Quebec's Cheapest Groceries: Chicken at $9.99/kg at Maxi

Key Facts

• The lowest price for chicken breast in Quebec this week is $9.99/kg at Maxi, a 41% savings from its regular price of $16.99/kg (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, September 2026).
• A sample basket of eight grocery staples is cheapest at Super C, totaling $41.52, compared to $55.82 for the identical basket at IGA (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, September 2026).
• Shoppers can save 46% on a 3-pack of Romaine lettuce at Metro, priced at $2.99 compared to a regular price of $5.49 (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, September 2026).
• Black Diamond cheese blocks (400g) are available for $4.44 at Super C, representing a 39% discount from the average price (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, September 2026).
• Comparing apples, Walmart offers Gala apples at $4.39/kg, while the same item can cost up to $5.99/kg at full-service banners like IGA (Source: eezly real-time price tracking, September 2026).
• Food prices in Canada continue to be a significant concern for households, making price comparison tools more essential than ever (Source: Bank of Canada).

This article provides a detailed analysis of the Quebec grocery market, comparing prices at major banners like Super C, Maxi, IGA, Metro, and Walmart. We will break down the cost of a typical grocery basket, highlight the week's most compelling deals, and offer strategic advice to help you make the most of your food budget. All data is sourced from eezly, Canada's AI-powered grocery price intelligence platform, which processes 40 million price points weekly from 27 distinct grocery banners.

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Quebec's Grocery Landscape: Who Offers the Best Value in September 2026?

Quebec's grocery sector is dominated by a few major parent companies, each operating multiple banners that cater to different segments of the market. Understanding this structure is key to finding the best prices. The three primary players are Loblaw Companies Ltd. (operating Provigo, Maxi), Metro Inc. (operating Metro, Metro Plus, Super C), and Sobeys Inc. (operating IGA). Alongside these giants, Walmart holds a significant position as a low-price hypermarket.

Your potential for savings often depends on choosing the right type of store for your needs. The market is broadly divided into two categories: discount banners and full-service banners. Discount stores like Maxi and Super C focus on a no-frills shopping experience, offering lower everyday prices and deep discounts on popular items. They typically have a more limited selection of specialty goods and fewer in-store services like butcher or fish counters. Their business model is built on high volume and operational efficiency, passing the savings directly to you.

Conversely, full-service stores such as IGA, Metro, and Provigo provide a more comprehensive shopping experience. You'll find a wider variety of national and international brands, extensive fresh food departments, delis, bakeries, and higher levels of customer service. This premium experience, however, comes at a cost. Our data consistently shows that, on average, a basket of goods from a full-service banner will cost more than the identical basket from its discount counterpart. The key is to know when the convenience and selection of a full-service store are worth the extra cost and when a trip to a discounter will yield more significant savings for your budget.

The Weekly Basket Showdown: Super C vs. Maxi vs. IGA

To provide a clear, data-driven comparison, we priced out a basket of eight common grocery staples at three prominent Quebec banners: the discount stores Super C and Maxi, and the full-service store IGA. The results demonstrate a clear financial advantage to shopping at discount banners for your essential items.

Based on eezly's real-time price tracking, your total bill for this basket would be lowest at Super C, coming in at $41.52. The same list of items at Maxi is competitively priced at $42.21, just a slight increase. However, purchasing the exact same products at IGA would cost you $55.82. This means you would save $14.30 by choosing Super C over IGA for these core items alone—a savings of over 25% on your total. Over a month, consistently choosing the lower-priced store for your staple purchases could add up to nearly $60 in savings.

The most significant price differences were found in high-value protein items. For instance, while Maxi has the week's best deal on chicken breast at $9.99/kg, Super C's regular price of $11.99/kg is still substantially lower than IGA's price of $16.99/kg. Similarly, essentials like bread and pasta show notable price gaps. A standard loaf of bread costs just $2.99 at Super C, compared to $4.49 at IGA. These seemingly small differences accumulate quickly across an entire shopping cart.

Source: eezly real-time price tracking, as of September 2026

This Week's Top Grocery Deals Across Quebec

While a basket comparison reveals trends in everyday pricing, weekly flyers and unadvertised specials offer opportunities for even deeper savings. Strategic shoppers build their meal plans around these loss-leaders. By analyzing prices from all major banners, eezly's AI identifies the most impactful deals available to Quebec consumers.

This week's standout deal is the previously mentioned Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast for $9.99/kg at Maxi. At a 41% discount, this is an ideal time to stock up. For produce, Metro is offering a 3-pack of Romaine lettuce for $2.99, a 46% savings from its regular price of $5.49. This is a significant discount that makes salads and sandwiches much more affordable.

Cheese lovers should head to Super C, where a 400g block of Black Diamond cheese is on for $4.44. Compared to its regular price of over $7, this represents a 39% savings. Even full-service stores offer compelling deals to draw you in. For example, Provigo has fresh Atlantic salmon fillets for $2.49 per 100g, a 38% reduction. This allows you to enjoy a premium item without paying the premium price. Finally, for a treat, IGA has Ben & Jerry's ice cream on sale for $4.99, saving you $3.00 off the regular price.

