The answer to the question posed above — how much more expensive is grocery shopping with Instacart — is, infuriatingly: it depends. Using a grocery shopping and delivery service such as Instacart will always be more expensive than picking up groceries yourself, unless you factor in what your time is worth, and maybe gas money, depending on where you live. There just isn’t a simple percentage, however, that summarizes exactly how much more expensive Instacart is than DIY grocery shopping.
Factors that influence the relative expense of using Instacart include individual store pricing policies, service fees, delivery fees and tip, all of which can be variable depending on the particular items you order as well as the size of your order, not to mention what kind of tipper you are. Here’s a breakdown of all of the financial variables associated with Instacart grocery delivery, plus a look at grocery orders from two different markets, in different states, for an idea of how much more expensive Instacart really is.
Understanding merchants’ pricing policies in the Instacart app
You may be surprised to learn that the prices in the Instacart app are not automatically the same as those in the store, and it comes down to the choice of the retailer. When you select a merchant in the app, you may see “In-store prices” under the merchant’s logo at the top of the screen, or you may see “view pricing policy,” which will take you to a screen that outlines how the merchant sets its prices for Instacart.
There doesn’t seem to be a hard-and-fast rule whether smaller or larger businesses are more likely to have variable prices. Kroger, a multi-state chain grocer, does set prices in the app that may differ from those in-store. Walmart, however, offers in-store pricing, at least in my area. Trade Fair, a smaller chain local to New York where I’m located, offers in-store prices, whereas ShopRite, another regional grocer, has variable pricing. Whether the merchant has a loyalty program that can be linked to the app plays a role in Instacart’s prices, as well as whether weekly in-store sale prices are honored in the app, even if the merchant follows in-store pricing. Merchants may also offer limited-time promotions to encourage Instacart shopping. Kroger, for example, offered $15 off Instacart orders during the time I was researching its prices.
Loyalty programs can be added for additional savings
How does pricing policy play out in real life? I did some math
Using an AI-generated list of 30 common grocery items, I shopped for items in the Instacart app and then also visited the stores in person to compare the in-store prices. Due to the vagaries of my personal schedule I was able to visit a Kroger store in southeastern Michigan that has variable prices between the app and store, as well as my local grocer, a Trade Fair in Astoria, New York, which offers in-store prices. (Variable pricing or not, Michigan is a much cheaper place to buy groceries, by the way.)
Kroger: Variable pricing
At Kroger, where the prices differ between the app and store, the bottom line was that groceries, without taking into account any additional fees for using Instacart, were about 10% higher, on average. Many items did have the same price between the app and the store, while some in-store sale prices really created a big difference in the bottom line. On a rare occasion, mostly in the produce department where prices are more likely to change frequently, an item may actually have been cheaper in the app than in the store. For the purposes of this spreadsheet I had to prorate or adjust some prices to reflect what was actually available in the store for certain items that are calculated by weight, but based on the cost of groceries alone, my Instacart order was about $140, whereas I’d have spent $129 picking up those same items in store.
