pine nuts per 60g	3.59	1.45	1.49
Pumpkin seeds 250g	2.09	1.45	1.49
	Dunnes	Lidl	Aldi
Pantry
12 medium free range eggs	4.09	4.09	4.35
Plain flour 2kg	2.55	1.19	1.59
Caster sugar 1kg	1.95	1.95	1.95
Tea bags (80)	1.79	1.45	1.45
Basic pasta range 500g	0.75	0.59	0.75
Premium own brand pasta 500g	2.50	1.15	1.49
Tinned peeled tomatoes	1.00	0.65	0.65
Tinned chopped tomatoes	1.00	0.49	0.49
36 own brand bixies	2.89	2.79	2.79
Organic oats 1kg	1.39	1.09	1.09
Peanut butter per 1kg	7.03	4.99	4.99
454g squeezy honey	1.70	1.69	1.65
1kg basmati rice	1.59	1.59	1.59
Italian EVOO per 500ml	13.49	7.99	6.66
Household items/baby
Cling film per 75m	3.75	1.39	1.39
Tin foil 30m	2.00	1.99	1.99
Box of tissues per 80	1.10	0.77	0.77
9 soft toilet rolls	4.50	3.39	3.99
40 nappies (size 5)	2.79	2.79	2.79
Baby wipes (biodegradable)	0.99	0.85	0.89
Sensodyne 75ml	7.00	3.19	3.19
TOTAL:	€229.98	€192.19	€190.95
After 20% off:	€183.98