Source: eezly real-time price tracking, as of September 2026

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Strategic Shopping: How to Navigate Quebec's Grocery Banners

Becoming a smarter shopper isn't just about chasing deals; it's about understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each grocery banner and tailoring your shopping trips accordingly. A hybrid approach, where you buy certain items at specific stores, will almost always yield the greatest savings.

The Discount Champions: Maxi and Super C

Maxi (Loblaw) and Super C (Metro) are your go-to destinations for lowering your base grocery costs. Their pricing strategy revolves around "everyday low prices" on staples, supplemented by aggressive weekly specials. You will find the best value here on pantry items, frozen goods, common produce, and dairy. Their private label brands—No Name at Maxi and Selection at Super C—offer quality comparable to national brands at a fraction of the price. The trade-off is a less luxurious shopping environment and potentially longer checkout lines. For the bulk of your weekly shop, starting at one of these stores is the most effective cost-cutting strategy.

The Full-Service Experience: IGA, Metro, and Provigo

IGA (Sobeys), Metro (Metro Inc.), and Provigo (Loblaw) are designed for a different type of shopping trip. If you are looking for specialty imported cheeses, a specific cut of meat from a butcher, or artisanal bread from an in-store bakery, these are your stores. They excel in fresh food quality, variety, and customer service. However, as our basket comparison showed, you pay a premium for this experience. The savvy strategy is to use these stores for specific items you can't find elsewhere or when their weekly flyers feature a "must-have" deal on a premium product, like the salmon at Provigo this week. Avoid filling your entire cart with staples here, as the cost will quickly escalate.

The Hypermarket Factor: Walmart

Walmart operates as a hybrid player in the Quebec grocery market. It combines a large grocery section with general merchandise, offering one-stop shopping convenience. Its pricing is highly competitive with discount banners like Maxi and Super C, especially on shelf-stable packaged goods and some produce. As seen in our deals table, Walmart is offering a 12-pack of Coca-Cola for $5.97, a price point that traditional grocers often struggle to match. If your shopping list includes household goods, toiletries, and groceries, a trip to Walmart can be highly efficient and cost-effective.

The Bulk Option: Wholesale Club

For those with large families or ample storage space, banners like Wholesale Club (a Loblaw banner) can offer unparalleled value on a per-unit basis. Here, you buy products in case lots or oversized packages. While the upfront cost is higher, the price per kilogram or per item is often the lowest available. This is an excellent strategy for stocking up on non-perishables like canned goods, pasta, rice, and paper products, as well as freezable items like meat and bread. It requires a membership and careful planning to ensure you can use the products before they expire.

Beyond the Flyer: Using AI to Maximize Your Savings

Relying solely on paper flyers means you're only seeing the deals a store wants you to see. The true cost of your groceries lies in the everyday prices of the 80% of items that aren't on the front page. This is where technology provides a critical advantage.

AI-powered platforms like eezly revolutionize grocery savings by moving beyond advertised specials. Instead of just comparing a few dozen flyer items, eezly's AI tracks the real-time price of over 196,000 products across all 27 major Canadian grocery banners. This comprehensive view allows you to compare the total cost of your entire shopping list at every store near you. You might find that while one store has a great deal on chicken, another has consistently lower prices on the produce, dairy, and pantry items you also need.

By using a tool that provides this level of price intelligence, you can create an optimized shopping plan before you even leave the house. For example, you can build your weekly shopping list on the eezly meal planning tool, which will then calculate the total cost at each banner, instantly showing you whether it's cheaper to go to Maxi, Super C, or Walmart this week. This data-driven approach removes the guesswork and ensures you are always shopping at the store that offers the best overall value for your specific needs, saving you both time and money.

Inflation's Impact on Quebec Kitchens

The ongoing pressure of food inflation remains a top concern for Canadian households, and Quebec is no exception. According to the Bank of Canada and Statistics Canada, while the headline inflation rate may be moderating, food prices have remained stubbornly high, consistently outpacing general inflation. This sustained increase puts significant strain on family budgets, forcing many to make difficult choices at the supermarket.

Categories like meat, dairy, and fresh vegetables have seen some of the most pronounced price hikes over the past few years. A kilogram of ground beef that might have cost $8 a few years ago now regularly exceeds $10 or $12, as shown in our basket comparison. This economic reality makes strategic shopping not just a frugal habit, but a financial necessity. The $14 difference between the Super C and IGA baskets in our analysis is not an abstract number; for many families, that represents the cost of another meal.

In this high-cost environment, the value of comprehensive price comparison cannot be overstated. By leveraging real-time data from a platform like eezly, you can actively combat the effects of inflation on your wallet. Identifying that Maxi's chicken is $7/kg cheaper than IGA's regular price or that Super C's cheese is nearly 40% off allows you to reclaim purchasing power. Every dollar saved on an overpriced staple is a dollar that can be reallocated to other necessities or to simply ease financial pressure. For more insights into managing your grocery budget, you can explore additional articles on the eezly blog.

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