Where Can You Buy the Cheapest Groceries in Zurich?
No single store in Zurich is cheapest for everything every week. On staples, Aldi, Lidl, M-Budget and Prix Garantie lead (K-Tipp 2025); on branded products the running promotion decides. The ShopVille at the main station is open 365 days. Rappn shows the cheapest basket this week by district.
As of June 2026. Store data verified at migros.ch, coop.ch, aldi-suisse.ch, lidl.ch, denner.ch, ottos.ch, volg.ch and SBB ShopVille listings. Price comparisons per K-Tipp and bonus.ch 2025. Live weekly offers by canton in the Rappn app.
Rappn is the only neutral grocery price comparison app in Switzerland, with no commercial agreements with any retailer.
Upfront: there is no single supermarket in Zurich that is cheapest for everything every week. The cheapest address depends on your basket and the current Aktion (promotion) week. A K-Tipp comparison of branded products (as of August 2025) found many items differed by just 1 centime between Migros, Coop, Aldi and Lidl. On staples and budget lines, however, Aldi, Lidl and the M-Budget and Prix Garantie ranges came out ahead per K-Tipp 2025. To actually save in the city and canton of Zurich, you combine chains and check fresh every week.
Where can you shop cheapest in Zurich?
The city of Zurich had around 448,664 residents at the end of 2024 (Statistik Stadt Zurich), and the canton roughly 1.62 million (Federal Statistical Office). Zurich is considered the most expensive city in Switzerland, but that mainly concerns rents, restaurants and services. Supermarket prices themselves are uniform nationally: a pack of rice costs the same at Aldi in Kreis 4 as at Aldi in Winterthur or Wetzikon. So in Zurich the difference is not the prices but which stores are nearby, when they open, and which promotion is running.
The classic discounters with the lowest price floor on staples are Aldi Suisse and Lidl Schweiz. Both have been pushing into the city centre for years: Aldi runs a branch right at the busy Stadelhofen station and a two-storey store on Sihlstrasse near the Bahnhofstrasse, plus locations in Kreis 4 (Badenerstrasse). Lidl is also expanding into Kreis 4 and Kreis 5. If you live on the city edge, you also find larger Aldi and Lidl stores with parking, for example towards Schlieren, Dietikon or Wallisellen.
Which chains are present in the city and canton of Zurich?
Zurich is the densest retail market in Switzerland. Every major chain is here, from full-range supermarkets to discounters and convenience shops. The table below sorts the main players by their role.
| Chain | Role in Zurich | Staples price level |
|---|---|---|
| Migros | Full-range, dense network (City, ShopVille HB, Letzipark, Sihlcity), no alcohol | low (M-Budget) |
| Coop | Full-range, dense network incl. alcohol and organic (Naturaplan) | low (Prix Garantie) |
| Aldi Suisse | Discounter, expanding into the centre (Stadelhofen, Sihlstrasse, Kreis 4) | very low |
| Lidl Schweiz | Discounter, centre expansion (Kreis 4 and 5), Lidl Plus app | very low |
| Denner | Discounter with dense network, the alcohol channel of the Migros group | mid (no longer price leader per K-Tipp 2024) |
| Otto's | Clearance and non-food, scattered locations, no full grocery range | variable |
| Volg / Migrolino / Avec | Neighbourhood and station shops, long hours, small range | higher (convenience markup) |
Aligro runs a cash-and-carry wholesale store in Schlieren (Zurich agglomeration), useful for bulk and event shopping, not for the weekly shop. Volg is mainly present in the canton's rural municipalities (Zurcher Oberland, Weinland, Unterland) and rare inside the city.
Instead of flicking through seven flyers: one feed per canton.
Set your location in the Rappn app to your Zurich postcode. The app shows only the offers running in or near your neighbourhood, with unit prices for a direct comparison across Migros, Coop, Aldi, Lidl and Denner.