Kroger
| Instacart | Kroger In-Store | ||
| Oscar Meyer Deli Fresh Honey Smoked Turkey | $4.99 | $4.79 | |
| Heinz Tomato Ketchup | $3.99 | $3.99 | |
| Breyers Vanilla Chocolate Strawberry Ice Cream | $6.59 | $4.00 | * |
| General Mills Cheerios Family Size | $6.59 | $5.99 | |
| Thomas’ Whole Wheat English Muffins | $3.99 | $3.99 | |
| Banana | $0.17 | $0.17 | |
| Avocado | $1.39 | $0.67 | |
| Zucchini | $0.76 | $0.72 | |
| Pepperidge Farm Jewish Pumpernickel | $4.99 | $4.49 | * |
| Organic Valley 2% Reduced Fat Milk Half Gallon | $6.59 | $5.99 | |
| Kerrygold Grass-Fed Salted Butter | $4.99 | $4.99 | |
| Broccoli Crowns | $1.48 | $1.54 | |
| Bolthouse Farms Classic Ranch | $3.99 | $3.99 | |
| Kraft Mozzarella Shredded Cheese | $4.39 | $3.49 | * |
| Dunkin Decaf Medium Roast Ground Coffee | $9.99 | $9.99 | |
| Mission Soft Taco Flour Tortillas | $2.99 | $2.50 | * |
| Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes | $1.69 | $1.25 | * |
| Kroger Cage-Free Grade A Large Eggs | $4.99 | $3.99 | |
| Honeycrisp Apples 3 lb bag | $6.59 | $5.99 | |
| Medium Organic Navel Orange | $1.99 | $1.69 | |
| Kroger 80/20 Ground Beef Tray 1 lb | $6.59 | $5.99 | |
| Heritage Farm Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast | $10.47 | $10.47 | |
| Kroger Long Grain Rice | $3.99 | $3.79 | |
| Barilla Cellentani | $1.99 | $1.99 | |
| Kroger Meal Ready Sides Frozen Vegetables | $1.39 | $1.25 | |
| Coca-Cola Original Taste Sode, 12-pack | $9.99 | $9.99 | |
| Bottle deposit | $1.20 | $1.20 | |
| Fage Total Plan 0% quart | $6.99 | $6.49 | |
| Kroger Real Mayo | $3.99 | $3.99 | |
| Lay’s Classic Potato Chips Party Size | $6.59 | $5.99 | |
| Kroger Vine Ripe Fresh Tomatoes 4-pack | $3.59 | $3.29 | |
| $139.92 | $128.66 | ||
| *Indicates products whose regular prices were lower in store than on Instacart, but were also on sale |
Trade Fair: In-store pricing
I dutifully examined every item on my Instacart list, even though it became evident pretty quickly that the Instacart prices were basically matching up with the in-store prices at Trade Fair. There were a few price differentials, mostly in aisles such as produce and dairy where the day-to-day price may experience more regular variation. In one notable instance, the Instacart price was a great deal cheaper than what appeared to be offered in store. On Instacart, Oscar Meyer Deli Turkey appeared to be on sale for only $5.99, whereas the in-store price was $8.39, and I couldn’t find any evidence in-store that this item may have also been on sale in person. (As I did not actually check out with my groceries, I can’t confirm.) With the Oscar Meyer anomaly, the Instacart order was actually about $2 cheaper than buying in-store, in terms of the cost of groceries alone. Assuming that item would have actually rung up at the sale price, however, the in-store total was only about 70 cents less than what was shown on Instacart. We’ll call it a wash.
Despite this turkey being on sale on the Instacart app, there was no indication it was on sale in the store.
Trade Fair
| Instacart | Trade Fair In-Store | ||
| Oscar Meyer Deli Fresh Honey Smoked Turkey | $5.99 | $8.39 | * |
| Heinz Tomato Ketchup | $4.39 | $4.39 | |
| Breyers Vanilla Chocolate Strawberry Ice Cream | $8.99 | $8.99 | |
| General Mills Cheerios Family Size | $10.39 | $10.39 | |
| Thomas’ Whole Wheat English Muffins | $5.29 | $5.29 | |
| Banana | $0.43 | $0.39 | * |
| Avocado | $3.99 | $3.99 | |
| Zucchini | $1.41 | $1.17 | * |
| Pepperidge Farm Jewish Pumpernickel | $4.99 | $4.99 | |
| Organic Valley 2% Reduced Fat Milk Half Gallon | $7.09 | $7.89 | * |
| Kerrygold Grass-Fed Salted Butter | $6.49 | $6.49 | |
| Broccoli Crowns | $1.57 | $1.57 | |
| Bolthouse Farms Classic Ranch | $4.99 | $4.99 | |
| Kraft Mozzarella Shredded Cheese | $5.79 | $4.19 | * |
| Dunkin Decaf Medium Roast Ground Coffee | $14.79 | $14.79 | |
| Mission Soft Taco Flour Tortillas | $3.79 | $3.79 | |
| Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes | $3.29 | $3.29 | |
| Kroger Cage-Free Grade A Large Eggs | $5.99 | $5.79 | * |
| Honeycrisp Apples 3 lb bag | $6.99 | $6.99 | |
| Medium Organic Navel Orange | $1.25 | $1.25 | |
| Kroger 80/20 Ground Beef Tray 1 lb | $5.29 | $5.39 | * |
| Heritage Farm Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast | $4.78 | $4.78 | |
| Kroger Long Grain Rice | $3.49 | $3.49 | |
| Barilla Cellentani | $1.66 | $1.33 | * |
| Kroger Meal Ready Sides Frozen Vegetables | $3.19 | $4.00 | * |
| Coca-Cola Original Taste Sode, 12-pack | $8.99 | $8.99 | |
| Fage Total Plan 0% quart | $9.19 | $9.19 | |
| Kroger Real Mayo | $5.99 | $5.99 | |
| Lay’s Classic Potato Chips Party Size | $4.99 | $4.99 | |
| Kroger Vine Ripe Fresh Tomatoes 4-pack | $1.50 | $1.50 | |
| *Indicates a difference in price | $156.97 | $158.67 |
Service fees, delivery fees, and tip in Instacart
Of course, that’s not where the story ends when it comes to the price differential between in-store shopping and Instacart shopping, and it’s the tally at the end of the process that makes the biggest difference in the respective bottom lines.
