How Portland Grocery Prices Shifted In October 2025

If you only look at the city-wide average, the story of grocery prices for Portland, Oregon, in October seems calm. But that average masks the massive turbulence happening on the shelves, where prices at some stores swung by double digits.

The Portland Price Tracker is a data-driven monthly report on the real cost of groceries in our city. Each month, we track 20 grocery staples across 20 stores — including the newly added Basic’s Market — to see how the cost of a consistent basket of goods changes depending on where you shop. To ensure fair comparisons, stores are grouped, preventing direct matchups between, for example, a bargain grocer like WinCo and a co-op like Alberta, which focuses on organic and locally produced specialty items.

Still, by directly tracking this data we’re able to glean insights into how the prices you’re seeing on the shelves are shifting from month-to-month, both for individual items and overall. Here’s what we learned in October.

While some grocers held their prices remarkably steady, others saw dramatic shifts last month.

The increases at these three stores were driven by very different factors. At Sheridan Fruit Co., the jump is almost entirely due to a methodological change. To ensure consistency across all stores, the Portland Price Tracker has shifted to only tracking pre-packaged granulated sugar, which created a one-time statistical surge of over 300% on that single item at this store.

Whole Foods' increase was propelled by a handful of significant hikes, most notably a 142% price increase on a 24-oz. jar of pasta sauce. Meanwhile, Grocery Outlet's volatility reflects its business model as a liquidator; its basket increase was overwhelmingly caused by a nearly 200% price spike on a 5-lb. bag of Russet potatoes, which went from one of the cheapest in the city the previous month ($2.49) to one of the most expensive in October ($7.45).

On the other side of the ledger, several stores made aggressive price cuts. Barbur World Foods saw the most dramatic drop, driven by huge discounts on key staples. The price of a 5-lb. bag of Russet potatoes fell by over 27% (from $5.50 to $3.99), and pasta sauce was slashed by nearly 48% (from $10.49 to $5.49). Albertsons also made a strong competitive move, with its -12.79% drop largely attributable to a 40% price cut on a 5-lb. bag of Russet potatoes during the week tracked (from $4.99 to $2.99). Walmart's decrease was less about a single dramatic sale and more about broad-based reductions, reinforcing its strategy to maintain a low overall basket cost.

Amid the changes, a couple of major retailers barely moved the needle on their total basket price. New Seasons and Roth's Fresh Markets held their prices steady, with overall changes of less than 1% in either direction.

While October's price swings were dramatic, a two-month look helps separate temporary sales from sustained trends. This steady climb isn't random; it's driven by noticeable, consistent increases at particular stores.

This sustained inflation is not being felt equally across the city. The two-month trend shows a clear pattern of certain grocers consistently raising their basket prices. The most significant long-term risers since August include:

In stark contrast to this upward trend, Walmart has shown the most significant and consistent price decreases over the same period, with its total basket dropping by -10.86% since August. This demonstrates a clear strategic divergence in the market, where some stores are passing costs to consumers while others are aggressively cementing their position as low-price leaders. 

This month marks a key evolution in the Portland Price Tracker, thanks to excellent feedback from a Savers Club member. The goal is to better compare the cost of a complete basket of groceries across different types of stores.

Going forward, here is how we will handle missing items: 

This new method ensures a more accurate, apples-to-apples comparison of what it costs to fill a shopping list at each store.

The extreme volatility in staple items proves that loyalty to a single store can be costly. A 5-lb. bag of Russet potatoes nearly tripled in price at Grocery Outlet, becoming one of the most expensive in the city, while the same item was slashed by over 27% at Barbur World Foods. Likewise, a jar of pasta sauce more than doubled in price at Whole Foods (+142%), while it was cut by nearly half at Barbur World Foods. This highlights a clear opportunity: "cherry-picking" key items from different stores isn't just a casual saving strategy; it's a powerful defense against unpredictable price swings that can save you a significant percentage on your total bill.

This month's data reveals a marketplace in flux. Retailers like Barbur World Foods and Albertsons made clear, aggressive price cuts on staple goods to draw in customers. In contrast, stores like Whole Foods passed on substantial price increases on specific items. Watching these trends is key. The grocers making bold cuts are actively competing for your dollar, while others may be testing how much the market will bear. Keeping an eye on these divergent strategies will help you anticipate where the best values will be next month and decide where to spend your grocery dollars most effectively.

To ensure fair comparisons, all prices reflect shelf prices collected during the third week of October 2025. This report tracks 20 grocery staples at 20 stores in the Portland metro area. The process has been updated to use substitutions for out-of-stock items or items a store does not carry. We have also standardized on tracking pre-packaged goods to ensure consistency across all stores.

I used AI to assist with parsing data points for this article.

Happy saving!
Bryan,
Founder/Publisher,
Stumptown Savings