Station, Sunday and late shopping in Zurich
Zurich has a feature that is almost unique in Switzerland: the ShopVille inside the main station. Thanks to the railway act (Art. 39 EBG), shops in major stations may open 365 days a year, including Sundays and public holidays. Inside ShopVille HB, Migros, Coop and Aldi are open daily until around 22:00 (Migros ShopVilleMaert from 06:30 Mon-Fri, 08:00 Sat-Sun; Coop until about 22:30). That is the most reliable address for Sunday or late-night shopping in Zurich.
Outside the main station, the usual German-speaking Switzerland rule applies: supermarkets close on weekdays mostly at 19:00 or 20:00, Saturdays 18:00 to 20:00, closed Sundays. For emergencies, Migrolino, Avec and Coop Pronto at petrol stations and stations stay open late (Migrolino at the HB daily until late at night), but with a convenience markup. If you plan your shop, you save clearly by putting the weekly run in a discounter or full-range store rather than the corner shop.
The honest answer: it depends on your basket
One example illustrates it well: a 20 Minuten comparison of a 40-item basket (as of September 2023) put Lidl cheapest at CHF 69.83 and Coop dearest at CHF 77.83, a gap of about 10 francs. For pure branded products, by contrast, prices are nearly identical per K-Tipp 2025. Meaning: if you buy branded items, switching stores barely saves anything in Zurich, the promotion does. If you lean on private labels and staples, you save structurally at Aldi, Lidl, M-Budget and Prix Garantie.
The realistic Zurich saving combination looks like this:
- Aldi or Lidl (Stadelhofen, Sihlstrasse, Kreis 4 or city edge) for staples in volume: oat milk, eggs, legumes, snacks, cleaning products
- Migros or Coop for fresh, organic and private labels (M-Budget, Prix Garantie, Naturaplan)
- Denner for wine, spirits and budget coffee (Migros sells no alcohol)
- ShopVille HB only for the Sunday or late shop, not as your default
This is exactly the logic Rappn makes visible: instead of guessing, you see per canton and neighbourhood which chain is cheapest for your basket this week. More in our guides on where groceries are cheapest by canton and on how to save on the weekly shop.
The cheapest store in Zurich changes every week.
Rappn shows live where your basket costs the least this week, filtered to your Zurich district. Download Rappn and compare your first Zurich shop.
Sources checked: .
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where do you shop cheapest in Zurich?
It depends on your basket. For staples and private labels, Aldi and Lidl plus M-Budget and Prix Garantie are cheapest per K-Tipp 2025. For pure branded products, Migros, Coop, Aldi and Lidl are nearly identical, so the running promotion decides. The Rappn app shows, by your Zurich postcode, where your basket costs the least this week.
Are there Aldi and Lidl stores in the city of Zurich?
Yes. Aldi runs branches including one at Stadelhofen station, a two-storey store on Sihlstrasse near the Bahnhofstrasse, and locations in Kreis 4 (Badenerstrasse). Lidl is expanding into Kreis 4 and Kreis 5. On the city edge and in the agglomeration (Schlieren, Dietikon, Wallisellen) you also find larger stores with parking.
Which supermarkets are open on Sunday in Zurich?
Inside the ShopVille at the main station, Migros, Coop and Aldi are open 365 days a year, including Sundays, until around 22:00 (under railway act Art. 39 EBG). Outside the station, most supermarkets are closed on Sundays. Migrolino, Avec and Coop Pronto at stations and petrol stations stay open late, but with a convenience markup.
Are grocery prices in Zurich higher than elsewhere?
No. Migros, Coop, Aldi, Lidl and Denner price nationally. An item costs the same at Aldi in Kreis 4 as at Aldi in Winterthur. What is expensive in Zurich is housing, not the supermarket. The difference is store proximity, opening hours and promotions.
Is Aligro in Schlieren worth it for the weekly shop?
Mainly for bulk and event shopping. Aligro is a cash-and-carry wholesale store in the Zurich agglomeration with large pack sizes. For a normal weekly shop in a small household the trip usually does not pay off; the nearer discounters and full-range stores are more practical.