Is Pak'nSave Always the Cheapest? Where Woolworths and New World Win
"Just shop at Pak'nSave" is good advice often enough that it has become a rule of thumb. It's also, on the data, not always right. When we look at which chain has the lowest price on everyday products, Pak'nSave comes out ahead in most categories, and by a wide margin in some. But there is a short list of everyday products where Woolworths or New World is the cheaper place to buy, and if you buy those regularly, the rule of thumb costs you money.
How we measured it
We took 81 everyday product types, the kind of things on the Basket NZ "cheapest in NZ" pages such as milk, bread, nappies, shampoo and dog food. For each one we looked only at products that all three chains stock, and counted how often each chain had the lowest price. A chain's share is the percentage of those products for which it was the cheapest or joint-cheapest option, so a tie counts for every chain involved and the shares for a product type can add up to more than 100%.
We only report product types where at least eight products were stocked at all three chains. That left 46 of the 81 we looked at. Several of those have small samples (the smallest is 8 products), so read the percentages as a direction, not a precise measurement. The prices are from each chain's Auckland reference store as at 18 October 2026, using the lowest shelf or member price.
Where Pak'nSave is hardest to beat
Start with where the rule of thumb holds. These are the product types where Pak'nSave had the lowest price on the highest share of products:
| Product | Products compared | Pak'nSave | Woolworths | New World |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pasta | 22 | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Milk | 18 | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Dishwashing Liquid | 9 | 100% | 44% | 0% |
| Baby Formula | 8 | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Cream Cheese | 12 | 92% | 33% | 0% |
| Ham | 11 | 91% | 9% | 0% |
| Rice | 10 | 90% | 0% | 10% |
| Bread | 26 | 88% | 8% | 4% |
| Tuna | 29 | 83% | 3% | 21% |
| Ice Cream | 20 | 80% | 10% | 15% |
Share of products for which each chain is cheapest or joint-cheapest.
Milk, pasta, baby formula and dishwashing liquid are the standouts: in each, Pak'nSave was cheapest or tied for cheapest on every product we could compare. If your trolley is mostly packaged staples, it's hard to argue with the rule of thumb.
Where Pak'nSave isn't the cheapest
Now the exceptions. These are the product types where another chain had the lowest price on at least as many products as Pak'nSave:
| Product | Products compared | Pak'nSave | Woolworths | New World | Most lowest prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deodorant | 9 | 22% | 56% | 22% | Woolworths |
| Bacon | 13 | 23% | 54% | 23% | Woolworths |
| Energy Drinks | 23 | 26% | 74% | 0% | Woolworths |
| Coffee | 23 | 30% | 39% | 30% | Woolworths |
| Tampons | 13 | 31% | 38% | 31% | Woolworths |
| Dog Food | 9 | 33% | 56% | 11% | Woolworths |
| Pinot Noir | 23 | 35% | 43% | 35% | Woolworths |
| Eggs | 8 | 38% | 50% | 25% | Woolworths |
| Nappies | 13 | 38% | 0% | 62% | New World |
A few of these deserve a closer look.
Nappies: New World wins, Woolworths barely appears
Among the 13 nappy products stocked at all three chains, New World had the lowest price on 62% and Pak'nSave on 38%, while Woolworths was never cheapest. The typical (median) price for those products was $19.79 at New World, $22.99 at Pak'nSave and $27.00 at Woolworths, so the gap between the cheapest and dearest chain was $7.21 per pack. For a household buying nappies every week, that is a real number.
Bacon: Woolworths comes out ahead
Woolworths had the lowest price on 54% of the 13 bacon products stocked at all three, with a typical price of $8.50 against $9.39 at New World and $11.49 at Pak'nSave. Pak'nSave's typical bacon price was about $2.99 higher than Woolworths'.
Energy drinks, deodorant and dog food lean to Woolworths
Woolworths had the lowest price on most of the compared products in energy drinks, deodorant and dog food. Energy drinks are the most lopsided: Woolworths was cheapest or joint-cheapest on 74% of the 23 products, and New World on none. Dog food and deodorant have smaller samples (nine products each), so treat those two as hints.
Coffee, tampons and pinot noir are close to three-way races
In coffee, tampons and pinot noir, no chain dominated: the leading chain had the lowest price on only around 38–43% of products. Here the specific product matters more than the store, and a quick price check on the item you buy is worth more than any rule of thumb. For coffee, the typical (median) prices were $10.19 at Pak'nSave, $9.89 at New World and $10.75 at Woolworths. New World has the lowest median even though Woolworths has the lowest price on more individual products, which is what a close race looks like.
Eggs depend on which eggs
Among the 8 egg products stocked at all three chains, Woolworths had the lowest price on 50%, Pak'nSave on 38% and New World on 25%. With only 8 products compared this is a small sample, and egg prices vary a lot by pack size and how the hens are kept, so compare per egg rather than per tray.
What to do with this
- You don't need to split your shop for most things. If you do one weekly shop at Pak'nSave, you're probably getting the cheapest price on the majority of what you buy.
- Check the exceptions you buy often. If nappies, bacon, pet food, energy drinks or deodorant are a regular purchase, price them at the other chains before you add them to the trolley.
- Shop the product, not the store. Even in categories where Pak'nSave is strongest, there are individual products that are cheaper elsewhere. That is exactly what a side-by-side comparison is for.
- Remember your real costs. A second stop only pays off if the saving beats the fuel and time it costs you.
Limits of this analysis
This is a snapshot of Auckland reference stores, restricted to products that all three chains sell, so it says nothing about products that exist at only one chain. Product types with small samples can flip with a single price change. And "cheapest" here means the lowest shelf or member price, so someone who doesn't use a chain's loyalty scheme may pay more than the price we compare. For the overall picture across thousands of products, see our October 2026 price comparison and the NZ grocery price index.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pak'nSave always the cheapest supermarket in NZ?
No. Pak'nSave is cheapest on the most products in 37 of the 46 everyday product types we compared, but Woolworths is cheaper for products such as bacon, energy drinks and deodorant, and New World for nappies.
Which products are cheaper at Woolworths than Pak'nSave?
Among products stocked at all three chains, Woolworths had the lowest price on the most products in deodorant, bacon, energy drinks, dog food and eggs, and led narrowly in coffee, tampons and pinot noir. Samples for some of these are small, so check the specific product.
Where is New World the cheapest?
Nappies are the clearest case: New World had the lowest price on 62% of the 13 nappy products stocked at all three chains. Across most other everyday product types it was the least often cheapest.
How was this worked out?
For each product type we counted, over products stocked at Pak'nSave, New World and Woolworths, how often each chain had the lowest (or joint-lowest) price, using Auckland reference-store prices and the lowest shelf or member price. We only report product types with at least eight such products.