Neither Costco nor Walmart: These are the most expensive grocery stores in the U.S. according to AI

We put AI chatbots to the test to see how helpful they really are when it comes to saving users money.

We asked ChatGPT and Deepseek to identify the most expensive and most affordable grocery stores in the U.S. Both named Whole Foods as the most expensive national chain, citing its focus on high-quality produce and healthier options. The result was unsurprising to anyone who’s ever shopped there.

Where the AI fell short

Even with a straightforward question, Deepseek struggled to back up its claims. It stated that Whole Foods, while known for higher prices, had lowered prices on some staples since being acquired by Amazon. When asked for sources, it provided a few articles—all published between 2017 and 2020. But when prompted for more recent reporting, the links were broken and couldn’t be found using Google searches with keywords from the articles and outlets.

ChatGPT ran into similar issues. When asked to cite a source for Whole Foods being the most expensive national chain, it pointed to a CBS News article from 2019. Unlike Deepseek, the link worked, which was a plus. Still, the chatbot struggled to provide more up-to-date sources to support its claims.

Where the AI performed better

AI is better at gathering information than analyzing it. When asked for tips on how to save money while grocery shopping, both chatbots were able to provide clear, helpful answers—thanks to the abundance of articles available on the topic.

If you are on the lookout for a guide to help you identify the most affordable grocery store in your area, the team over at Net Credit has put together a great guide, that is much more reliable than these chatbots.

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