Since I only chose nontaxable grocery items for my list, the final price on the in-store shopping lists above are effectively the final tally: $128.66 at Kroger, and $156.67 at Trade Fair. (If the prices of groceries overall have got you down — move to Michigan.) Instacart delineates all of the various fees that may be included in your final total on their website, but here’s a closer look at my two theoretical orders and the various charges that were applied.
Service fee: Instacart charges a 5% service fee, with a minimum fee of $2. Since this is a variable charge, the larger the order, the larger the fee. Since I was shopping for the same items in both New York and Michigan, the service fee was just under $10 for each order.
Delivery fee: Instacart charges a base fee of $7.99 for delivery, regardless of the size of the order. If you have a little patience, there are discounts available for waiting a bit extra or picking a time later in the day. You can even waive the delivery fee altogether if you can plan ahead for delivery tomorrow. For $10 per month, or $99 per year, Instacart+ members also get free delivery on orders over $35. This indeed adds up if you use the service more than once a month. For the purposes of this examination, I used the standard fee in my calculations.
Delivery tip: Not the same as the delivery fee, but the tip option in Instacart is a fee that goes directly to your shopper or driver. (In most cases, the shopper and driver are the same person, but in the case where someone shops and someone else delivers, the tip is split between them.) When you go to check out on Instacart, various tip options become available. The app appears to calculate amounts that are equivalent to 2.5%, 5%, 10% and 15% of the order total. For a tip amount above 15%, you have to click “other” and calculate it yourself.
A note on this: even a cursory Google search of how much to tip on Instacart reveals that most sources believe 15% to 20% is appropriate, so it’s a little befuddling that the app makes it so easy to tip so much less. Having effectively played my own Instacart shopper for this exercise, I can report that it is not easy, even in my everyday supermarket. The degree of difficulty was even higher in a store I had not been to regularly. Shopping with a general grocery list in hand is one thing, where it’s good enough just to grab “canned tomatoes,” but shopping for specific brands and sizes to fulfill a specific order took time, so I calculated a tip of 20%.
Read more: The 8 Best Grocery Delivery Services to Use in 2025
Bottom line: how much more expensive is Instacart?
Given the two scenarios I explored, tipping 20%, and going with Instacart’s default $7.99 delivery option, the results were as follows:
Which is more expensive?
| In-store total | Instacart total | Difference in price | |
| Kroger | $127.46 | $190.87 | 50% higher to use Instacart |
| Trade Fair | $158.67 | $205.78 | 30% higher to use Instacart |
While these percentages would ultimately vary depending on the size of a given order, my examination showed that Instacart was between 30% and 50% more expensive than in-store shopping, with the variable pricing model making a big difference in the outcome. (Note that I factored back in the $15 discount that Kroger was offering at the time on order above $35, to account for the fact that this was a limited-time promotion.)
There are a number of ways to save some money by using Instacart: using one of their cheaper delivery options, adding your local loyalty program in the app, taking advantage of limited time promotional discounts, sourcing retailers that offer in-store pricing or — but I do not support this — tipping less, but at the end of the day it’s significantly more expensive to grocery shop via Instacart.